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Dec. 19, 2004

The Schedule
Game 6 • Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004 • 7:00 p.m. • Santa Barbara, CA
UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 1 LSU • The Thunderdome (6,000)

2004-05 Gaucho Record
2-3 overall/0-0 Big West Conference
1-2 home/1-1 away/0-0 neutral
USA Today/ESPN Ranking: RV
Associated Press Ranking: NR

UCSB Plays Final Game Before the Start of Big West Conference Action
For just the second time in program history, the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team will face the nation's top-ranked team, as unanimous No. 1 Louisiana State invades the Thunderdome on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 7:00 p.m. In their only previous showdown with the best team in the country, the Gauchos dropped an 87-76 decision to Connecticut at home eight years ago. On Tuesday UCSB meets the Lady Tigers (10-0 overall) in a rematch of their 94-90 triple-overtime thriller won by LSU in Baton Rouge, La., on Feb. 15, 2003 that was widely considered the "Game of the Year" in women's college hoops that season. It will be the final contest for Santa Barbara before the Gauchos begin defense of their nine consecutive Big West Conference regular season titles.

Gauchos on the Air
The UCSB-LSU showdown will air live on KTLK 1340AM with "Showtime" Steve Wendt handling play-by-play duties and "$1.98" Don Ford providing color commentary. All of Santa Barbara's contests this season can also be heard live via the internet by pointing your browser to www.ucsbgauchos.com and purchasing the "College Sports Pass".

Arizona Offense Explodes for 96-80 Home Victory over UCSB
Arizona snapped a two-game losing streak at the hands of the Gauchos, and extended the nation's second-longest home winning streak to 33 on Thursday, Dec. 17 with a 96-80 victory in the McKale Center. It was the most points surrendered by UCSB since a 103-90 overtime loss at Wisconsin early in the 1998-99 season. The opening minute was a sign of things to come, as Santa Barbara trailed 7-0 before it had even advanced the ball past mid-court. Five of those points were courtesy of senior guard Dee-Dee Wheeler, who also scored 11 straight for UA during the second half to put things out of reach. The 5'6" Wheeler finished with a school-record-tying 35 points, to go along with a game-high 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. The home team shot 53.8% to 43.1% by Santa Barbara, which never pulled within five points following Arizona's game-opening run. UCSB squandered a career-high 30-point effort from senior forward Kristen Mann, the most scored by a Gaucho since Kayte Christensen poured in 34, coincidentally against Arizona in the McKale Center on Jan. 14, 2001.

Francophile
UC Santa Barbara alumnus Mark French enters his 18th season as head coach of the Gauchos and the 26th year of his immensely successful career. He currently owns a UCSB record of 361-158 (.696) and an overall mark of 459-272 (.628). Since the 1991-92 campaign, a period spanning 13 years, French's Gauchos have won 11 Big West Conference titles and advanced to ten NCAA Tournaments - including five second rounds and a Sweet 16 appearance - as well as one Postseason WNIT. Individually, French has earned an unprecedented seven Big West Coach of the Year honors, while in 2002-03 he was named WBCA District 8 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award. He is the dean of Big West coaches, with nine more years of experience in the league than any of his current counterparts.

Probable Starters	Notes
#15 • Brandy Richardson • Sr. • F	6.6 rebounds per game are tied for team high
#44 • Kristen Mann • Sr. • F	Gauchos' leading scorer in every game this year
#5 • Kate Bauman • Sr. • C	Personal best 11 points, 21 minutes vs. OSU
#21 • Mia Fisher • Sr. • G	Double-digit scorer in each of last three games
#32 • Karena Bonds • Jr. • G	3 of her 4 career three-pointers have come this year
Reserves	Notes
#3 • Jessica Wilson • Fr. • G	Seven points vs. OSU were her first as a Gaucho
#11 • Sha'Rae Gibbons • Fr. • G	Scored first career basket in loss at Arizona
#12 • Courtney Young • Jr. • G/F	Will miss season due to knee injury
#22 • Erin O'Bryan • So. • G	Career-high 14 points in homecoming at Arizona
#23 • Ana Onaindia • Fr. • G	Buried six-of-13 three-pointers this season
#24 • Hillary Jager • Jr. • F/C	Will miss 2004-05 campaign due to torn left ACL
#25 • Brittanie Taylor-James • Fr. • G/F	Nine total minutes of floor time this season
#33 • Jenna Green • So. • C	Out at least seven weeks with torn left MCL
#34 • Autumn Nichols • Jr. • F	Five-point, three-rebound effort vs. Wildcats
#42 • Kat Suderman • Fr. • F/C	Late basket at UA was first of her UCSB career 

Lady Tiger Lingo
Currently receiving every first place vote in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls, LSU improved to 10-0 on the season with a 66-54 victory at Southwest Missouri State on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tuesday's showdown with the Gauchos will be the third straight road contest for the Lady Tigers, who advanced to their first-ever NCAA Final Four last season. Junior forward Seimone Augustus averages 20.8 points per game to lead the Bayou Bengals, and scored 20 during the epic battle with the Gauchos two seasons ago that featured 16 ties and 14 lead changes. Then-sophomore Kristen Mann led all UCSB scorers with 27 points that afternoon in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. That heartbreaking loss dropped Santa Barbara to 0-2 all-time vs. LSU, which also defeated the Gauchos during the 1996 Postseason WNIT. UCSB owns a 6-5 all-time mark against Southeastern Conference teams.

Gladly Accepting Charity
One bright spot in Thursday's loss at Arizona was a reversal of the Gauchos' fortunes from the charity stripe. After entering the contest having made just 41-of-78 free-throws (52.6%), UCSB connected on a season-high 20-of-23 attempts from the line for a sparkling 87.0% clip. The Gauchos haven't had a problem getting to the charity stripe in 2004-05 as they attempted more freebies that each of their last four opponents, and own a 101 to 78 advantage in that category on the year.

Minute Management
With a 15-player roster entering the season, one concern was how the UCSB coaching staff would allocate minutes. While part of that dilemma has been unfortunately solved by the Gauchos' multitude of injuries, Mark French and Co. have spread out the playing time rather evenly, with 10 players averaging double-digit minutes. Leading the way with over 30 minutes apiece is Santa Barbara's senior trio of Kristen Mann (33.8), Mia Fisher (31.0) and Brandy Richardson (30.8), while the three averaging under 10 are all true freshmen. All 13 Gauchos who made the season-opening trip to Saint Mary's ad all 12 who traveled to Arizona saw time on the court.

Can You Lend a Hand?
Perhaps a byproduct of their liberal substitution patterns, the Gauchos are averaging just 11.8 assists per game, nearly four below their 2003-04 mark. Following an impressive 19-helper performance in the Nov. 21 season opener, UCSB has not tallied more than 11 assists in any of its past four contests.

Poll Position
While they have dropped completely out of the Associated Press ranking, the Gauchos remain among the "Others Receiving Votes" section of the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, which will be updated again prior to the UCSB-LSU clash. In addition, the Gauchos were near-unanimous choices to capture yet another Big West regular season title in polls conducted of the league's head coaches and media members.

Super Six
The Gauchos' .810 winning percentage since the start of the 1997-98 campaign places them in some rather elite company. Only Connecticut, Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Duke and Purdue have won a higher percentage of their games over the past six-plus seasons than UCSB, which owns a 187-44 record during that span.

Home is Where the Wins Are
Winners of 40 of their last 43 games in the Thunderdome, the Gauchos have made Santa Barbara a most inhospitable place for opponents in recent years. UCSB has not dropped more than two home contests in a single season over the past 11 campaigns. Since its run of nine straight Big West titles began in 1995-96, UCSB can boast a 110-12 (90.1%) mark while playing in the Thunderdome, with only one of those losses occurring during league play.

Mann, oh Mann
As a candidate for all three major national player of the year awards, one might expect Kristen Mann to pace the Gauchos offensively in 2004-05. Well, through five games that's exactly the case, as Mann led or tied for the team lead each time out, including a career-high 30 point effort at Arizona, making her the first Gaucho to reach that plateau since 2002-03. The Santa Ana, Calif., native has taken an incredible 92 shots, 31% of the team's total attempts this season and 48 more than her next closest teammate, Mia Fisher. As a testament to her versatility, Mann also tops UCSB in steals and is tied for the team lead in rebounds. Mann is currently in the running for the John R. Wooden Award, Wade Trophy and Naismith Trophy, while she was also named one of only 10 First Team Preseason All-Americans by the Women's Basketball News Service. In 2003-04, she became the third Gaucho in as many years to garner Kodak District 8 All-American acclaim, and was also an honorable mention Associated Press All-American. During the loss at UA, Mann moved into 13th place on UCSB's career scoring list with 1,238 points.

Brandy is Dandy
Mann's versatility receives national attention, but often overlooked is the all-around game of her fellow senior forward, Brandy Richardson. In addition to equaling Mann's team-high rebounding average of 6.6, she is averaging 7.2 points per game and has dished off 10 assists, second-best among all Gauchos. The 2003-04 Big West Defensive Player of the Year barely missed out on her eighth career double-double with a nine-point, nine-board performance against Michigan on Nov. 26, while she has moved within 31 career rebounds of cracking UCSB's all-time top-10 list.

The Fisher Queen
Senior guard Mia Fisher joined an exclusive group during the Gauchos' heartbreaking overtime loss to Purdue, becoming the 20th member of UCSB's 1,000 career point club with a free-throw late in the second half. She tallied 11 of her 14 points after halftime, and kept that momentum going with double-digit scoring totals in the two ensuing games. Not coincidentally, Fisher's point production increased the past three contests as she has seen more time at the two-guard spot, after playing the point to open 2004-05. The three-time All-Big West honoree remains the most accurate-shooting guard in both school and conference history with a 52.5% career field goal mark.

Three-Point Threats
Over half of the Gauchos' 23 three-pointers this season have come courtesy of a pair of young guards with quick releases. Sophomore Erin O'Bryan leads the quad with seven "treys", including a pair at Arizona en route to a career-high 14-point effort. Meanwhile freshman Ana Onaindia put an exclamation mark on her collegiate career with a four-of-six performance from long range at Saint Mary's, and her 12 points were the most by a player making her Gaucho debut in three years. The Bakersfield, Calif., native added a pair of trifectas in a Nov. 26 loss to Michigan before missing the next to games with a lower abdominal strain.

Green Out At Least Seven Weeks with a Torn MCL
The near upset of Purdue wasn't UCSB's only disappointing loss the night of Dec. 3, as late in the second half sophomore center Jenna Green became entangled with a Boilermaker player and suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in her left knee. The injury will not require surgery but will keep the San Jose, Calif., native out of action at least eight weeks. A decision on whether or not to redshirt Green will be made during the course of her rehabilitation. Prior to her injury, Green was leading the Big West with a 65.5% field goal marked and ranked second among all Gauchos at 13.7 points per game. She reached double-figures in all three contests, highlighted by a career-high-tying 19 points in the season opener at Saint Mary's.

Jager to Miss 2004-05 Campaign
In her first game back following two years away from competitive basketball, UCSB junior forward Hillary Jager scored six points and amassed seven points in just 14 minutes during the exhibition opener vs. Strakonice BBC on Nov. 7. However late in the second half she collapsed to the floor with a knee injury, which was later diagnosed as a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. Jager - who averaged 2.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a true freshman in 2001-02 - will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and miss the entire 2004-05 campaign. UCSB will petition the NCAA for a rare sixth season of eligibility on Jager's behalf.

Young Sidelined for Season with...Yup, a Knee Injury
Completing the triumvirate of Gauchos battling serious knee injuries is junior guard Courtney Young. The former Junior College All-American at Ventura College has yet to take the court for UCSB this season after undergoing a surgical procedure to properly align her left patella in April, 2004. Exploratory arthroscopic surgery in early December revealed further complications in her knee that will force Young to miss the rest of the 2004-05 campaign. She will undergo extensive rehabilitation, although no further surgery is required at this point. UCSB will petition the NCAA for a rare sixth season of eligibility on Young's behalf.

Doozy of a Schedule
The Gauchos annually put together one of the nation's toughest schedules, and 2004-05 is certainly no exception with five games against teams which reached the postseason a year ago. Highlighting that group are NCAA Final Four participant LSU and two-time defending Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue, who both visit the Thunderdome in December. UCSB's non-conference strength of schedule was ranked sixth-toughest nationally by the WBCA entering this season.

On the Horizon
The Gauchos - winners of an unprecedented nine consecutive Big West Conference regular season championships - begin defense of their league crown with a pair of contests in Southern California. On Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m., UCSB plays at longtime rival Long Beach State, looking to extend its current 26-game winning streak vs. the 49ers. In their final game before the New Year, the Gauchos face UC Irvine on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m.