For the second straight season, the UCSB women’s basketball team, like many teams across the country, head into the conference season not just having to be ready to battle the teams on the court but also try to stay healthy off of it.
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has forced mass cancellations and postponements of various games across the country.
UCSB’s first two scheduled Big West games were canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. As a result, the Gauchos had a near three-week delay between games.
“Our number one priority remains keeping our kids healthy,” Coach Bonnie Henrickson said. “If we have to pivot and they enter protocols, it’s all about ensuring we do what we can to safely get them back to practice, safely get them back to games.”
The Gauchos finally saw the court Thursday night at Cal Poly to rekindle the Blue-Green rivalry. Even after the long delay between games, they didn’t miss a beat and won their Big West opener
UCSB bested Cal Poly, 63-42, for its fifth straight victory, tying the program’s longest win streak in the last half decade.
“This time is so tremendously exciting,” Henrickson said of finally playing Best West games. “There’s quality coaches, players across this league that could take over a game and the styles they all play at is different, so this really is a great and challenging time.
“The race is now between who gets better between now and March. You have to win your conference tournament to advance (to the NCAA Tournament), so it’s a race for improvement.”
UCSB was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll in the Big West while the media poll ranked them around sixth.
But Henrickson believes the ceiling for her team is much higher.
One of the reasons for that is the sheer depth in numbers this team has.
This year, UCSB has 15 women on its roster compared to just eight last season because of COVID opt-outs and injuries.
“Last year we had no wiggle room with COVID,” Henrickson recalled. “I have been around long enough to know competitive practices are necessary to improve and last year, that was hard with our roster size because of the sheer number of minutes we put in during games.
“(This season,) we’ve got talented pieces, we’ve got quality depth, and I think that bodes for a great run. But we’re not the only team that would say that either.”
One of the biggest additions this season was the return of All-American Ila Lane. She opted out of the 2020-21 season because of COVID concerns.
After a slow start, Lane is starting to catch her stride again. She leads the team in both points (12.9) and rebounds (9.0).
Lane played just 17 minutes against Cal Poly and registered four points and five rebounds.
Prior to the Cal Poly game, she scored 25-plus points in two of her last three outings.
“For her, it was an adjustment getting back into game-playing mode,” Henrickson said. “She trained every day, worked on her face up game and a lot of stuff, but it’s different getting back into that game speed with real guarding, but she’s really coming along.”
Newcomer Alexis Tucker has improved UCSB’s depth. The Texas Tech transfer is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 points per contest.
In seven of her last nine contests, she’s reached double figures, dropping a career-high 21 points in a comeback, home victory against Sacramento State. She did not play against Cal Poly.
“She could score in a number of different ways and she’s becoming more and more comfortable at the three-point line,” Henrickson said of Tucker. “She’s physical and has the opportunity for getting into the paint and getting to the free throw line. She brings another dimension from a physicality standpoint at the guard position, with a skill set that creates some options for herself.”
UCSB also boasts a slew of talented seniors eager to leave a mark in their final year representing the blue and gold.
Senior guard Danae Miller logs the most minutes of anyone on the team. The veteran averages 9.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game as the only player averaging more than 30 minutes a game.
She reached a Gaucho milestone this year, scoring her 1,000th career point.
Taylor Mole, who was selected to the preseason all-conference team, had her best game of the season against Cal Poly. The senior forward scored a season-high 19 points, shooting 4-of-7 from three-point range.
Henrickson said scoring from the perimeter will be huge for the Gauchos this conference season.
Senior Megan Anderson also paces the offense, averaging nine points. She’s the second best shooter from deep, making 48% from beyond the arc.
In a second season of playing during a pandemic, Henrickson said the team’s senior leadersship is vital on and off the court.
“Leadership is influence, taking care of the young kids and the transfers that are new to all this, new to the league… all that stuff means more coming from teammates,” said the coach. “Not that it doesn’t matter coming from us as coaches, but it means more when you are a player-led program, because they have lived through their experiences and they have advice and that matters.”
UCSB’s next game against Cal State Bakersfield has been canceled due COVID-19 issues in the Bakersfield program. The next scheduled game is Thursday at home against Long Beach State.