Santa Barbara Dominates Allan Hancock 62-46 in Conference Action

By: AJ Nagbe

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Vaqueros Women's Basketball team dominated from start to finish, defeating Allan Hancock 62-46 on Wednesday night at Robertson Gym to win their fourth consecutive game and improve to 4-1 in Western State Conference play.

Kaylee Lawson led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-20 shooting and grabbed six rebounds to pace Santa Barbara. Khaya Jackson added 11 points off the bench, while Kylee McDougal chipped in nine points and Milan Jackson contributed eight points, five rebounds, and five assists. The balanced attack and strong defensive effort allowed the Vaqueros to control the game from start to finish.

Santa Barbara never trailed, jumping out to a 32-26 lead after the first half and cruised to a comfortable victory. The Vaqueros dominated the paint with 34 points compared to Allan Hancock's eight and forced 34 turnovers, converting them into 32 points. SBCC shot 35.2% from the field but excelled at the free-throw line, knocking down 11-of-12 attempts at 91.7%, while the defense held the Bulldogs to just 33.3% shooting and limited them to three three-pointers.

Coach Sandrine Krul emphasized the significance of the victory following the 62-46 win. "That was an important game because it was actually for second place," Krul said. "They were 2-2, we were 3-1, so if they won, they would've went 3-2 and then we would've went to 3-2. It was nice. Now we're 4-1, 15-6 overall."

Krul praised the team's ability to withstand Allan Hancock's comeback attempt. "Hancock was making a comeback, and that goes back to what I said the other night: there's no easy game in our conference," she said. "The teams that we play, they play hard as heck, so we were able to sustain their momentum. I'm really proud of their grittiness."

She highlighted the team's execution and defensive intensity throughout the game. "Everyone that played came in, they understood the action we were trying to get when Hancock played that zone," Krul said. "We shared the ball really well tonight, and we had a lot of steals. It goes back to our defensive intensity leads to offensive freedom. I'm really proud of this team staying consistent throughout the whole game."

Looking ahead, Krul expressed appreciation for the upcoming bye weekend. "Thank goodness for the bye weekend because we're going to take some time off and regroup on Monday," she said. "Our players need a mental and physical break. We have one more game to round out the first round, so we're excited about that."

Santa Barbara (15-6, 4-1) will enjoy a bye weekend before traveling to Cuesta on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. to close out the first round of conference play.