Tension filled the Mott Athletics Center Thursday night as Cal Poly Women’s Basketball prepared to face UC Santa Barbara without two of their top three scorers. The challenge was steep: UCSB is not only a widely known rival to Cal Poly but also a higher-ranked team.
In the absence of sophomore guard Vanessa McManus and sophomore forward Nora Perez, two freshmen rose to the occasion, but it wasn’t enough for the Mustangs (3-16,1-8 Big West), who fell to the Gauchos (14-3, 6-2 Big West) 61-51.
Freshman forward Dulci Vail scored the team’s first 10 points, helping the Mustangs take a narrow 16-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Additionally, freshman guard Katie Peiffer led the Mustangs with a season-high 15 points, while Vail finished with her own season-high of 14 points and six rebounds.
“We came into practice this week, and we just wanted to kick booty,” Peiffer said. “We attacked it. We really attacked it.”
Blue-Green showdown
The slim lead disappeared in the second quarter, as UCSB outscored the Mustangs 23-6 to take a 39-22 advantage at halftime.
Following a chaotic second quarter marked by a Mustang’s injured ankle and a chipped tooth suffered by a Gaucho, Cal Poly finished the third quarter on a 13-2 run, building momentum heading into the fourth.
Cal Poly continued to chip away in the fourth quarter, eventually cutting the deficit to four points with just under 30 seconds remaining.
Stress was at an all-time high, with the fans and team screaming at the five Mustangs on the court in hopes they could finally break their three-game losing streak.
“Get every shot up and then crash the boards,” Vail said about the final seconds of the game.
The Mustangs’ young lineup couldn’t push them past the Gauchos, ending in the fourth straight Cal Poly loss.
Reflecting
Despite the loss, the Mustangs’ youth delivered a strong performance, battling through the absence of their leading scorers and injuries that left them with just 10 available players against a UC Santa Barbara team near the top of the Big West standings.
The game also highlighted the potential of Cal Poly’s freshman class, offering an encouraging glimpse into the program’s future, with young talent helping to rebuild the team.
The Mustangs have a lot of season left to get back on the right track despite sitting near the bottom of the Big West standings.