JaQuori McLaughlin scored 22 points, including 16 in the decisive second half, to lead UC Santa Barbara to a 79-63 victory over UC Irvine in the championship game of the Air Force Reserve Big West Conference Championship Tournament, presented by the Hawaiian Islands, on Saturday.
The top-seeded Gauchos won three games in three days at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, to earn the Big West’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UCSB improved to 22-4, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.