SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Miles Norris scored a career-high 27 points and UC Santa Barbara defeated Cal State Bakersfield 63-44 on Saturday night for the program's 12th straight win, a school record. 

The Gauchos (16-3 overall, 10-2 Big West) have also won a program-best 10-straight Big West Conference games and they tied a school record with 15-straight home victories. In addition, the win put them two-games ahead of UC Irvine and atop the conference standings.

The previous record of 11 consecutive wins was set in 1988-89 when the team jumped out to an 11-0 record to open the season. Nothing was more representative of the record-setting 12th straight win than the fact that UCSB had 20 assists on its 20 field goals.

Devearl Ramsey, who finished with a season-high eight assists, helped Santa Barbara start strong with a pair of three-point baskets make it a 6-0 game. A free throw by Amadou Sow made it 7-0 and the lead never fell below five the rest of the half and ballooned 21 at one point.

Norris had hit his career-high in the first half scoring 18 of his points, including the final eight of a 10-0 Gaucho run that transformed a 27-16 Gaucho lead with 5:42 remaining into a 37-16 advantage with 1:56 on the clock. At that point, he had outscored the Bakersfield, 18-16. The halftime score was 39-21 with UCSB assisting on all 12 of its field goals. 

The closest the Roadrunners could get in the second half was when Justin Edler-Davis made a three-pointer with 13:28 left, pulling his team within 45-32. The Gauchos stretched the lead to 24 when Josh Pierre-Louis hit a three with 6:20 to play, making the score 63-39.

The 44 points scored by Bakersfield were the fewest scored by a Santa Barbara opponent this season, six fewer than Hawai'i's total of 50 on Feb. 12.

Norris's 27 points were the most by a Gaucho this season. He made 9-of-11 field goals and 4-of-5 from three-point range.

While Norris was the only Gaucho player to score in double-figures, Sow added nine on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Ramsey and Ajare Sanni added six points apiece, while Pierre-Louis had five. 

JaQuori McLaughlin, the team's leading scorer was limited to two points but he also finished with seven assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Ramsey added a team-high six rebounds and a pair of steals. 

UCSB made 20-of-40 field goal attempts, including 10-of-22 from three-point range, 45.5%. The Gauchos also won the rebound battle, 28-26. 

Bakersfield was led by Shaun Williams with nine points and Grehlon Easter added eight. Ronne Readus had a game-high 10 rebounds. As a team, the Roadrunners made 16-of-43 shots, 37.2%, but made just 3-of-13 three-point attempts, 23.1%.

UCSB travels to UC Riverside next weekend for games on Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27. The Friday night game against the Highlanders will tip-off at 8:00 p.m. and televised on ESPN2. The Saturday night game will be on BigWest.tv and tip at 7:00 p.m.