Tournament MVP Kirsten Tilleman had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds and No. 6 UC Santa Barbara pulled away late from the No. 7 Long Beach State women's basketball team as the Gauchos captured their first Big West Tournament championship since 2009 with a 63-54 win on Saturday afternoon at Honda Center.
Melissa Zornig came off the bench to score 12 points while forward Sweets Underwood added 11 for the Gauchos who improved to 17-15. Guard Alex Sanchez tallied a game-high 17 points while forward Devin Hudson also had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds for the 49ers. Long Beach State ended its season with a 14-18 overall record.
UCSB won the Big West Tournament for the 14th time in 16 appearances but captured this year's title as the No. 6 seed, the lowest in tournament history. It was the first time a champion was lower than a four-seed.
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