No. 9 Vaqueros Season Ends Despite Inspiring Second Half Surge

By AJ Nagbe & Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — No. 22 seed Fullerton upset No. 9 seed Santa Barbara 70-63 on Wednesday night at Robertson Gym, ending the Vaqueros' season in the opening round of the SoCal Regional playoffs.

Kaylee Lawson led Santa Barbara with 24 points, including a 15-for-18 performance from the free-throw line. Aariah Fox added 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Milan Jackson chipped in nine points, while Siena Hoban contributed eight points and six rebounds.

Overall, the Vaqueros struggled offensively, though, shooting just 25.7% from the field and 14.3% from three-point range. Despite getting to the free-throw line—earning 36 free throw attempts—and converting at 66.7%, SBCC couldn't overcome their first-half cold shooting in the upset loss.

Fullerton seized control early, building a 16-4 lead after the first quarter and extending it to 34-11 by halftime. The Vaqueros struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, shooting just 12.1% from the field and falling into a 23-point deficit.

But Santa Barbara mounted a furious comeback in the second half. Just three minutes into the third quarter, they had beaten their point total from the entire first half. Aggressive defense through pressing forced multiple Fullerton turnovers, and the Vaqueros came out of the break on a 14-2 run. The deficit shrunk to a much more manageable 36-25 still with 6:45 left in the third quarter.

The game somewhat stabilized from there, unfortunately for the Vaqueros. Amarisse Camargo's three-pointer in the final seconds brought the deficit to seven points—the closest the Vaqueros would get in the second half. Despite thoroughly outscoring Fullerton 52-36 over the final two quarters, the early hole proved too deep to overcome. The Hornets shot 41.7% from the field and dominated the boards 53-43, while SBCC's cold shooting, particularly from three-point range at 14.3%, doomed their postseason hopes despite their valiant second-half effort.

Coach Sandrine Krul praised her team's resilience despite the early deficit and season-ending loss. "If [the game] was played for just the second half, we played out of our minds." Krul said. "In basketball, you're going to have heartbreak, so yes, the team's hearts were broken. But you have to put it in perspective. Every team is going to end on a loss unless you win the championship. Ours just came a little sooner."

Krul reflected on the season and what the team accomplished throughout the year. "I've been really proud of this team all year long," she said. "The biggest thing when you look at our stats, or you look at our team as a whole, a loss doesn't break who they are. It actually reveals who they are. Our sophomores are onto bigger and better things, and our freshmen—they're not going to like this feeling of losing—so they will work really hard in the off-season."

Looking ahead, Krul emphasized perspective on the season's success. "With every ending starts a new beginning," she said. "Playoffs is icing on the cake. A loss doesn't take away what we accomplished. We're just really blessed."

The Vaqueros' 52 points in the second half, compared to 11 in the first half, shows just how hard the team fought to keep their season alive. Even more respectable, the graduating sophomore class ends their Vaquero careers as the most accomplished group in recent history. Their 43 wins across two years is the third most in program history, only beaten by the 2007 (49 wins) and 2000 (46 wins) classes.

Putting it in perspective, the SBCC Women's Basketball program is in a great spot, particularly with Krul at the helm. Fans can expect them to have another fun, competitive season in 2026-27.