UC Riverside 59, UC Santa Barbara 58

3/11/2006 7:09 PM

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Amber Cox made a 3-pointer with 1:10 to play to lead UC Riverside to a 59-58 upset of top-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the Big West Conference tournament final Saturday.

The win gave the Highlanders (16-14) their first trip to the NCAA tournament.

Santa Barbara (16-13) had won nine consecutive tournament championships and 11 of the past 14 and never lost a tournament final.

Vanessa Campillo led UC Riverside with 15 points and four assists. Kemie Nkele, the tournament's most valuable player, added 13 points.

Santa Barbara's Jessica Wilson scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jenna Green had 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Cox finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Riverside held a 45-40 lead with 8:01 to play but the Gauchos moved ahead 57-55 on Autumn Nichols' jumper with 3:17 remaining.

The Highlanders' Seyram Gbewonyo made the first of two free throws with 2:07 left. Then after Santa Barbara's LaShay Fears passed the ball out of bounds, Cox made her 3-pointer to put Riverside ahead 59-57.

After Green made a free throw with 35.1 seconds to play, Santa Barbara had a chance to win when Gbewonyo missed the first free throw in a one-and-one situation with 12.4 seconds left.

Erin O'Bryan grabbed the rebound and passed to Wilson, who dribbled into the frontcourt but missed an inside jumper with two seconds left. Nichols tipped the ball but Gbewonyo grabbed the rebound as time expired.

Riverside enters the NCAA tournament having won nine consecutive games and 11 of 13.