By DANIEL MOEBUS-BOWLES
UCSB SPORTS WRITER
The UCSB men’s basketball team was dominant in its 2021-22 season opener, downing San Francisco State 119-65 in a home game.
This was the fourth-highest scoring effort from the Gauchos in program history.
Josh Pierre-Louis and Amadou Sow split the crown, scoring 25 apiece and even more impressively went on to a combined 18-for-24 from the field for a .750 field goal percentage.
Shooting an incredible 8-for-9 in the field, Pierre-Louis dropped 22 in first collegiate start and led the Gauchos to a 60-33 advantage in the first half.
Defensively UCSB held SF State to 25% from the floor
The scoring barrage continued in the second half with UCSB going 20-for-30 from the field to score 59 points.
Miles Norris went 4-for-5 in the half, notching a team-high 12 points.
“I think we have some really unselfish guards that pass the ball ahead so I think our guys can be a really great running team,” Head Coach Joe Pasternack said. “We have a lot of great athletes, (Pierre-Louis) in the open court is really spectacular, and we just have to keep getting better and better.”
“We had a long summer and a lot of work, and it was nice to get back to work in front of the fans again,” Pierre-Louis said. “This was my first collegiate start so I mean, it’s the best thing ever. Doing my job is all that matters to me. but it definitely was a great feeling.”
UCSB will now have its first road test heading to Pullman, Wash., on Monday to take on Washington State. The game will air live on the Pac-12 Network.
Daniel Moebus-Bowles works in communications/media relations at UCSB.
email: dmason@newspress.com
