TOP SPORTING EVENTS: NOVEMBER 4-14
UCSB raises the curtain on its basketball teams with a pair of exhibition games this week. Tonight (Thu., Nov. 4) the Gaucho women host the Otters of Cal State Monterey Bay at the Thunderdome. Six new players will make their debut for the Gauchos, who saw their streak of 17 consecutive winning seasons come to an end last year. They return five players, including their top scorer, junior guard Emilie Johnson, and 6’4” senior center Mekia Valentine, one of the nation’s leading shot-blockers.
The Gaucho men, favored to win their second straight Big West championship, will send five returning starters onto the floor for their exhibition game Friday night against The Master’s College. They feature a pair of juniors, 6’5” guard Orlando Johnson and 6’6” forward James Nunnally. Johnson was Big West Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Westmont College’s men won their season opener over Cal State Maritime last weekend, and tonight they will get a supreme test as UCLA’s opponent in the Bruins’ exhibition opener at Pauley Pavilion.
Notable football games Friday night include Dos Pueblos High at San Marcos in the “Battle for the Goodland” and Carpinteria’s home game against powerful Nordhoff. SBCC concludes its season Saturday night against West L.A. at La Playa Stadium.
Earlier Saturday, La Playa will be the destination of thousands of runners in the Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon and Half Marathon. The second edition of the marathon has picked up a couple of elite entries. Moninda Marube, a Kenyan runner based in Minnesota, has won recent marathons in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and Kansas City, clocking times of 2:30:30 and 2:31:59. Liz Gottlieb of Marin County ran a 2:49:04 marathon in 2007 in Sacramento.
UCSB still has a shot at the Big West regular-season soccer championship, thanks to Cal State Northridge’s 2-1 victory over UC Irvine on Wednesday night. The Gauchos (6-2-1) are a point behind Irvine (6-1-2) heading into Saturday night’s finales. UCSB hosts UC Riverside, and UCI travels to Cal State Fullerton.
Thursday, November 4
High school boys water polo – San Marcos at Dos Pueblos, 3:15 p.m.
High school girls volleyball – San Marcos at Dos Pueblos, 6 p.m.; St. Bonaventure at Bishop Diego, 6 p.m.
College women’s basketball – CSU Monterey Bay at UCSB (exhibition), 7 p.m.
College men’s basketball – Westmont at UCLA (exhibition), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, November 5
High school girls volleyball – Dunn at Laguna Blanca, 6 p.m.
High school football – Dos Pueblos at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Santa Barbara at Buena, 7 p.m.; Bishop Diego vs. Villanova Prep at Nordhoff, 7 p.m.; Nordhoff at Carpinteria, 7:30 p.m.
College men’s basketball – The Master’s at UCSB (exhibition), 7 p.m.
College men’s soccer – Moorpark at SBCC, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 6
Running – Select Staffing Santa Barbara International Marathon, Dos Pueblos High School to SBCC, 6:30 a.m. Half Marathon, Tuckers Grove to SBCC, 6:30 a.m. sbimarathon.com.
High school football (8-man) –Laguna Blanca at Dunn 2 p.m.; Cate at Thacher, 3 p.m.
College men’s basketball – Westmont at St. John’s (exhibition), 4 p.m.
Roller derby – V-Town (Visalia) Derby Dames at Mission City Brawlin’ Betties, Earl Warren Showgrounds, 5 p.m.
College football – West L.A. at SBCC, La Playa Stadium, 7 p.m.
College men’s soccer – UC Riverside at UCSB, 7 p.m.
College women’s volleyball – Cal Poly at UCSB, 7 p.m.
Sunday, November 7
College women’s golf – SBCC at Southern Cal Championships, Alisal River Course, Solvang, 8 a.m.
Monday, November 8
College women’s golf – SBCC at Southern Cal Championships, final round, Alisal River Course, Solvang, 8 a.m.
Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon, Harry’s Plaza Café, 12 p.m.
Tuesday, November 9
High school girls volleyball – CIF playoffs, first round: Palos Verdes at Dos Pueblos, 7 p.m.; Peninsula at Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
College men’s soccer – Canyons at SBCC, 7 p.m
College women’s volleyball – The Master’s at Westmont, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, November 10
High school boys water polo – CIF playoffs, first round: San Clemente at Dos Pueblos, 3:15 p.m.; Huntington Beach at Santa Barbara, 3:15 p.m.
College men’s soccer – Big West semifinals: Cal Poly at UCSB, 7 p.m.
Thursday, November 11
High school football – Dos Pueblos at Ventura, 7 p.m.
Friday, November 12
College men’s soccer –SBCC at Hancock, 1 p.m.
College men’s basketball – UCSB vs. Denver at Eugene, Ore., 4:30 p.m.; Westmont at Northwest (Wash.), 7 p.m.
College women’s basketball – Corban (Ore.) at Westmont, 5:30 p.m.; UCSB at Pepperdine, 6 p.m.
High school football – Buena at San Marcos, 7 p.m.; Bishop Diego at Carpinteria, 7:30 p.m.
College women’s soccer – Ventura at SBCC, 7 p.m.
College women’s volleyball – UC Davis at UCSB, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 13
College women’s basketball – Sequoias at SBCC, 5 p.m.
College men’s basketball – UCSB vs. North Dakota State at Eugene, Ore., 6 p.m.; Westmont at Evergreen State (Wash.), 7:30 p.m.
College women’s volleyball – Pacific at UCSB, 7 p.m.
Sunday, November 14
College men’s water polo – UCLA at UCSB, 1 p.m.
College women’s basketball – UCSB at UCLA, 2 p.m.