Despite career night from Marin, UCSB falls in overtime to Nevada

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball team went toe-to-toe with Nevada on Thursday night inside the Thunderdome. For the second straight season the Gauchos and Wolf Pack went to overtime, this time Nevada came out on top 80-73. In the contest Alyssa Marin tied her career high with 31 points.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
"We saw growth today," said Jimenez. "We are challenging these student-athletes and we are asking them to learn an entirely new defensive system. I am really proud or our team for not folding but we need to pay attention to the details."

HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all Alyssa Marin in the opening quarter for the Gauchos. The fifth-year senior scored the Gauchos first 10 points to start the game as the Santa Barbara took an early edge, and held it throughout the first quarter.

UC Santa Barbara's stifling defense limited the opposition to just eight points in the opening 10 minutes of play. The Gauchos ended the first quarter up by 12.

In the second quarter the momentum completely shifted. It was the Wolf Pack that took control of the game. Nevada was able to chip away at the Gauchos lead and ultimately get within one. A three-pointer by Martha Pietsch stopped the momentum momentarily.

Unfortunately the Wolf Pack hit a three of their own to cut the lead back to one. A turnover by Santa Barbara led to another basket for Nevada and they took the lead for the first time in the contest. A back and forth second quarter would ensue, but it was Nevada that made a layup just before half to take a 32-31 lead to the break.

The third quarter continued the back and forth affair between the two sides for the first half of the third quarter. The Wolf Pack then took control of the game extending their lead up to 12 with just over two minutes to go in the third period.

Despite little time left in the quarter the Gauchos fought back. Alyssa Marin hit back-to-back shots to trim the lead to seven. A foul with 0.3 seconds left in the quarter put Skylar Burke at the line for three shots after being fouled on a half court heave. She made all three and cut the lead down to four as the teams headed to the fourth quarter.

The Gauchos continued their scoring run into the fourth eventually tying the game. The Blue and Gold would then taking the lead by three and extend their run to 15-0 in over five and half minutes of game play.

As the game came down the stretch the Gauchos would cling to their one possession lead. With just under four minutes Nevada hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 58. After the two teams traded baskets, Martha Pietsch hit a corner three to regain the lead for the Gauchos.

A basket by Nevada tied the game at 63 as the teams battled with under a minute to go. A three by Alyssa Marin found the bottom of the bucket to give Santa Barbara a three point lead with 40 second remaining. Unfortunately the Wolf Pack responded with a three of their own to tie the game back up. The game remained tied the rest of the way and the Gauchos and Wolf Pack headed to overtime.

In overtime Skylar Burke hit a jumper to get the scoring started but form there it was all Wolf Pack. The visitors hit a three pointer before making their next three shots to take a six point lead. They held on to the two possession cushion until the final horn, hitting big shots when needed and defeating the Gauchos 80-73.

FROM SOPHOMORE FORWARD ZOE BORTER
On playing 44 of 45 minutes: "I was prepared, the coaches do a good job of preparing us for tough games," said Borter. "In the moment you aren't worried about being tired you just want to win."

FROM FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR GUARD ALYSSA MARIN
On her attack at the rim: "For the past couple of practices coach has emphasized us being aggressive and getting the basket and downhill," said Marin. "I think we as a team did that really well tonight and opened each other up for better shots."

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara continues their homestand this Sunday, Nov. 17. The Gauchos are set to host San Jose State with tip off at 2 p.m. inside The Thunderdome. For those unable to attend in person, the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.

(article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)