"I thought our performance was actually pretty good," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "We showed a lot of toughness, as Santa Barbara is a very good team and has a big height advantage. We are so close and we are doing all the right things. I'm not happy with the loss, but I like what we are doing and know we are going in the right direction."
The game opened with both sides struggling to get the ball into the net. After three turnovers by Seattle U, UCSB took a 4-0 lead to open up the game. Junior point guard Elle Kerfoot (Surrey, B.C.) responded by sending in a perfect three-pointer to make it a one-point contest at 16:10.
The Redhawk co-captain scored in double digits for the 11th consecutive game, tallying 20 points, including three three-pointers. She also grabbed down five boards.
Santa Barbara remained in offensive control, behind an Emilie Johnson's three. The Redhawks kept themselves in it as Salena Dickerson (Federal Way, Wash.) responded with a trey to make it a one-point game again.
Dickerson's three-pointer was unsuccessful in swinging the momentum to the Redhawks, as UCSB would add two more consecutive three-pointers to take a 13-6 lead at 13:16.
As the Gauchos' offense picked up, Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) added four points to keep the Redhawks within reach, but it was not enough.
Johnson would score her fourth three-pointer of the game at 8:21, to give Santa Barbara their first double digit advantage of the afternoon, 25-14.
The Redhawk offense would be silenced for nearly five minutes, as the Gauchos continued to tack onto their first half lead.
Dickerson would break SU back onto the board with a jumper and Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.) added her first points of the game to make it 31-18 contest.
Tatiana Heck (Lynnwood, Wash.) slammed in her first career three-pointer at the most opportune moment. With milliseconds left on the shot clock and less than a minute to play in the first half, Heck was fed the ball and sailed in a trey to send Seattle U into the locker room trailing 35-23.
Opening second half action, Julee Christianson (Missoula, Mont.) would send in a basket from downtown to make it an 11-point contest. The Redhawks looked to close in on Santa Barbara's double figure lead, but they struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm.
Down 41-28, Kerfoot would go to the line for the first time in the game for SU. She would make it an 11-point contest again, but the Redhawk defensive efforts were not consistently stopping UCSB's scoring drives.
After letting the Gauchos nearly take a 20-point lead, the Redhawks continued to battle to close in on UCSB's once 17-point advantage. Heck would add a jumper and Kerfoot would follow with a three-pointer to make it a 52-44 game with under 10 to play.
Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) made it a 53-48 game off a pair of free throws and Carley Butcher (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) added a layin to bring the Redhawks within a possession at 6:13.
UCSB would go on a 7-4 run, but it was Kerfoot who would bring SU within three, 60-57, at 3:32
It would be the closest the Redhawks would manage to get in the second half, as the Gauchos managed to go on another 7-4 run to conclude the game.
Seattle U shot 39.0 percent (23-for-59) from the field, while UCSB finished shooting 44.2 percent (23-for-52). Both sides had 34 rebounds, with the Redhawks leading 16 to 12 on offensive boards. The Gauchos saw their biggest lift from the free throw line, as they were 15-for-17 from the stripe.
The Redhawks will conclude the 2010-11 campaign in Fort Meyers, Fla. at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament from Mar. 4-6. SU will take on Florida Gulf Coast, SIU Edwardsville and Longwood.