Ila Lane recorded her 19th double-double of the season and point guard Danae Miller contributed 13 points to lead the UCSB women’s basketball team to a 55-47 win on Saturday at the Thunderdome.
Lane had 20 points and 20 rebounds. She also finished 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-5 at the free-throw line. Lane leads the nation in rebounding average with 13.3 per game. UCSB enjoyed a strong start to the game.
Following Long Beach State’s game-opening three-point play from Shanaijah Davison, the Gauchos (13-15, 8-7 Big West) went on a dominant 24-2 run that spanned all the way to the end of the first quarter.
Though a three-pointer from the Beach’s Justina King gave the visitors the final points of the frame, UCSB held them to just 3-of-14 from the field in the early going.
The pace slowed dramatically in the second quarter, with UCSB outscoring Long Beach 9-8 as each team locked down on the other. The Gauchos held a 32-17 halftime lead after Lane put together one of her strongest first halves in Big West play, dropping 11 points and securing 10 boards to lock up the double-double by the intermission.
Redshirt senior guard Tal Sahar was just behind her with eight points, including two treys, in the first half. Sahar finished with 10 points. The third quarter was once again a back and forth affair. The Gauchos started off on a 9-2 run, but Long Beach ended the quarter by scoring the final six points, but UCSB still led 45-27 as the game transitioned into the final period.
email: gfall@newspress.com
