2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship First Round - No. 7 seed UC Riverside 58, No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara 53

Box score | UCR presser | UCSB presser | Game highlights
HENDERSON, Nev. — Behind a 26-point outing for Big West leading scorer Hannah Wickstrom, No. 7 seed UC Riverside upended sixth seeded UC Santa Barbara, 58-53, in a closely contested matchup at Lee's Family Forum during the first round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship. 

UCR now improves to 11-20 on the year and advances to take on No. 3 seed UC Davis on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. The Highlanders will be looking to avenge two regular-season losses to the Aggies in the second round of the championship.

The Highlanders featured several standouts, paced by a noteworthy 26 points on 50 percent shooting, a team-best nine boards and game-high six steals for Wickstrom. Kaylani Polk added 11 points with a pair of steals with Seneca Hackley adding eight to the offense. Bria Shine facilitated the offense effectively, leading the team with five assists with five points. 

The hotly-contested game saw the Highlanders gain an early edge in the first quarter, outscoring UCSB 17-13, with both squads shooting over 40 percent in the quarter.The second frame saw the Gauchos capitalize on its interior play, scoring eight points in the paint while blocking four shots to neutralize the UCR offense to see the halftime score deadlocked at 26 apiece. 

UCSB opened the third period on an 11-2 run to jump out to the nine-point advantage. Olivia Bradley provided eight of the early-quarter points to give the Gauchos a cushion before the Highlanders came roaring back with a run of their own to close the period up 43-42. 

The last UCSB lead came when Maddie Naro's driving layup was true with 4:41 to play to make it 50-49 in favor of the Gauchos, but six straight for the Highlanders put UCR back in front to stay with back-to-back first-round wins as the No. 7 seed in The Big West Championship.

Bradley led the offensive charge for the Gauchos in the loss with 23 points and an 8-for-8 outing from the free throw line to go along with five rebounds. Zoe Borter added 12 points with Chuancey Andersen collecting a team-high nine rebounds. 

UCSB bows out of the championship with a 20-10 mark, one of five Big West squads to reach the milestone this season.