HENDERSON, Nev. — A frantic, fourth-quarter rally gave UC Santa Barbara a shot at winning its opening round game of the Big West Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament.
But the shots weren’t falling this day for the fifth-seeded Gauchos.
They came up empty with two chances in the final seconds to complete a comeback from a 15-point deficit and lost to eighth-seeded Cal Poly, 56-54, at the Lee’s Family Forum.
“They made big shots and we didn’t,” UCSB coach Renee Jimenez said.
Senior Alyssa Marin was one of the few exceptions, rallying the Gauchos with 13 of her game-high 23 points in the final 10-plus minutes of her final collegiate game.
“She sacrificed a lot of who she had been as a player to grow this year and be better for what we needed her to be,” Jimenez said of her all-league guard. “Her finger doesn’t bend, her knee is banged up … I don’t know what’s broken in there, but there’s probably some stuff.
“I just think she’s going to have one of the most unique stories to tell coming out of UC Santa Barbara.
“I told her in the hallway that regardless of the wins and losses of her career, she gets to go down as one of the Gaucho greats.”
Junior guard Skylar Burke added 14 points, making 5-of-7 shots, and grabbing seven rebounds to share team-high honors with Olivia Bradley.
Marin became inspired when center Laurel Rockwood declared in the team huddle between the third and fourth quarters that, “We’re built for this.” UCSB trailed 42-30 at the time.
“Everyone just having the confidence in each other and lifting each other up and saying, ‘Yeah, we were built for this … We’ve been in these moments,’” Marin said. “Of course, it didn’t go our way at the end, but I’m proud with how we came together and I’m proud of how we climbed.”
Jimenez finishes her first season as UCSB’s head coach with a record of 18-13. Cal Poly (14-17) advances to face No. 4 seed UC San Diego at noon in today’s quarterfinals.
“I’ve been lucky to be part of coach’s first year here, and we’re both from the 805 (area code), and there’s a certain pride that we have with UCSB,” said Marin, a graduate of Camarillo High School. “As individuals, we always push to be a good core group and we always do everything for each other.”
She then added, choking with emotion, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be in a situation where people are celebrating if you get a rebound, or do something that’s just so small and everyone is cheering for you through the ups and downs.
“My coaches have just been there for me, and the players have been there for me. I’m just really going to miss this team.”
The Gauchos shot just 33.3% overall and 17.9% (5-for-28) from the three-point line. The cold spell even seemed to freeze their elite foul-shooting touch.
UCSB, which came into the game with a free-throw percentage of .819, made just 13-of-23 (.565) on Wednesday.
“We’re the No. 1 free-throw shooting team in the country, and we decided today to not be that — and that’s just the moment,” Jimenez said. “You’ve got to be able to step up there and take a deep breath and knock free throws down.
“We missed 10 free throws, and that’s just very uncharacteristic of our team. Free throws are one of our keys. We know that it’s something that makes us feel good.”
The Gauchos scored just six points in the first quarter. They missed 10 of 12 shots and were 1-of-7 from three-point range.
Cal Poly cobbled a 19-6 lead in the first quarter by scoring 10 of their 19 points off five UCSB turnovers.
Marin scored seven of the Gauchos’ eight points during a 3½-minute stretch of the second period that got them back into the game at 23-19.
Her only two misses from the foul line in nine attempts came after she was elbowed to the floor by Cal Poly’s Sierra Lichti near the end of the first half.
Lichtie followed that with a basket to send the Mustangs into halftime with a 28-19 lead. She led Cal Poly with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Mary Carter also got a double-double of 12 and 10.
The Mustangs out-rebounded UCSB 44-33 while reclaiming 16 of their own misses.
“Our defense and our rebounding have been our core, and we got out-rebounded by more than 10,” Jimenez said. “We said all year that if we don’t win the rebounding, we don’t win. That’s kind of been our rallying cry all year, and that’s what happened in the first half.
“They just killed us on the boards. They put us really off balance.
“When you’re putting so much pressure on your offense to make those shots, it’s tough. We know that when we defend and rebound, we feel really good about ourselves and are loose, and we didn’t do that to start the half.”
The Mustangs out-shot the Gauchos 39.3% to 30.4% in the first half while making 5-of-9 threes to UCSB’s 2-of-13.
The halftime break did little to thaw UCSB’s frigid shooting. The Gauchos made just 2-of-11 shots in the third period as their deficit grew to 42-27.
They started their comeback when Marin was fouled while attempting a three with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter. She made all three free throws to ignite a 12-3 run that carried into the first five minutes of the fourth period.
Jimenez kept Cal Poly off balance by switching defenses. The Mustangs failed to score a basket in the first six-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, missing five shots and committing four turnovers.
“We thought that zone was a good change of pace,” Jimenez said. “It got away from us a couple of times. It’s not something we do a lot. We were going to give some things up.
“But I do think it got us back in the game and gave us opportunities to win the game.”
Marin and Zoe Borter made back-to-back threes in the first 1:50 of the fourth quarter. Bradley added a layup after rebounding a Mustang miss and running a one-woman fast break.
A layup by Rockwood off Burke’s dump-off pass and Marin’s 18-foot jumper from the top reduced Cal Poly’s lead to 45-42 with 5:13 remaining.
Cal Poly finally got a basket when it ran a back-door play for Sydney Bourland.
Annika Shah, the Big West leader in three-point baskets, made her only long shot in seven attempts with a 28-footer that extended the Mustangs’ lead to 51-45 with 2:43 to go.
“With the senior leadership they have, they played remarkably,” Shah said of the Gauchos. “We always go neck-to-neck with them.
“It’s great to get a win against your rival. This is my first win ever in four years in Vegas, so it’s something special.”
Burke’s second-straight basket and Marin’s coast-to-coast drive for a three-point play got the Gauchos to within three, 53-50, with 1:34 left.
But UCSB missed its next four shots while Lichtie’s two free throws improved Cal Poly’s margin to 55-50 with 36.9 seconds remaining.
Bradley scored a put-back and Marin forced a Mustang turnover on an inbounds play to keep the Gauchos alive with 0:15.1 on the clock.
But Jessica Grant’s long three-point attempt rimmed in and out of the basket.
Lichtie grabbed the rebound and was immediately fouled by Bradley with 1.4 seconds left. But Lichtie also struck Bradley in the face with another high elbow and was ejected with her second flagrant foul.
Sidney Richards entered the game to take Lichtie’s two foul shots, making only the second one.
Marin made both of UCSB’s free throws, reducing the Mustangs’ lead to two points, and the Gauchos were also awarded the final possession.
But Bourland intercepted the inbounds pass to preserve Cal Poly’s victory.
“I’m proud of our team, of how we battled all season,” Jimenez said. “We went 8-4 in our last 12. We continued to get better, and I don’t think there was a team in the conference that did that over the course of the year.
“We had moments this year when we could’ve tanked, but we chose not to. They rolled with us as a staff and we’re forever grateful to our six seniors … We’re forever grateful to Alyssa.”