SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (Nov. 10, 2022) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (1-0) brought the heat in their season opener against the San Francisco State Gators (1-0). Now, the team hits the road for a neutral site contest in Santa Cruz, California against the Bulldogs of Fresno State.
It's been over a decade since these two teams played against each other. When they faced each other on Nov. 20, 2010, the Gauchos came out with a 69-54 win. Now, almost 12 years later, UC Santa Barbara hopes for the same result.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos were in The Thunderdome to start the 2022-23 season, taking on the Gators of San Francisco State for the second year in a row. The team came out hot, scoring 11 points before the bad guys could even get on the board. Despite the close score at the half, the Gauchos took over and came out with the 75-59 win.
Cole Anderson shined in this contest, leading the team in scoring with 25 points. He shot 50 percent from behind the arch in this career-best performance. Along with Anderson, returning All-Big West Honorable Mention player Miles Norris contributed 21 points of his own, working hard in the paint. Andre Kelly's defensive performance is one that is putting him at the top of the NCAA as he ended Monday night's contest with 14 rebounds, which was the second-best performance in the NCAA that evening.
BATTLING THE BULLDOGS
Fresno State is coming off a 13-point win in their home opener after playing Fresno Pacific, a Division II institution in the area. The Bulldogs had three players register double-digit points with their leading point scorer also grabbing a double-double.
Isaih Moore transferred to Fresno State from Southern Mississippi after playing at St. John's. He led the Bulldogs in his first game for the Blue and Red, grabbing 19 points and 10 rebounds. He went seven of 13 from the field, going 100 percent from the free throw line. He also had a team-high two blocks and a steal. Along with Moore, Anthony Holland and Donovan Yap each scored double-digit points with 13 and 12, respectively.
There are seven new players who joined the Bulldogs this season: three from other Division I institutions, one from a Division II university, one from a junior college and two true freshmen. The Division I products come from Southern Miss, IUPUI and Nebraska.
Isaiah Hill returns to the lineup this season for the Bulldogs as the team's only returner who average double-digit points. He ended the 2021-22 campaign averaging 10.1 points per game. He was tied for the most minutes played in the team's first game this season.
After their first game, the Bulldogs are ranked 18th in the NCAA for turnovers forced per game. They caused 24 turnovers in that game to help lead them to victory.
Head Coach Justin Hutson is in his fifth season with the Bulldogs. The Cal State Bakersfield alumnus has a 70-53 record since taking over. This is Hutson's first head coaching job after serving as an assistant with San Diego State for 10 years. Coach Hutson's recruiting skills are shown through the talent he brings in. Not only did he grab three Division I transfers this season, but almost half of his team comes from other DI programs, including multiple Power 5 schools like Oregon State and Arizona.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will be on the court with the Bulldogs at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 in Santa Cruz. The game will be at the Kaiser Permanente Arena, the home of the NBA G-League Affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. The game will be streamed on FloHoops while UC Santa Barbara will also provide a radio stream. Live stats will be available through StatBroadcast.
For tickets to this game, visit ticketmaster.com.
