A first-quarter surge set the tone as the UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team showcased its depth in a 92-48 victory over Seattle University on Monday night at the Thunderdome.
Senior forward Zoe Borter was a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point range, and the Gauchos burned Seattle’s full-court pressure by shooting 59.3 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. With the win, UCSB improved to 3-0 on the young season.
“I really didn’t feel comfortable until the middle of the fourth quarter,” said UCSB head coach Renee Jimenez. “I’ve (coached) against John Bonner teams for 15 years, and so I’ve been on both ends of it. I’ve been with teams like this that have handled (pressure) really well, and it doesn’t faze them. And I’ve been on the other end of it, where it feels like they are everywhere, on top of you.”
Bonner had success against UCSB last season as the head coach of Cal State Fullerton, notching two close victories over the Gauchos in Big West Conference play.
However, UCSB proved that things would be much different this time around as the Gauchos blitzed the visiting Redhawks in the opening minutes and jumped out to a 17-3 lead after a nifty transition pass from Chauncey Anderson led to a Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe layup with 4:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Sophomore Cal State Fullerton transfer Nicole Steiner was a key figure in UCSB’s fast start as she dominated inside against her former coach. Steiner finished with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and scored the Gauchos’ first four points of the game.
“Everyone just started out on fire, and I just knew that was going to set the tone for the game,” Steiner said. “We kept it going, no lapses. Every quarter, we stuck with it, and it was a great game.”
Madison Naro found Steiner inside for a basket, increasing the UCSB lead to 29-8 as the first-quarter buzzer sounded.
The two teams went back and forth in the second quarter. Freshman Charlotte Lipkin knocked down two 3-pointers during the period to help the Gauchos maintain a 47-24 lead heading into halftime.
The Gauchos’ lead ballooned to 68-32 on an Anderson layup with 3:04 remaining in the third quarter. Highly touted freshman Karisma Flores added a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining in the period to give UCSB a 77-40 lead. Flores overcame foul trouble to score all 10 of her points in the second half.
Borter finished with a game-high 22 points for UCSB. Zonzon-Huyghe chipped in 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
UCSB will face its toughest challenge yet on Saturday afternoon when Cal (3-0) visits the Thunderdome. Tipoff is set for noon.
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