Gonzaga University
8-2
UCSB
3-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gonzaga | 16 | 31 | 47 |
| UC Santa Barbara | 23 | 36 | 59 |
Women's Basketball Drops Road Game to Santa Barbara
12/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2008
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Playing its sixth road game in 15 days, the Gonzaga University women's basketball team struggled against UC Santa Barbara and ultimately dropped a 59-47 decision to the Gauchos on Sunday afternoon at the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara.
The Bulldogs (8-2) were led by junior forward Heather Bowman who scored a game-high 16 points and had eight rebounds and one steal in 26 minutes of action. Classmate Vivian Frieson chipped in 11 points, seven boards, three assists, two blocks and two steals in the Zags lowest scoring game in 55 contests. Gonzaga last scored less than fifty points in its 2007 NCAA Tournament contest against Middle Tennessee State University where it lost 85-46.
The Gauchos (3-3) Margaret Johnson and Emillie Johnson were the dominating players for UCSB, scoring 13 and 10 points respectively. Margaret Johnson had the final nine points of the first half to help Santa Barbara take a 23-16 lead into the locker room.
It was the opening minutes of the second half that UCSB gained control of the contest. The Gauchos put together a 16-3 spurt to hold an 18-point advantage at 39-23 with 12:42 left in the contest.
Santa Barbara took its largest lead of the game at the 8:17 mark when Lauren Pedersen hit one of two free throws to make it a 23 point lead at 52-29.
Gonzaga never gave up and actually swung the momentum its way after Pedersen hit her free throw. The Bulldogs rattled off 13 points and allowed the Gauchos to score only one point over the next six minutes to cut the score to 53-42 at 3:30.
The Bulldogs had the opportunity to get the lead under ten but senior Jami Schaefer had the ball stolen from Pedersen, who went on to score the first two points of a six-point run that put the game out of the Zags reach.
It was a slow moving first half for both Gonzaga and Santa Barbara. Neither team broke into double digits until there was less than six minutes remaining in the half.Tied at 7-7 at the 8:25 mark, Bowman and Frieson scored back-to-back buckets to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the half at 11-7 with 5:35 left on the clock.
Santa Barbara closed out the half with a 16-5 run, including Margaret Johnson's nine-straight points, to hold seven-point halftime lead.
Gonzaga finished the game shooting 32.1 percent from the field (18-56), including 21.4 percent (3-14) at the free throw line. The Bulldogs were sloppy with the ball though for the second-straight contest, finishing with 23 turnovers.
Santa Barbara hit 41.8 percent of its shots (23-for-55).
Gonzaga will look to rebound when it returns to the McCarthey Athletic Center to host South Dakota State University this Friday, Dec. 12. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
