SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Max Heidegger's three-point basket from above the key with 2.9 seconds left in the game gave UC Santa Barbara a 65-63 win over visiting UC Riverside on Saturday night.

Heidegger's game-winner was the third shot in the Gauchos' (13-7 overall, 2-3 Big West) final possession and it allowed them to claw all the way back from a 10-point first half deficit to end a three-game losing streak.

"College basketball is all about peaks-and-valleys," said UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack. "The teams that can come back from the valleys, those are the teams that succeed. Tonight, that shot, helped us come back from a valley."

The final possession started when UCR's Dikymbe Martin missed a three-point attempt with 13 seconds left in the game. Amadou Sow rebounded the miss and got the ball to Devearl Ramsey. Ramsey drove the distance and missed a high-arching layup attempt. Matt Freeman collected the rebound and missed the follow, but the ball went to Sow who shoveled it to Heidegger above the top of the key and the senior drained the game-winner. 

The Highlanders (13-9, 3-3) got the ball to Khy Kabellis who missed a shot at the buzzer, which would likely have been disallowed, ending the game. 

"We know we're in games until the end," Heidegger said. "We have a lot of guys who play well together. I was fortunate to have that opportunity. Making that shot was great for our team. We stay together as a team and making that shot means a lot. This can be a turning point. We believe in each other and that really emphasizes our belief."

UCSB scored the first four points of the game, but the Highlanders took a 6-4 lead on a three-pointer by Chidom and a led the remainder of the first half. They stretched their lead to 22-12 with 9:38 left, their biggest of the game.

The Gauchos pulled back within 33-27 at halftime and then kept scratching back in the second half. They finally took their first lead since the opening minutes when JaQuori McLaughlin tossed a lob pass to Robinson Idehen for a layup. Idehen was also fouled but missed the free throw and the score was 54-53 with 5:46 to play. 

Chidom's hook shot gave UCR a 55-54 lead, but then two baskets by McLaughlin and a fastbreak layup by Devearl Ramsey put UCSB in front 60-55.

A three by Dominick Pickett pulled the Highlanders within 60-58, but a jump hook by Sow pushed the advantage to 62-58. The teams traded empty possessions and Angus McWilliam was fouled. He made a pair of free throws to make it 62-60 with two minutes to play. Following a missed three-point attempt on the Santa Barbara end, McWilliam was fouled attempting a put back with 1:33 remaining. He made 1-of-2 free throws to make the score 62-61. 

The Gauchos missed another shot and Riverside responded once more when Kabellis made a leaner in the lane to put the visitors on to 63-62 with 55.9 seconds to play, setting the stage for Heidegger's heroics. 

Heidegger and Sow each finished with a team-leading 16 points. Heiddegger was 7-for-12 from the field overall and 2-for-4 from three-point range. Sow was 7-for-10 and made his only three-point attempt. He added a team-high six rebounds. 

McLaughlin had eight points, six of which came in the second half, and he added six assists and just one turnover. He had five assists and no turnovers in the all-important second half. 

The Gauchos will travel for a pair if games next week. They will visit Cal State Northridge for an 8:00 p.m. game on Thursday, Jan. 30 and then on Saturday, Feb. 1 they will play a 4:00 p.m. game at Long Beach State. The game at CSUN will be televised on ESPNU.