SANTA BARBARA — The UCLA women hadn't played at Santa Barbara since 1985. And after Saturday's performance, it will probably be another 20 years before they come back.
The No. 24 Bruins may have been the ranked team, but they certainly didn't look like it in a stunning 90-81 overtime loss to the Gauchos at the Thunderdome.
They let a 16-point second-half lead dissolve to a team with seven freshmen and sophomores that had won only one game before Saturday. UCLA still had a lead, 74-72, with seven seconds to play, and Nikki Blue could have secured a win at the free-throw line. But she missed both attempts, allowing the Gauchos' Jessica Wilson to drive down the court and score a layup at the buzzer to force overtime.
The extra five minutes were a waste for the Bruins (5-4). They scored only one basket in overtime, and seven points total. Wilson, a sophomore, had 11 points during that stretch to lead the Gauchos (2-6) with 21 points.
