Nov. 20, 1997
UCSB Downs ASU Women 92-83 in Season Opener
TEMPE, Ariz.-- The tandem of freshman guard Ebony Edwards (Chandler, Ariz.) and senior forward Stephanie Freeman (Austin, Texas) scored 18 points apiece, but the effort fell short as UC Santa Barbara defeated ASU 92-83 in its season opener at the University Activity Center Thursday night.
The defending Big West Champions were led by freshman forward Erin Buescher, who showed no sign of collegiate debut jitters. Buescher paced all scorers with 25 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. She was 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, and grabbed nine of her boards in the decisive second half.
"UCSB did a great job on the transition in the second half," said ASU Coach Charli Turner Thorne. "That's an area we need to focus on. We put them on the free-throw line a little too much, but we're a young team that's still working on putting the pieces together. Their post players went off on us. That's a glaring area we need to address."
The Sun Devils (0-1) trailed 33-40 after the first stanza, but were outscored 8-2 to begin the second half. ASU pulled to within seven points twice, the last time with 5:52 remaining and the score at 73-66. However, the Gauchos then built their biggest lead (88-70) at the 2:42-mark. UCSB sophomore forward Kristi Rohr notched nine points in the 15-6 run.
Santa Barbara shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the field in the first half, and held up well on the defensive end in the first 20 minutes. The Gauchos held the Sun Devils scoreless for a 3 1/2-minute span, ending with a Freeman jumper at the 8:47 mark. Edwards and senior guard Rameeka Lowe (Seattle, Wash.) were a combined 4-for-5 from three-point range in the second half, and Lowe finished with a double-double (10 points and a career-high 10 assists).
"Obviously, we're very pleased to have a win against this opponent," said UCSB Coach Mark French. "(ASU) shot the ball extremely well, and they were just draining threes all over the place. Charli has this program going in the right direction."
Rohr scored 24 points, while UCSB sophomore Stacy Clinesmith gave out a game-high 14 assists.
The Sun Devils are back in action Saturday, Nov. 29, when they host 1997 NCAA Tournament participant Marquette. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the UAC.