Following their 61-47 road defeat to Hawaii on Jan. 9, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) women’s basketball team received a much-needed bye to regroup and prepare for their next opponents, the University of California, Santa Barabara (UCSB).

While the Highlanders had time to rest, UCSB were coming off an emotional 51-50 home loss against archrivals Cal Poly. With a whole three extra days of break and home court advantage, UCR had the mental edge going into Thursday’s contest.

Courtesy Karl Boudiwan

From the start, it seemed like the Highlanders were the more lively team. The Gauchos won the tip-off, but UCR forced junior guard Skylar Burke to throw up a prayer with the shot clock winding down on the first possession. She managed to secure her own rebound. However, the Gauchos still couldn’t find a good shot even with a fresh 20 seconds as the Highlanders forced a shot clock violation.

Junior guard Zoe Tillery scored the first points of the game with an open midrange due to a miscommunication from the Gauchos while defending the on-ball screen. On the next possession, UCSB turned it over again leading to a fastbreak layup for junior guard Makayla Rose.

The rest of the Highlanders were feeding off the energy of Tillery and Rose. Both junior guards did an exceptional job defending UCSB’s playmakers along the perimeter. This stalled the Gauchos offense as UCSB kept having to settle for long 3-pointers.

Back-to-back threes from fifth-year guard Alyssa Marin and sophomore forward Zoe Borter kept the Gauchos even on the scoreboard, but the Highlanders were the better team throughout the first quarter.

However, the shots stopped falling for UCSB in the second quarter and the Highlanders started pulling away from the Gauchos. Graduate guard Seneca Hackley checked in for Tillery as head coach Brad Langston looked to use Hackley’s shooting to spread the floor. This allowed Rose to utilize her speed to blow by her defender and wreak havoc with the extra spacing.

Makayla Rose (left) courtesy Elena Versage

After driving to the hoop, Rose found Hackley wide open in the corner with a sweet cross-court pass. The Colorado native drilled the 3-pointer and the Highlanders didn’t look back. They outscored the Gauchos 21-5 in the second quarter and took a commanding 39-22 lead going into halftime.

Down by 17 points, UCSB looked to change their offensive approach in the second half. They needed to score quick buckets to give themselves a chance of coming back, but the Highlanders kept the same gameplan. Rose and Tillery maintained intense on-ball pressure. This forced the Gauchos to play fast and panicky rather than quick and under control.

The Gauchos would eventually see some success in the fourth quarter. They scored eight unanswered points and cut the lead to just seven. However, the Highlanders stayed composed and countered with nine unanswered points of their own to take this one 62-52.

On Saturday, the Highlanders traveled to La Jolla to take on the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). UCR entered the fourth quarter trailing by 14 points, but the Highlanders didn’t lose hope. Duchemin led the comeback, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter. UCR had a chance to win the game on the final possession but turned it over. UCSD held on to win 59-58 as the Highlanders dropped to 4-3 in the Big West.

The Highlanders are back in action against the University of California, Irvine this Thursday, Jan. 23. 

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