Good to the last drop. That was the story of UCSB’s regular-season finales, which the Gaucho men’s and women’s teams both won on buzzer-beating shots.
JaQuori McLaughlin did the deed last Saturday night at the Thunderdome. His fall-away jumper in the lane gently touched the rim and the backboard before settling into the hoop as time expired, boosting the Gauchos to a 69-67 victory over Cal Poly. The largest home crowd of the season went into a frenzy at the dramatic conclusion.
Even more stunning was the Gaucho women’s 57-56 win at Hawai‘i three nights earlier. They were on the verge of a disappointing loss when the Wahine took a 56-55 lead with nine seconds remaining. The time was down to four seconds after a Hawai‘i foul forced them to inbound the ball from the sideline. Junior guard Danae Miller took the pass, dribbled toward the baseline and, with 0.2 seconds showing, tossed up a floater that swished through the net.