SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (0-2) returns to The Thunderdome on Sunday, Nov. 19, after playing on the road earlier this week. The Gauchos will take on the Le Moyne College Dolphins, who are in the first year of transitioning to Division I status. These two teams have never played each other before tomorrow night.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos made the trip to El Paso, Texas to take on the UTEP Miners. It was a similar story to the team's first game of the season as Santa Barbara and UTEP were tied at the half. However, the Miners proved to be too much as UC Santa Barbara dropped their first road game of the season 76-89.
DOMINATING THE DOLPHINS
Le Moyne College has played four games so far this season, two of them against tough Big East opponents and another in a Division III institution. Their season opener came against Georgetown, where they lost 57-94 before taking on No. 22 Villanova, ending with a score of 57-83. They also started the California road trip against San Diego, losing that game 71-80. Their win came against SUNY Canton with a score of 105-46.
This is the first season the team will compete at the Division I level, beginning their four-year transition process. They already accepted an invitation to join the NEC, which they will be competing in this season. Prior to this season, the Dolphins competed at the Division II level.
The Dolphins are led by guard Kaiyem Cleary, who transferred to Le Moyne from Ball State. In his first four games, he has racked up 45 points. To go along with his strong offensive performance, Cleary also led the team in rebounds, accumulating 26 so far in the first four games.
Luke Sutherland wasn't too far behind Cleary in scoring. Sutherland returns to the lineup after finishing last year second on the team in scoring. He is heading into this game with 39 points on the season.
Mike DePersia appears to be the primary point guard for the Dolphins. The IUPUI transfer is leading the team in assists with 17. He has also played the most minutes on the team so far this season, being on the court for 104 minutes.
The Dolphins are led by head coach Nate Champion, who is in his fifth season with the program. He headed into this season with an overall record of 46-39.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos and the Dolphins will face each other in The Thunderdome on Sunday, Nov. 19 starting at 7 p.m. For fans who can't make it to The Thunderdome, they can watch the broadcast on ESPN+.
