Choice scores career-high in UCSB women’s basketball loss

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS

Anya Choice scored a careerhigh 23 points and Alexis Tucker added 18 of her own Saturday night, but UCSB women’s basketball (19-11, 12-8 Big West) fell to the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine (15-14, 13-7) in Honolulu, 68-58. As a result, the Gauchos will have the No. 5 seed in next week’s Big West Championships and face UC Davis in the quarterfinals.

How It Happened

UCSB got off to a hot start, putting up 18 points in the first quarter and leading for nearly the entire frame. Tucker scored 11 of those points, including hitting a pair of three-pointers, helping the Gauchos lead by as many as seven in the opening ten minutes. However, for a second straight game, UCSB watched their opponent bank in a three-pointer to end the first quarter, and their lead shrank to one. Whereas the first quarter had been 10 actionpacked minutes of back-andforth basketball, the second was a frantic but low-scoring affair. The two teams combined for just six points in as many minutes before a late Hawai’i rally put the hosts up six at halftime. Out of halftime, both teams picked up their scoring again, with neither team leading by more than five in the third quarter. Trailing by that number midway through the period, the Gauchos capitalized on a technical to put together a six-point possession, with Alyssa Marin drawing two free throws on a layup attempt, converting both, then converting two more due to the tech. With UCSB keeping possession, Callie Cooper knocked down a jumper to give her team their first lead of the half.

The margin was three points, in favor of Hawai’i heading into the fourth quarter, and as the hosts started extending that lead, the Gauchos did everything they could to stay in the game. Early in the fourth, Alyssa Marin hit a rushed three-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer, and she probably could have gone to the line for a four-point play. With UCSB down eight and four minutes left on the clock, Anya Choice took over. The junior scored her team’s final 10 points, bringing her personal total into the 20s for the first time in her career. Her fourth three-pointer of the evening made it a twopossession game with under a minute to go, but that would be as close as the Gauchos got.

BY THE NUMBERS

• In her 23-point performance, Anya Choice shot 9-14 from the floor, including 4-6 from three, with four rebounds and an assist.

• Alexis Tucker scored her 18 points on 5-11 shooting (2-6 from three), with 13 of those points coming in the first half.

• Ila Lane is now within one rebound of third place on UCSB’s all-time career rebounds list; she has 876 in her career.

• Along with her 23 points, Choice also fouled out of Saturday’s game, making her the second Gaucho to record a career high and foul out of the same game this season after Callie Cooper did so in Davis on February 11.

UCSB Baseball evens series with Xavier

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS

It was back to business as usual for UCSB Baseball (6-3) Saturday night, as they beat Xavier (5-6), 4-2, behind power hitting and masterful pitching. Aaron Parker clubbed his third home run of the season and added a pair of doubles on the evening, scoring three of the Gauchos’ runs, and driving in the other. Matt Ager worked his third straight quality start, going seven innings and striking out eight to earn his second win on the season. Carter Benbrook earned a six-out save, setting down all six batters he faced.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Ager gave up a lead-off single but settled in afterwards, striking out the next batter he faced, then getting some help from his catcher. Parker caught the runner attempting to steal second, wiping that early single off the basepaths. Ager finished the inning with a second strikeout. From that point on, he was rock-steady, scattering three hits over the next three innings while striking out four.

The sophomore picked up some run support over those innings as well, and it was his battery-mate Parker helping out again. After Leo Mosby reached base on an errant throw following a dropped third strike to start the second inning, Parker crushed a hanging breaking ball well over the left field wall for his third home run of the season to put UCSB up, 2-0.

On his next trip to the plate, Parker led off the fourth inning with a double to center, and Zander Darby hit a double of his own to right to drive Parker in. After Ager stranded runners on the corner in the top of the sixth, Parker knocked his third straight extra-base hit of the evening in the bottom half, knocking his second double. A hit batter and infield single loaded the bases with one out, and Darby drove in Parker for a second time with a sacrifice fly, making the Gaucho lead 4-0. Ager worked into the seventh inning for the first time in his career, but immediately gave up backto-back home runs, making it a 4-2 game. In only his third collegiate start, the sophomore showed tremendous grit, getting the next three Xavier batters out in order, fielding his position well on a grounder to end the frame. Carter Benbrook relieved Ager for the eighth and ninth, sitting down all six Musketeers he faced, including a pair of strikeouts to lock down his first save of the season.

ON THE STAT SHEET email: sports@newspress.com

• Matt Ager’s seven innings are the most he has worked in a collegiate game; he finished with eight strikeouts to only two walks, scattering seven hits and giving up just the two earned runs. Saturday was his third consecutive quality start.

• Aaron Parker’s tremendous night at the plate was accompanied by another solid night behind it defensively; he caught his fourth base thief of the season on Saturday and still has not allowed a stolen base in six games.

• Speaking of Parker’s hitting, he led all batters in hits (3) and total bases (8) on Saturday; his secondinning home run ties him for the team lead with three long balls on the season.

• Zander Darby and LeTrey McCollum accounted for UCSB’s other two hits Saturday night; Darby’s was an RBI double, while McCollum’s was a single that never left the infield.

Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB.

UCSB softball goes 1-1 on Day 2 of Lancer Invite

By KRISTEN KELLER UCSB

SPORTS

The UCSB softball team (9-7) competed in Day 2 of the Lancer Invitational as they took on the Seahawks of Wagner and the Lancers of host team Cal Baptist. After this double-header, the Gauchos went 1-1 on the day, defeating the Seahawks while dropping a game to the Lancers.

GAME 1: GAUCHOS VS SEAHAWKS

This first game kicked off slowly for both teams

Please see SOFTBALL on A4

UP NEXT

UCSB finishes with the fifthbest winning percentage in The Big West this season, and will therefore be the No. 5 seed at next week’s Big West Championships in Henderson, Nevada. The Gauchos will face No. 4-seed UC Davis in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time. The game will be live on ESPN+ Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com