Just 48 hours after their last outing, the UCSB men’s basketball team (14-3, 5-1 Big West) were back in action as they traveled south to the Anteaters of UC Irvine. After a close game between two of the top teams in The Big West, it was the Gauchos who came out on top as they defeated the Anteaters 73-67 in Irvine.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The top team in The Big West came out strong, putting themselves on the board first, but that didn’t intimidate the Gauchos. UCSB continued to battle on the back of Andre Kelly, who already had 10 points with seven minutes left in the first. The two teams continued to play an aggressive game throughout the remainder of the half, resulting in a 32-29 score in favor of the home team by the time the first half ended.
Kelly continued to stay on fire throughout the remainder of the first half, scoring 14 points to go along with seven rebounds. Not only that, but he also grabbed a steal that led to a slam dunk for the graduate student.
Once the second half began, the Gauchos came out with an even more intense fire. The two teams were within two points of each other for most of the game until 10 minutes into the second half. The Gauchos scored back-to-back baskets, causing the Anteaters to make big plays to keep up. But whenever Irvine would make the play, Santa Barbara would make one right back. By the end of the game, the Gauchos had ice in their veins, making key shots to keep the Anteaters at bay. This resulted in a 73-65 victory for the Gauchos on the road, winning their last five contests on the road.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
– Kelly had a game in the Bren Events Center with his best performance since becoming a Gaucho. He ended the game with 22 points while also adding on 11 rebounds, his third double-double of the season. His shooting was phenomenal as he shot an impressive 78.6 percent clip while also tallying a block and a steal.
– Miles Norris continues to be one of the leaders for this team. The senior finished tonight’s game with his third double-double of the season, registering 16 points while adding on 12 boards.
– Ajay Mitchell finished the night with 14 points to contribute another double-digit night. Along with that, he dispersed the ball well on offense as he notched seven assists.
– Also finishing the game with double-digit points was Cole Anderson. The sophomore scored 10 points while recording a 50 percent shooting percentage.
– As a team, UCSB made 55.8 percent of their shots while only allowing UC Irvine to make 42 percent of theirs.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will get three days to prepare as they make their way back to The Thunderdome on Thursday, Jan. 19, for another Big West game as they host the Matadors of CSUN. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+. Live stats will also be available through ucsbgauchos.com.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
email: sports@newspress.com
