Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team was dominant in its 2021-22 season opener downing San Francisco State 119-65. This was the fourth-highest scoring effort from the Gauchos in program history.
On The Stat Sheet
- Josh Pierre-Louis and Amadou Sow split the crown scoring 25 apiece and even more impressively went a combine 18-for-24 from the field for a .750 field goal percentage
- Miles Norris (14) and Ajay Mitchell (11) joined them in doubel figures
- Six different Gauchos had seven or more rebounds led by Robinson Idehen who had 11
- UCSB made 40 field goals on 29 assists, the assist count is third best performance in program history
- The Gauchos' 60 point first half is tied for the seventh most all time for a half and the 59 point second half is tied for the eighth most
- UCSB cleaned up the glass as well picking up 65 rebounds which is tied for the fifth most all-time
- The Gauchos etched their name one more time by converting 32 free throws, which is tied for the 10th most
How It Happened
First Half (UCSB 60-33)
- Shooting an incredible 8-for-9 in the field, Pierre-Louis dropped 22 in first collegiate start and led the Gauchos to a 60-33 advantage in the first half
- After taking a 5-4 lead the Gauchos never looked back going on a 26-9 run to break the opener wide open
- Defensively UCSB held SF State to 25.0% from the floor
- Pierre-Louis' athleticism shined early and often hyping up the packed arena of 3,000+ fans
Second Half (UCSB 119-65)
- The scoring barrage continued in the second half with UCSB going 20-for-30 from the field to score 59 points, 30 of which came in the paint
- Norris went 4-for-5 in the half otching a team-high 12 points, including this jam
- Although Pierre-Louis only scored one field goal in the second half, he made sure to use it for his highlight package
Quotable
"I think we have some really unselfish guards that pass the ball ahead so I think our guys can be a really great running team," Head Coach Joe Pasternack said. "We have a lot of great athletes, [Pierre-Louis] in the open court is really spectacular and we just have to keep getting better and better."
"We had a long summer and a lot of work, and it was nice to get back to work in front of the fans again," Pierre-Louis said. "This was my first collegiate start so i mean, its the best thing ever. Doing my job is all that matters to me but it definitely was a great feeling."
Up Next
UCSB will now have its first road test heading to Pullman, Wash. this coming Monday to take on Washington State. The game will be aired live on Pac-12 Network.
