SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The crowd at Campus Pool was treated to an entertaining high-scoring affair between the sixth-ranked UC Santa Barbara men's water polo team and No. 10 Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon, as the Gauchos defeated the Waves 16-13.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UCSB took a 6-3 lead in the first quarter off a pair of goals from sophomore center James Oriskovich, and one from each of senior attacker Leo Yuno, graduate attacker Sawyer Rhodes, junior attacker Tommy Hawkins, and senior driver Nathan Puentes on a penalty shot at the end of the period.
• Pepperdine clawed back into the game by blanking the Gauchos in the second period and scoring two goals to close the gap to one.
• The two teams went back and forth in an intense third quarter, battling each other to the tune of two lead changes and five ties, but UCSB emerged with its one-goal lead intact at the end of the frame.
• A crucial Sam Nangle effort opened the fourth quarter, followed up less than a minute later by senior attacker Cole Brosnan on the powerplay to give UCSB a three-goal advantage with 6:49 left.
• Pepperdine's Jake Howerton went back-to-back to pull Pepperdine back within a goal of tying it up, but UCSB senior defender Mason McQuet deposited a shot into the cage and Rhodes scored on a penalty shot to extend the lead once again for the Gauchos.
• The Waves' Balazs Kosa scored on a penalty shot with 50 seconds left to try to kickstart a frenzied run, but the Gauchos scored on the ensuing possession off a Spencer Wood goal to seal the win.

NOTABLE

• Four Gauchos had a multi-goal game, as Nathan Puentes' three goals led the team and the trio of Sawyer Rhodes, James Oriskovich, and Leo Yuno each scored two.
• Prior to the contest, the team's seven graduating seniors- John Rankin, Sawyer Rhodes, Spencer Wood, Connor Macdonald, Alan Peoples, Leo Yuno, Cole Brosnan, and Mason McQuet- were honored in a ceremony.

UP NEXT

• The Gauchos are seeded third in the Golden Coast Conference Tournament set to take place in Irvine next weekend. UCSB will face sixth-seeded UC Irvine in the tournament's opening match on Friday, Nov. 19 at 5:00 p.m.

Follow UCSB water polo all season long by following its pages on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.