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March 24, 2004

2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship * East Region
- Hartford, Conn. * Hartford Civic Center (15,474) -

March 27, 2004 * East Regional Semifinals
Game 1 * No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame * 9:00 a.m. PST
Game 2 * No. 2 Connecticut vs. No 11 UCSB * 30 minutes after conclusion of Game 1
March 29, 2004 * East Regional Finals
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 * 4:00 p.m. PST

2003-04 Gaucho Record
27-6 overall/17-1 Big West Conference
16-1 home/9-5 away/2-0 neutral

Gauchos Make First Trip to Nutmeg State Having Won 18 of Last 19 Games
For the first time in ten NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship appearances, UC Santa Barbara has reached the Sweet 16, and will travel to Hartford, Conn., for the East Regional Semifinals on Saturday, March 27. Awaiting 11th-seeded UCSB is No. 2 Connecticut, winner of the previous two national titles. The Gaucho-Husky clash will tip-off 30 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday's other Regional Semifinal in the Hartford Civic Center between top-seeded Penn State and No. 5 Notre Dame. Of the four East Region finalists, Santa Barbara owns the longest winning streak at eight straight games and is the only one which captured its conference tournament championship this season.

Gauchos on the Air
UCSB's Sweet 16 showdown with UConn will air live on KTLK 1340AM, with Brock Bowling handling play-by-play duties and Kristen Koch serving as color commentator. All of Santa Barbara's contests in 2003-04 can also be heard live via the internet by pointing your browser to www.ucsbgauchos.com and purchasing the "College Sports Pass." In addition, ESPN - Channel 34 in Santa Barbara - will televise the East Regional live. Mike Patrick (play-by-play) and Anne Meyers (color commentary) will join sideline reporter Beth Mowins to form ESPN's dynamic announcing team.

Colorado, Houston Invade the Thunderdome, Leave the Victims of UCSB Upsets
The Gauchos qualified for the Regional Semifinals by scoring a pair of stunning upsets as they hosted First and Second round play in the Thunderdome. On Saturday, March 20, UCSB recorded its widest victory margin NCAA Tournament play, cruising past sixth-seeded Colorado 76-49. The Buffaloes' only lead came before the contest had even begun, when Santa Barbara was assessed an administrative technical foul for failing to submit its starting lineup on time and CU senior Kate Fagin sank one of two free-throws. Once the clock started, the Gauchos responded with six straight points and never looked back. Colorado's 12 total field goals were the fewest by a UCSB opponent this season. A much closer contest ensued two nights later when Santa Barbara rallied to defeat No. 3 Houston 56-52 before an announced crowd of 4,061. After building a 10-point second half advantage, the home team fell behind UH 44-43 at the 6:21 mark but then responded with six straight points. UCSB lead just 51-50 with less than two minutes to play before Kristen Mann buried a short jumper, and a game-tying three-point attempt by Cougar senior Chandy Jones rimmed-out as the scoreboard ticked under three seconds.

7-11
UCSB has become just the seventh team seeded 11th or lower to qualify for the Sweet 16 in the 21-year history of the NCAA Championships. The others to accomplish this feat were: Texas A&M (#13 - 1994), Stephen F. Austin (#11 - 1996), San Francisco (#12 - 1996), UAB (#11 - 2000), BYU (#11 - 2002) and Notre Dame (#11 - 2003). None made it past the Regional Semifinals.

Who are We?
Please use "UC Santa Barbara" as a first reference to the school; no hyphens, commas, nor the words "California" or "Cal" are needed. Afterwards, "UCSB", "Gauchos" and "Santa Barbara" are all acceptable references to our campus by the sea.

Probable Starters	Notes
#15 * Brandy Richardson * Jr. * F	2003-04 Big West Defensive Player of the Year
#44 * Kristen Mann * Jr. * F	AP honorable mention and Kodak District All-American
#13 * Lindsay Taylor * Sr. * C	UCSB's all-time leading scorer with 1,762 career points.
#10 * April McDivitt * Sr. * G	Team leader in assists, steals and three-pointers made
#21 * Mia Fisher * Jr. * G	Matched career-high of 20 points in upset of Colorado

Reserves	Notes
#5 * Kate Bauman * Jr. * F/C	Has buried each of her last 10 free-throw attempts
#14 * Lisa Willett * Sr. * G/F	Played in all 128 games of UCSB career, tying school record
#22 * Erin O'Bryan * Fr. * G	Starter for three games in place of injured McDivitt
#32 * Karena Bonds * So. * G	Averaged 16.5 minutes during NCAA First/Second Rounds
#33 * Jenna Green * Fr. * F/C	Game-high seven rebounds in 22 minutes vs. Colorado
#34 * Autumn Nichols * Jr. * F/C	Will redshirt in 2003-04 after tearing MCL at Texas Tech

Francophile
UC Santa Barbara alumnus Mark French is in his 17th season as head coach of the Gauchos and the 25th year of his highly successful career. He currently owns a UCSB record of 359-153 (.701) and an overall mark of 457-268 (.630). Since the 1991-92 campaign, a period spanning 12 years, French's Gauchos have won ten Big West Conference Tournament championships and advanced to ten NCAA Tournaments - including four second rounds - in addition to one Postseason National Invitation Tournament. French is coming off his most decorated season ever in 2002-03, when he was the WBCA District 8 Coach of the Year, a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award, and also earned Big West Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time in his career. He coached his 500th game on the Gaucho sidelines on Feb. 5, 2004, an 86-50 victory over Idaho.

UCSB's NCAA Tournament History
The Gauchos own a 7-9 overall record in ten all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the second round five times before finally breaking through to the next level this season. UCSB qualified for the Big Dance in 1992 and 1993, as well as in each of the last eight seasons. As a No. 11 seed, Santa Barbara is now 4-1 all-time - also earning that distinction in 1998 - while the Gauchos have also posted a 4-1 mark while hosting NCAA tourney games in the Thunderdome. 2004 marks the first time UCSB has been placed in the East Region.

Poll Position
After being ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Top-25 polls for 22 consecutive weeks dating back to Dec. 23, 2002, the Gauchos fell out of each on Dec. 29, 2003. Since then UCSB has sporadically appeared in the "Others Receiving Votes" section of the both polls, including 18 total points in the final AP tally of the season. For those who just can't get enough rankings, back in early November the Big West Conference coaches and media members were nearly unanimous and correct in their prediction that UCSB would defend its regular season league title in 2003-04.

Husky Hullabaloo
Second-seeded Connecticut (27-4 overall) breezed to its 11th consecutive Regional Semifinal by defeating No. 15 Pennsylvania 91-55 and seventh-seeded Auburn 79-53 in early round action. The Huskies - winners of the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Championship and four titles overall - feature National Player of the Year Candidate Diana Taurasi who averages 15.6 points per game. In addition, current UConn sophomores Ann Strother and Barbara Turner were teammates of Gaucho senior center Lindsay Taylor at the 2003 Pan American Games, where Team USA captured the silver medal. In the only previous meeting between the two schools, Connecticut traveled to the Thunderdome on Dec. 28, 1996 and defeated UCSB 87-76 before a then-record crowd of 4,760. That was the slimmest regular-season margin of victory in 1996-97 for the Huskies, who were undefeated until falling the Elite Eight that year.

Scouting the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish
Top-seeded Penn State and No. 5 Notre Dame are both making back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16, and both have faced Santa Barbara in previous seasons. The Nittany Lions (27-5) are 2-0 all-time vs. UCSB, defeating the Gauchos 81-68 at home in 2000-01 and 76-73 the following season in the Thunderdome. In the latter contest, the Gauchos missed a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer but went on to win their next 27 home games. The Fighting Irish (21-10) came to Santa Barbara on Nov. 28, 1997 and emerged with an 86-75 victory. That was the only prior Notre Dame-UCSB clash.

High-Five
The Gauchos' .821 winning percentage since the start of the 1997-98 campaign places them in some rather elite company. Only Connecticut, Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and Duke have won a higher percentage of their games over the past six-plus seasons than UCSB, which owns a 184-40 record during that span.

Home is Where the Wins Are
While Santa Barbara's 27-game home winning streak - at the time second-longest in the nation - was snapped on Dec. 28 by Ohio State, the squad has still emerged victorious in 39 of its last 40 contests in the Thunderdome dating back to the 2001-02 campaign. This season UCSB recorded more home victories (16) than during any previous year, while in 2002-03 the squad went undefeated (13-0) in the friendly confines of the 'Dome for the first time ever. Since their run of nine straight Big West Conference regular season titles began in 1995-96, the Gauchos can boast a 109-10 (91.6%) mark in Santa Barbara, with only one of those losses occurring during league play.

Record-Breaking Season
In addition to their first-ever Sweet 16 berth, the Gauchos have set one single-season school record and are on pace to establish another. UCSB has defeated four teams (Utah, Arizona, Colorado and Houston) which were nationally-ranked at the time, doubling its previous best. Santa Barbara topped a pair of top-25 squads in both 1997-87 and 1999-2000. In addition, if the Gauchos' scoring defense average of 56.6 points per game holds up, it will be their lowest mark in the NCAA era. UCSB allowed 43.6 points per game way back in 1973-74, when record-keeping - and level of competition - were both suspect.

D-Up
After preventing 112 straight opponents from shooting 50% from the floor - a streak that dated back to 2000 - two teams (Ohio State and Idaho) have done so against the Gauchos this season. Despite the end of that dominating run, defense remains a UCSB trademark as the Gauchos have held 26 of their 33 foes in 2003-04 below 40% shooting and 16 of those under 35% (including both NCAA tourney foes). Santa Barbara has made a habit out of taking opponents out of the game early, limiting nine different teams to 20 or fewer first-half points, most recently Houston in NCAA Second Round play on March 22.

Board Games
After being out-rebounded by six of their first 12 opponents this season, the Gauchos have re-committed to becoming the beasts on the glass that they were in 2002-03 when they ranked 17th nationally in rebounding margin. UCSB lost the battle of the boards just once over its last 21 contests, and posted a double-digit rebounding cushion in 12 of the 16 most recent games entering the Sweet 16.

Free-Fallin'
While UCSB's free-throw shooting has been inconsistent this season - an 18-for-36 stretch over three games followed by 39-for-50 in the next trio of contests being testament to that - the Gauchos were nearly flawless from the charity stripe during a pair of league victories. Santa Barbara's 18-of-19 (94.7%) effort at Utah State on Jan. 8 ranks as the second-most efficient single-game performance in school history, while its 15-of-16 (93.8%) showing in the regular season finale at Long Beach State tied for fourth-best all-time.

On Point
Santa Barbara can already claim a pair of one-point victories this season - 71-70 in overtime at Cincinnati on Dec. 16 and 72-71 at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 22. The last time UCSB won twice by the slimmest of margins in the same season was way back in 1989-90.

Mann, oh Man
n Unquestionably UCSB's most decorated player on the national scene has been junior forward Kristen Mann. On March 10, the Santa Ana, Calif., native became the third Gaucho in as many years to be named to the six-player Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches' Association District 8 All-America Team, encompassing members of the Big West, Pacific-10 and West Coast Conferences. Mann - who now becomes one of 48 finalists for the Kodak All-America Team - follows Kayte Christensen (2002) and Lindsay Taylor (2003) as the only players in Santa Barbara history to garner District All-America acclaim. The accolades continued for Mann this Tuesday, March 23, when she was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press, the same distinction Taylor earned in 2003. Her first national honor of 2003-04 came way back in November when she earned a spot on the Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team.

Doozy of a Schedule
In 2003-04 UCSB pieced together arguably the most ambitious home schedule in school history. The Gauchos hosted two teams - Arizona and Ohio State - that have joined them in this NCAA Tournament, and played at Texas Tech in the Preseason WNIT. Add in a demanding three-game road trip to 2004 postseason participants Florida, Cincinnati and Purdue, and its no surprise that the WBCA/Summerville RPI ranked Santa Barbara's non-conference strength of schedule seventh-toughest nationally on Jan. 1, just prior to the start of Big West play.

Nichols to Redshirt in 2003-04
Junior forward Autumn Nichols will petition the NCAA for a medical redshirt due to a torn left medial collateral ligament suffered during the Gauchos' third game this season at Texas Tech on Nov. 19. If granted, the transfer from Cowley County (Kan.) Community College will have two full years of eligibility at UCSB beginning in 2004-05. Nichols, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., poured in 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Gauchos' season opener vs. San Diego.

Perkins Leaves the Gauchos
On Monday, Jan. 5 head coach Mark French announced that junior swing player Roshawn Perkins had left the Gauchos due to chronic back pain. The Eagle Rock, Calif., native appeared in 19 games over the past two seasons after previously competing as a sprinter on UCSB's track and field team.

UCSB Cruises To Eighth Straight Conference Tournament Victory
After finishing Big West play with a league mark of 17-1, UC Santa Barbara cruised through the Big West Tournament in Anaheim, Calif., and claimed its 22nd and 23rd straight conference tournament wins dating back to 1997. UCSB defeated Long Beach State 74-56 in the semifinals and then trounced Idaho 68-51 to earn its eighth berth in the NCAA Tournament in as many years. The Gauchos never trailed in either contest and out-rebounded LBSU and Idaho by a total of 29 boards while limiting their two opponents to a combined 36.3% shooting from the floor. Offensively, UCSB shot a combined 55.9% and recorded two of the 12 performances in which they made over half their attempts. UC Santa Barbara's dominance was rewarded with senior center Lindsay Taylor claiming her third Big West Tournament MVP award with junior Kristen Mann joining her on the All-Tournament Team. Only one other player in league history has been the recipient of three straight Big West Tournament awards, further establishing Taylor as one of the Big West's all-time greats.

Six Gauchos Earn Postseason Honors from the Big West
Highlighted by first-team selections for Kristen Mann and Lindsay Taylor, six Gauchos earned postseason honors from the Big West Conference on Monday, March 8. Taylor becomes just the third player in UCSB history to earn All-Big West acclaim all four years of her collegiate career, joining Stacy Clinesmith and Kristi Rohr (1996-2000) in that elite group. Meanwhile Mann, like Taylor, was a first team choice for the second consecutive season. A trio of Gauchos - Mia Fisher, April McDivitt and Brandy Richardson - each garnered honorable mention All-Big West accolades. This is the third year in a row Fisher has been an honorable mention recipient, while Richardson's award is her second-straight. Finally, Jenna Green became the 15th player in UCSB history to earn a spot on the Big West All-Freshman Team. Despite the multitude of honors, this is the first season since 1994-95 that Santa Barbara did not capture at least one of the three major conference awards. Second-place Idaho made a clean sweep, with Emily Faurholt earning Player of the Year honors, Leilani Mitchell being named Freshman of the Year and Mike Divilbiss garnering Coach of the Year recognition. The only other time one school took home all three accolades was 1998, when UCSB had that distinction.

Waiting in the Wings
On Nov. 13, 2003 UCSB announced the signing of four high school seniors to National Letters of Intent. Sha'Rae Gibbons (Sacramento, Calif.), Ana Onaindia (Bakersfield, Calif.), Katherine Suderman (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) and Brittanie Taylor-James (Naperville, Ill.) will all join the Gauchos as true freshmen for the 2004-05 season. Gibbons, a 5'7" guard from Valley High School, earned this season's prestigious Wendy's High School Heisman Award as the most outstanding female student-athlete in the state of California, recognizing her excellence in academics, athletics and community service. The reigning Kern County Player of the Year, Onaindia (5'5", G) led North High School to the 2003 CIF Central Section title and is averaging 29 points per game as the Stars await this year's state playoffs. Another All-CIF honoree is the 6'4" Suderman, who plays center for Mission College Prep and is ranked 54th nationally among high school seniors according to All-Star Girl's Report. UCSB's first-ever signee from Illinois, Taylor-James averaged 19.0 points per contest as she recently led Nequa Valley High School to the sectional championship game. The 6'0" forward earned Fourth Team All-State honors in 2002-03.