SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — Olivia Bradley scored 27 points to propel UC Santa Barbara to an 82-67 victory over Cal State Bakersfield in a women’s basketball game Thursday night at Thunderdome. The Gauchos (13-2, 2-1 Big West) used a decisive 26-point third quarter to pull away. Bradley added three assists in 27 minutes. Zoe Borter added 20 points and five assists for UCSB. Chrishawn Coleman led the Roadrunners (6-11, 1-3) with 27 points. Cal State Bakersfield kept pace early but was undone by 35.8% shooting from the field. UC Santa Barbara shot 60.4% and capitalized with 38 points in the paint. An announced crowd of 647 watched the Gauchos sweep the season series.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — Olivia Bradley scored 27 points and Zoe Borter added 20 as the UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team used a dominant third-quarter surge to pull away from Cal State Bakersfield for an 82-67 victory in a Big West Conference game Thursday night at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos, who entered the game with a 96.6 percent win probability according to National Statistical’s ELO system, improved to 13-2 overall and remained unbeaten in conference play. The Roadrunners fell to 6-11. The game’s decisive stretch came immediately after halftime. Leading 34-33 at the break, UC Santa Barbara erupted for 26 points in the third quarter while holding Cal State Bakersfield to 22. A 10-2 run early in the period, capped by consecutive three-pointers from Zoe Shaw, stretched a one-point lead to 44-36 and forced a Roadrunners timeout. The Gauchos never looked back, maintaining a double-digit advantage for most of the second half. Bradley, a 6-foot-1 guard from Adelaide, Australia, was efficient and impactful in her 27 minutes, shooting 10 of 16 from the field. She also contributed three assists and three steals. Borter, from Beaverton, Oregon, filled the stat sheet with 20 points, five assists and five rebounds. Shaw, another Australian from Melbourne, added 14 points and three assists. Cal State Bakersfield was led by a matching 27-point effort from Chrishawn Coleman. The guard from Arlington, Virginia, played 30 minutes and added three assists. Maria Dias of Lisbon, Portugal, scored 13, and Marley Langi added 12 for the Roadrunners. Despite the final margin, the first half was a tightly contested affair featuring nine lead changes. Cal State Bakersfield led 16-14 after a low-scoring first quarter and built its largest lead at 21-16 early in the second following a Morgan Hawkins jumper. The Gauchos responded with a 9-2 run, taking a 25-23 lead on a Zoe Borter layup, and the teams traded baskets until the intermission. The statistical sheet underscored UC Santa Barbara’s control. The Gauchos shot a blistering 60.4 percent from the field (29 of 48) compared to the Roadrunners’ 35.8 percent (24 of 67). UC Santa Barbara also won the battle inside, outscoring Bakersfield 38-28 in the paint. The Gauchos’ offensive rating of 106.8 on 77 possessions far outpaced the Roadrunners’ 84.3 on 80 trips. Cal State Bakersfield did force 16 turnovers, converting them into 10 points, and out-rebounded UC Santa Barbara on the offensive glass, 6-3. However, the Roadrunners’ eight assists against nine turnovers highlighted offensive struggles against a disciplined Gauchos defense that registered three steals and two blocks, both by Chauncey Andersen. The game was a rematch of a Dec. 6 meeting in Bakersfield, which UC Santa Barbara won 67-47. The Gauchos have now won two straight in the series. UC Santa Barbara continues its pursuit of a Big West title with a road trip to Hawaii on Saturday. Cal State Bakersfield looks to rebound quickly, traveling to face UC San Diego, also on Saturday. Attendance at the Thunderdome was 647.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — A surging UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team looks to continue its dominant start when it hosts a struggling Cal State Bakersfield squad in a Big West Conference matchup Thursday at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos (12-2, 2-1 Big West) have been one of the conference’s top teams, boasting a potent offense that averages over 72 points per game. They are led by guard Zoe Borter, who is coming off a 40-minute, 17-point performance in a 55-47 road win at UC Davis last Thursday. Borter has scored in double figures in four straight games, including a 24-point outing against Eastern Washington in December. UC Santa Barbara’s defense has also been formidable, holding opponents to an average of 59.9 points. The Gauchos defeated the Roadrunners decisively just over a month ago, 67-47, in Bakersfield on Dec. 6. Cal State Bakersfield (6-10, 1-2) seeks consistency after a rollercoaster start to league play. The Roadrunners were blown out 64-42 at UC Riverside on Jan. 8 but responded with a commanding 75-48 home victory over Long Beach State two days later. In that win, center Tena Ikidi anchored the defense with seven blocks while adding 14 points. Ikidi’s recent performances have been a bright spot. She recorded 15 points and two blocks in a win over Eastern Washington on Dec. 20 and will be a key factor in attempting to slow the Gauchos’ attack inside. The Roadrunners’ challenge will be generating enough offense against a stout UCSB defense, as they average just 62.1 points per game and shot 28.8% in the December meeting between the teams. UC Santa Barbara has been nearly unbeatable at home this season, while Cal State Bakersfield has yet to win a true road game. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. PST.