SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (Nov. 11, 2022) – Hitting the road for the first time this season, UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball (2-0) made the trip to Santa Cruz, California to play a neutral site contest against the Bulldogs of Fresno State University (1-1). These teams have not played each other in 12 years, with the Gauchos taking the win on their home court during that meeting. 

After 40 minutes of play, the Gauchos were the ones to come out on top, defeating the Bulldogs 61-54 in this neutral site game.  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos hit the floor with passion, however, the Bulldogs were the ones to get on the board first. Fresno State pressed hard at the start of the game, causing UC Santa Barbara to fall behind at the start. However, the Gauchos' grit paid off in the last 10 minutes of the first half as the Gauchos took a narrow 23-21 lead at the half. 

Andre Kelly came into his own to start this game, leading the Gauchos with eight points and four rebounds. Josh Pierre-Louis made his season debut in this half, earning five points and a steal in the first 20 minutes. 

Once the team came back on the court for the second half, UC Santa Barbara continued to apply pressure against Fresno State. The Bulldogs responded with their own determination, but it wasn't enough to battle back against the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara took the game 61-54 to earn their second win of the season. 

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Kelly found his groove with the Gauchos, registering his first double-double with the Blue and Gold. He ended this contest with 16 points, going seven for 12 from the field.  Along with that, he had a phenomenal 15 rebounds, which was even more than in his last game that was the second-best performance in the NCAA for opening night. 
• Ajay Mitchell played a big second half to finish today's game with 14 points, shooting 100 percent from the free throw line on eight attempts. Along with that, Mitchell had four assists and four steals. 
• One other Gaucho finished with double-digit points and that was Miles Norris. The senior ended the game with 10 points while adding on five rebounds in his 38 minutes on the floor. 
• The Gauchos caused double the number of turnovers than they committed themselves. The Bulldogs ended up with 16 overall turnovers while UC Santa Barbara only had eight. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back on the road on Friday, Nov. 18, as they take on the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m. PST with a live stream and live stats will be available. Fans can watch the game through ESPN+.