The UCSB men’s basketball team (10-2, 1-0 Big West) were back from the holiday break as they opened up Big West play against the reigning Big West tournament champions, Cal State Fullerton. The last two meetings between these teams went to the Titans, but tonight, the Gauchos rewrote the story.
After playing two halves in Titan Gym, the Gauchos will return to Santa Barbara with their first Big West win of the season, extending their win streak to six on the season with a final score of 66-58.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos scored first as Josh Pierre-Louis drove to the basket for a layup. Once they took that lead, they never gave it up. Cal State Fullerton made an attempt early in the first half to take the lead, tying the game at 7-7, but that’s the closest the Titans got. UCSB had a five-point lead heading into halftime with a score of 30-25.
Ajay Mitchell led the scoring at the half, putting up 11 points while going 3-7 from the field. The next closest player in scoring was Pierre-Louis, who had six points to finish the first half while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Once the second half began, the Gauchos started with added pressure. However, the Titans’ defense halted the offensive efforts by UCSB, putting the bad guys up late in the second. However, the heavy number of foul calls going in favor of Cal State Fullerton didn’t keep the Gauchos from making a comeback. Mitchell made a key three-pointer that put the pressure on the opponents, causing them to fold. UCSB made their free throws at the end of the game to keep a lead the Titans couldn’t recover from, resulting in a 66-58 win for the Gauchos.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
– Mitchell ended tonight’s game with 24 points, his third straight game with more than 20 points. He shot at a 62 percent clip, going 8-13 from the field while also making all six of his free throws. Not only that, but Mitchell led the team in assists with three while also adding on two steals.
– Pierre-Louis shined in the second half for the Gauchos, ending the game with 17 points, 11 of which were scored in the second half. He went 6-11 from the field while going 5-6 from the charity stripe. His stellar performance didn’t stop there as Pierre-Louis led the team in steals with three.
– Cole Anderson made back-to-back shots that gave the Gauchos must-needed momentum. He ended the game with seven points while going 50 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free throw line.
– Koat Keat Tong continues to improve as the season goes on. He ended tonight’s contest with a team-high four rebounds while adding on two steals and making a shot from beyond the arc for the first of his collegiate career.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will round out 2022 with a New Year’s Eve matinee in The Thunderdome against the Tritons of UC San Diego, who won their first Big West game of the season in an overtime thriller against Long Beach State. Tipoff will be at 4 p.m. with a stream available through ESPN+. Live stats will also be provided at ucsbgauchos.com.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
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