Gauchos Triumph Over Hawai’i: Marin Hits Milestone 1000th Point and Williams Shines with Career-High!

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball squad (8-5, 2-1 Big West) celebrated the arrival of the new year in impressive fashion Thursday evening, overcoming Hawai’i (6-6, 0-2 Big West) in the Thunderdome. Cayla Williams was the standout for the Gauchos with a career-high 14 points, among five players from Santa Barbara who reached double figures. Jessica Grant and Zoe Borter each contributed 12 points, while Skylar Burke and Alyssa Marin chipped in 10 points apiece, sealing a 72-62 win.
 
For Marin, one of her 10 points was particularly meaningful, as she achieved the 1,000^th point of her journey that evening, becoming the 30^th Gaucho Women’s Basketball player to reach 1,000 in Santa Barbara’s Blue and Gold. Her 10-point performance also prolonged her double-digit scoring streak to 12 games, and the Gauchos’ triumph marked their fifth straight victory against Hawai’i at the Thunderdome.
 
INSIGHT FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ
“I’m extremely proud of this group; we out-rebounded Hawai’i,” Jimenez remarked. “We achieved 13 assists tonight on what I believe was 21 field goals, which was also a point of discussion. When we dominate the boards, we secure victories. So, if you’re curious about what the secret is, it revolves around that because we restrict capable teams to their fewest possessions and we excel at controlling possessions.”
 
“By the conclusion of this game, it didn’t even feel like a close contest; it felt as though we outperformed them tonight. We were superior to Hawai’i overall; I believed we played better as a collective. We shared the ball effectively and defended cohesively.”
 
EVENT DETAILS
The initial quarter was a back-and-forth battle as the teams exchanged scores early. Marin came close to netting her 1,000^th point on the first offensive play for the Gauchos, but her three-point attempt failed to connect. Just moments later, she secured Santa Barbara’s opening points of the game by grabbing her own rebound and drawing a shooting foul. She successfully made both free throws, the first two of eight total free throws for the Camarillo native. Marin finally crossed the 1,000-point milestone minutes later with a mid-range jumper that elevated Santa Barbara to an 8-6 lead. Neither squad led by more than two until the closing two minutes of the period, when Marin caused a turnover and assisted Jessica Grant on a fast break. The sharpshooter Grant sank her initial three-pointer of four to give Santa Barbara a 16-11 advantage. Following layups by both teams, the first quarter finished with the Gauchos ahead, 18-13.
 
The Blue and Gold took advantage of strong rebounding efforts during the first quarter, a momentum that continued as the Gauchos increased their lead in the second. Within the first half, Santa Barbara accumulated as many offensive rebounds as Hawai’i had total rebounds. Eight of Santa Barbara’s 18 first-quarter points were generated from second-chance opportunities, and the Gauchos denied the Rainbow Wahine any second-chance points during the second quarter. The Gauchos maintained a comfortable distance from Hawai’i throughout the second period, never allowing the Wahine within a single possession. Notably, Santa Barbara also began to convert three-point attempts in the second quarter. After a sluggish start of 1-for-11 in the first quarter, the Gauchos improved to 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the second and 9-for-15 over the subsequent three frames.
 
Williams made her first three-pointer of the evening in that second quarter, aiding Santa Barbara in establishing a 10-point lead by halftime. Burke nailed two threes as well, and Grant hit her second three-pointer during that period. Marin got one of her own late in the quarter, drawing a foul on her long-range shot and sinking all three free throws to push Santa Barbara to a 37-27 lead at the break.
 
The third quarter continued in similar fashion as Hawai’i never got closer than eight points from the Gauchos. Williams connected on two more threes in the last two minutes of the quarter, and Santa Barbara held a 53-41 lead by the end of the period.
 
With a comfortable advantage heading into the final quarter, the Gauchos simply needed to keep pace with whatever the Rainbow Wahine could produce. It turned out to be Hawai’i’s most productive quarter of the game as the Wahine scored 21 points in the period, yet Santa Barbara tallied 19 of their own to maintain a solid lead. Twelve of those points originated from the free-throw line, as Hawai’i opted to send the conference’s best free-throw percentage team to the line five times in the last minute of the game.
 
COMMENTS FROM THE STUDENT-ATHLETES
Alyssa Marin reflecting on her 1,000th career point: “It was incredible, and honestly, I was just speaking with my team, and my eyes are red because I was emotional. I was so proud of my team for our accomplishments,” Marin expressed. “UC Santa Barbara has felt like family to me, so to achieve that with my loved ones in the stands, and with all of you in the crowd, it meant everything.”
 
Cayla Williams discussing her scoring performance: “I enjoyed that immensely,” Williams stated. “I felt like this was something we all believed I could do, yet had been unable to connect in a game until now, so it just felt like — the coaching staff observed that they let off on my approach.”screens — so it appeared to be an obvious choice to attempt and hopefully connect on a few, and I’m truly pleased that I did during those crucial instances. I’m really thankful they were able to pass me the ball when I was unguarded.”
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Santa Barbara’s last two home encounters have been their finest regarding rebound differential against Division I competitors this season, as the Gauchos secured nine more rebounds than Hawai’i on Thursday evening and 15 more than Pacific in their most recent home contest back in December.
• Thursday night also witnessed the Gauchos register their highest number of blocks against a D-I team this season (4), while committing their third-lowest turnovers (11), with none occurring in the opening quarter.
• Cayla Williams not only established a new career record in points with her 14 on Thursday evening, but she also achieved a new personal best with three successful free throws, and tied her career highs for field goals made (four), three-point shots made (three), and blocks (two).
• With her basket in the first quarter, Alyssa Marin became the 30^th player in UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball history to tally 1,000 points throughout her career with the team. The prior player to reach this milestone before Marin was Ila Lane, who accomplished this feat in January 2023, also at home against Hawai’i (Alexis Tucker recorded the 1,000^th point of her career during that matchup as well, although not all points were scored at UC Santa Barbara).

 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will enjoy the weekend off before resuming Big West competition with a visit to Cal State Bakersfield next Thursday, Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Supporters can witness all the action live on ESPN+ or keep track via live stats on ucsbgauchos.com. Santa Barbara will make a return to the Thunderdome on Saturday, Jan. 11 to face Cal Poly at 4 p.m.