SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (2-2) was back in action on Thanksgiving Eve as the Gauchos took on the other hometown team in the Westmont College Warriors. With the Gauchos maintaining a phenomenal field goal percentage of 61.8 percent, they finished out the night with their second straight win, taking down the Warriors 91-79.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"For us, it's all about us. It's not about Westmont, but I want to start by giving them credit. I thought they did an excellent job tonight and I think they are going to have a really good season. For us, I think it's about defense and that's what we just talked about. On offense, we are one of the top teams in the country in field goal percentage and in efficiency, so that's not our issue. What we have to do is defend and get multiple stops. We have a long, long way to go. I take full responsibility for it. I have to emphasize and be a better defensive coach. We are going to head back to the drawing board as we have some days to get our defense to where it needs to be."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
From the very first basket, this game belonged to the Gauchos with Ajay Mitchell being the first player to record a point in this game. He then went on to score 11 points during his 10 minutes on the court while the rest of the team kept the Warriors from scoring for three straight minutes. This allowed Santa Barbara to gain an 11-point lead with eight minutes left in the first. By the time the half was over, the Gauchos grew their lead even more, resulting in a score of 46-31 heading into the locker room.
 
The second half started the same as the first as UC Santa Barbara, coming out hot. The Gauchos went on a 9-2 run highlighted by a three-pointer from Cole Anderson to keep the momentum on their side. Even though the Warriors picked up the pace in the last two minutes, it didn't disrupt the Gauchos. The home team went on to defeat Westmont 91-79.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell was back to doing what he does best as he registered a team-high 21 points. Not only that, but he also led the team in rebounds with seven while adding on four assists.
• Yohan Traore had another big night on offense. He finished the night with 18 points, shooting at an impressive 80 percent from the field. 
• Matija Belic had a career night as well. He put up a new career-high of 16 points to go along with four assists.
• Ariel Bland has been a force on defense as he led the team in rebounds yet again with nine. He also posted his second-straight game where he notched three blocks. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road to take on a Mountain West opponent in Fresno State on Monday, Nov. 27. The game will start at 7 p.m. with a live stream through the Mountain West Network.