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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Erin Buescher's play carried UC Santa Barbara
into postseason play. Her teammates carried her into the final of
the Big West Conference tournament.
With Buescher riding the bench for much of the game because of
foul trouble, Stacy Clinesmith scored 19 points and Kristi Rohr had
16 as UC Santa Barbara (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 9 AP) beat Pacific 80-68 on Friday in a Big West semifinal game.
"We have a lot of offensive weapons," Clinesmith said. "When
Buescher goes down, someone else can step up."
The Gauchos (29-3) extended the nation's longest winning streak
to 25 despite playing much of the contest without Buescher, a
three-time conference player of the year. She fouled out with 4:08
remaining and had just three of her 11 points in the second half.
Nevertheless, Santa Barbara won its 50th straight over a Big
West opponent.
"It's the mark of a good team when someone you've counted on
isn't able to participate as much as usual, but you have people who
can pick you up," Gauchos coach Mark French said.
"Obviously, we prefer not to play without her but one of the
things I like about this team is that we've been in enough
situations, with fouls and injuries and what-not, that the kids
seem to say, `Well, gee, too bad but she'll be well-rested for the
championship game."
Rachelle Rogers added 12 points, including a clutch 3-pointer in
the late going for Santa Barbara, bidding for its fourth tournament
championship in a row. The Gauchos will play Long Beach State in
the title game Saturday, with the winner gaining an automatic berth
in the NCAA tournament.
Chante Guggia's 17 points led Pacific (18-11). Eden Palacio had
16 points and Millie Kimpton added 14.
"I thought we did an excellent job through and through,"
Pacific coach Sherri Murrell said. "They're a Top 25 team because
in the last minutes, they take over."
Trailing by four at the break, the Tigers went ahead 39-37 on
successive layups by Guggia, but the Gauchos then scored 14 of the
next 18 points to regain the lead 51-43.
Clinesmith hit a 3-pointer during the surge to snap a tie and
the Gauchos kept their composure after Buescher was benched with
11:20 remaining with her fourth foul.
The three-time conference player of the year returned briefly,
but fouled out with 4:08 remaining and Santa Barbara leading 61-56.
Still, the Tigers lost ground.
Clinesmith hit a pair of free throws and Rohr drove in for a
layup to offset a 3-pointer by Palacio, and Santa Barbara then made
four consecutive free throws to build a 10-point cushion with 2:15
remaining.
By then, Pacific was forced to foul but the Gauchos made enough
of their free throws down the stretch to fend off the Tigers, who
saw four of their players foul out in the last 3:55.
The Gauchos opened with a rush, converting a series of
fastbreaks into a 12-2 lead.
However, before they could pull away any further, Kimpton broke
up their momentum by connecting on a 3-pointer and Pacific
gradually got back in the game.
Santa Barbara was still leading 27-21 after a driving layup by
Rohr but the Tigers moved in front with a 7-0 burst capped by
Palacio's putback.
The Gauchos outscored Pacific 8-3 over the last 3:40 of the
first half, hitting six of eight free throws to lead 35-31.
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ALSO SEE
Womens College Basketball Scoreboard
Pacific Clubhouse
Santa Barbara Clubhouse
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