HONOLULU, Hawai'i (Jan. 26, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (17-3, 8-1 Big West) traveled to the SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu as they took on one of their biggest competitors in The Big West, the University of Hawai'i. Even with the Gauchos' 12-point lead in the first half, this contest came down to the final 10 seconds. By the final buzzer, UC Santa Barbara finished on top, defeating Hawai'i 65-64. 

FROM COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Hawai'i is very talented, but it's a war of four 10-minute battles," Pasternack said. "For us, we had a really good first half, but then we were a disaster in the first four minutes of the second. They threw a big punch. But our guys settled down and we won the war." 

HOW IT HAPPENED
When stepping on the court in an energetic SimpliFi Arena, it was the Rainbow Warriors who came out aggressively, scoring the first points of the game. Before the first media timeout, the Rainbow Warriors had the 6-2 lead over the Gauchos. But that didn't last long. UC Santa Barbara went on a 14-0 run across five minutes, giving them a 16-6 lead midway through the first. The Rainbow Warriors, being the elite team they are, made a comeback in this game until again, the Gauchos played a nearly perfect stretch. With the help of Andre Kelly making back-to-back baskets and his teammates playing their roles, UC Santa Barbara kept a 36-27 lead at the half.

Ajay Mitchell was the leading scorer for UC Santa Barbara in the first half, registering 14 points while going five-of-eight from the field. Along with that, he added on three assists. On the boards, Miles Norris and Koat Keat Tong made a huge impact, grabbing five apiece.  

Once the game resumed for the second half, Hawai'i came out on fire. The home team couldn't seem to miss a shot for the first three minutes of play, bringing the Rainbow Warriors within one. The crowd was deafening in SimpliFi Arena as the Rainbow Warriors managed to snatch the lead with three minutes left in the game. These two teams went shot for shot for the rest of the way, coming down to the final minute of play to decide who would leave victorious. With just 10 seconds left on the clock, Mitchell drove the ball to the hoop, closed his eyes, and made the shot that put his team up by one. The Rainbow Warriors did not have enough time to retaliate as the Gauchos earned the 65-64 win. 

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Mitchell built on his success in the first half, rounding out his time in Honolulu with a game-high 24 points. Along with that, he finished the night with five rebounds while dishing out three assists.
• Cole Anderson has been stepping up offensively for the Gauchos, coming into his role as one of the team's sharpest shooters. The sophomore ended the night with 13 points for the second-best offensive performance on the team.
• Both Norris and Tong continued to crash the boards as they helped UC Santa Barbara out-rebound Hawai'i. These two forwards each had seven rebounds. Norris also added on a steal.   

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will make the trip back to Santa Barbara as they get ready to continue with conference play in The Thunderdome. One of the biggest games of the year will take place as the Gauchos face the Mustangs of Cal Poly in the second leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry. Tipoff on Thursday, Feb. 2, will be at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.