Big Basketball Weekend for UCSB and Westmont

Plus, Amber Melgoza’s Final College Game and Mike Moropoulos Memorial Planned

The Westmont women’s basketball team battled for the championship last Saturday. “We’re built for the long haul,” said Coach Kirsten Moore. “Deep in games, fatigue doesn’t affect us.” | Credit: Caleb Jones

Good to the last drop. That was the story of UCSB’s regular-season finales, which the Gaucho men’s and women’s teams both won on buzzer-beating shots.

JaQuori McLaughlin did the deed last Saturday night at the Thunderdome. His fall-away jumper in the lane gently touched the rim and the backboard before settling into the hoop as time expired, boosting the Gauchos to a 69-67 victory over Cal Poly. The largest home crowd of the season went into a frenzy at the dramatic conclusion.

Even more stunning was the Gaucho women’s 57-56 win at Hawai‘i three nights earlier. They were on the verge of a disappointing loss when the Wahine took a 56-55 lead with nine seconds remaining. The time was down to four seconds after a Hawai‘i foul forced them to inbound the ball from the sideline. Junior guard Danae Miller took the pass, dribbled toward the baseline and, with 0.2 seconds showing, tossed up a floater that swished through the net.

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