Gauchos Win Their Fifth Consecutive Title

UC Santa Barbara won its fifth consecutive Big West Conference women’s basketball tournament title Saturday, and put an end to the talk that the Gauchos looked vulnerable this season.

For the third consecutive year, Santa Barbara defeated Long Beach State in the championship game. The 79-76 victory in front of 1,181 in the Anaheim Convention Center extended Santa Barbara’s conference tournament winning streak to 15 games.

Some Long Beach fans wore T-shirts with an “Unfinished Business” slogan on the back, but it turned out to be business as usual for the Gauchos (22-8), who won their 18th consecutive game against the 49ers (17-13).

It wasn’t a done deal, however, until Ekuah Ramsey’s shot from slightly beyond half-court at the buzzer hit the front of the rim and bounced off.

Senior forward Rachelle Rogers led the way for Santa Barbara with 25 points and earned the tournament’s most valuable player award. She made seven of 14 shots from the field and 11 of 14 free throws. Kayte Christensen had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman center Lindsay Taylor had 14 points on six of eight from the field.

“We don’t have a most valuable player on this team,” Rogers said. “That’s why this has been gratifying. Having a lot of people playing well is more gratifying than having two or three players dominate the games.”

Santa Barbara dominated the conference last season when the Gauchos finished 30-4, but three-time conference player of the year Erin Buescher transferred to The Master’s for religious reasons. Two other top players, Kristi Rohr and Stacy Clinesmith, completed their eligibility.

“I’m proud of this team,” Santa Barbara Coach Mark French said. “We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but the team has responded well.”

Guard Reta Sula led Long Beach with 22 points, 15 in the second half. She made six of seven three-pointers. Ramsey finished with 16, but the Gauchos held conference player of the year Jackie Moore to six shots from the field and six points. She fouled out with 5:21 left. Charel Bailey, who scored 10 points, fouled out slightly more than a minute later.

“[Sula] never stopped competing,” 49er Coach Dallas Bolla said. “When our posts fouled out of the game, we never quit.”

Long Beach scored the first 13 points, but Santa Barbara came back to lead, 30-28, at halftime. “The team stayed calm,” French said. “If we hadn’t been able to get into our offense, I would have been more concerned, but we were getting good shots.”