Cal Poly wins in the final seconds at UCSB on Hiraki’s three-point play
UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -Cal Poly graduate guard Ashley Hiraki made an and-one layup with four seconds left and made the go ahead free throw to give the Cal Poly women's basketball team a 51-50 win on the road over rival UC Santa Barbara Saturday night.
Hiraki had her best game as a Mustang, scoring a season-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Redshirt sophomore forward Sierra Lichtie was equally as good, also scoring 14 points and just missing a double-double with nine rebounds.
The Mustangs (8-8, 3-3 Big West) defense was its calling card on the night, limiting the Gauchos (9-5, 3-2 Big West) to just 31 percent shooting from the field. They also held the Big West's top scorer in Alyssa Marin to just eight points, well below her average.
Tied at 17 a few minutes into the second quarter, UCSB went on a 6-0 run to go up 23-17. Cal Poly responded with its own 6-0 run to tie it back up a few minutes later. The game was tied at 27 apiece at halftime.
Cal Poly opened the second half with a 9-0 run to go up 36-27. From there, UCSB outscored the Mustangs the rest of the quarter 13-5 to draw within one heading into the fourth. That run continued into the fourth as the Gauchos scored the first five points of the quarter to take a 45-41 lead with seven minutes left.
Cal Poly then came back to eventually tie it at 47 with five minutes left. With just over four minutes to go, UCSB hit a three to go up 50-47. That would be there final point of the game as the Mustangs held them scoreless the rest of the way.
Down two with 15 seconds left, Hiraki drove the ball to the rim and made a layup as she got fouled with four seconds remaining. Hiraki made the free throw to put the Mustangs ahead 51-50. The Gauchos missed their final shot attempt as time expired.
The win moves the Mustangs up into sixth in the Big West standings. The schedule doesn't get any easier for Cal Poly as next week the Mustangs play at second place UC Davis on Thursday before hosting third place UC Irvine on Saturday.
UCSB was led by Skylar Burke who scored 11 points but they fall to 3-2 in the Big West and 9-6 on the year.
(Burke scores 2 of her team-leading 11 points. Entenza Design).
The Gauchos had beaten the Mustangs 8-straight times at the Thunderdome before the heroics by Hiraki.
(Cal Poly Athletics contributed to this article)
