The UCSB men’s basketball team (23-7, 14-5 Big West) started the final week of regular season Big West play as they made the trip to Davis to take on the UC Davis Aggies. Following this trip, the Gauchos rounded out their last road game with a win, taking down the Aggies 89-86 on their home court.
“This was such a gritty road win for our team. I couldn’t be prouder of our players for the fight they showed tonight,” said Coach Joe Pasternack.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UCSB started the game on pace with the Aggies as the two teams were tied until the clock went below 15 minutes. UC Davis went on a seven-point run to take the lead and by the 10-minute mark, the Aggies extended their lead 10. With the help of Josh Pierre-Louis, Andre Kelly and Cole Anderson, they battled back within one of the Aggies before halftime as they were only down 37-36.
Once the Gauchos returned to the court, they were ready to continue the fight against this tough Big West opponent. The Gauchos took the lead early in the second half before UC Davis lit up and went on a 12-point run to take a comfortable lead in the first five minutes. Even with this advantage, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Gauchos. UCSB came back from this deficit, tying the game with eight minutes left in this contest. The lead changed 11 times from there as neither team was willing to give up this battle. But in the final minute of play, the Gauchos took control with a pair of free throws from Ajay Mitchell, which ultimately propelled the Gauchos to the 89-86 win over the Aggies.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
– Six Gauchos ended the night in double-digit points as this full team effort pushed UCSB to victory. The Gaucho with the most points was none other than Ajay Mitchell. The sophomore guard scored all 20 of his points in the second half, making six-of-nine shots from the field while going 100 percent from the charity stripe in those 20 minutes.
– Finishing second on the team in points was Josh Pierre-Louis, putting up 17 in this game while shooting 60 percent from the field. Along with that, he led the team in rebounds, grabbing six while also adding on five assists, a steal and a block.
– Two players finished the game with 15 points, and they were Cole Anderson and Miles Norris. Anderson went five-of-six from the field with just one three pointer while going 100 percent from the free throw line. Norris, on the other hand, shot at a 60 percent clip while adding on five rebounds and a block.
– Andre Kelly’s game was cut short due to foul trouble, but in his 20 minutes on the court, he put up 12 points while contributing four rebounds and a block. Senior Calvin Wishart also registered double-digit points in tonight’s game, putting up 10 points while dishing out five assists.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play their final game of the regular season in The Thunderdome today while honoring their five seniors Norris, Pierre-Louis, Wishart, Kelly and Ajare Sanni prior to the game. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. against Hawai’i for this nationally-televised game on ESPNU. UCSB will also look to clinch at least a share of The Big West regular season title while having their sights on setting a new school record for the most wins in a season. Fans won’t want to miss all of this action in The Thunderdome for this White Out game. As mentioned previously, the Gauchos will be on ESPNU with live stats also available through ucsbgauchos.com.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
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