LOS ANGELES – With the help of Ivan Gvozdanovic's hat trick, No. 7 UCSB (11-6) kept the score close with No. 3 USC (15-1) in the first half until a 5-0 run boosted the Trojans to their 16-6 victory at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on Sunday afternoon.

The loss for the Gauchos concludes what was their busiest weekend of the year after playing five games in four days, finishing with a 3-2 record.

Behind Gvozdanovic – who led the Gauchos in scoring for the first time this season – Reed Cotterill, Boris Jovanovic, and Nick Wiley rounded out UCSB's scoring with a goal apiece. Josh Jordan paced the team in the assist column with two, while Gvozdanovic led the team with three drawn ejections.

Liam Lenihan clocked in all 32 minutes in the game and finished with a season-high 12 saves, three coming in power play scenarios. As for the rest of UCSB's defense, Jovanovic picked up a field block, while Gvozdanovic, Shane Huaschild, and Tor Jensen each accounted for a steal.

The game started out with a bang as the teams traded off goals until USC held a 3-2 after just two minutes of action. The Gauchos would later tie the score four minutes later thanks to Jovanovic's goal, but USC would regain their one-score edge with 14 seconds left in the period.

UCSB responded early in the second with a power play goal courtesy of Gvozdanovic, which would prove to be the team's only goal until the 1:45 mark. But by then, USC had scored five unanswered goals and was ahead 10-5.

And while Wiley would nab UCSB's next goal with 1:55 left in the third quarter, the Trojan offense kept rolling with five second half goals to close out the game.

The Gauchos will be back at Campus Pool on Thursday to host No. 6 Long Beach State at 7 p.m. for their second night game of the season. UCSB will then host No. 5 Stanford at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are available online, over the phone at 805.893.UCSB (8272), or at the Ticketing Office in the Intercollegiate Athletics Building.