UC Santa Barbara Wins Title

UC Santa Barbara wrapped up the Big West Conference women’s basketball championship Saturday night with an 86-80 victory over Long Beach State in front of 3,338 at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara.

Long Beach, 15-12 overall and 10-4 in the Big West, rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit behind the play of Jackie Moore, who scored 35 points, as Santa Barbara (19-8, 12-2) missed seven of 13 free throws in the last six minutes.

Moore’s layup cut the Gaucho lead to 80-78 with two minutes left, but Moore was immediately called for a technical foul for taunting.

“She just screamed in my face,” Gaucho center Kayte Christensen said.

Jess Hansen made one of two free throws and Christensen scored on a layup to make the score 83-78. Christensen finished with a team-high 20 points.

UCSB had won 75 of 78 conference games over the last five seasons but appeared vulnerable this season.

“I don’t think in the past we had to fight for everything,” Christensen said. “One thing about this team, our games are not always pretty and things are not always easy, but we come away with wins.”