FRESNO, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (3-2) made the trip up north to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs, who were 3-2 on the season. The Gauchos may have been down at the half, but that didn't stop them from rallying to a victory as the Blue and Gold returned to Santa Barbara with a 69-65 win.  

FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I thought our team competed very hard and together on defense tonight. That is what made the difference for us in this really tight game."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs came out strong, taking the early six-point lead over the Gauchos. It didn't take long for UC Santa Barbara to battle back. With help from Ajay Mitchell scoring five-straight points, the Gauchos got within one of the home team. UC Santa Barbara eventually tied things up with a basket from Yohan Traore. Although the Gauchos earned a four-point lead, the Bulldogs came back in the last minute of the first half, taking a two-point lead and heading into the locker room with a score of 31-29 in favor of Fresno State.
 
Once the two teams were back on the court, the Bulldogs picked up where they left off. They grew their lead to six, keeping UC Santa Barbara from scoring for almost two minutes. The Gauchos couldn't seem to catch a big break until there was 13:30 left on the clock. That's when Mitchell made a layup and Cole Anderson contributed a two-pointer to get within one of the Bulldogs. From there, Mitchell went on to score five straight points to give his team the advantage and ultimately help them grow their lead by as many as 13 points. Even though Fresno State did everything they could to secure the win on their home court, the Gauchos would not allow it as UC Santa Barbara won their third straight game with a score of 69-65.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell finished the night as the team's leading scorer, putting up 27 points. Along with that, Mitchell led the team in rebounds, grabbing seven.
• Yohan Traore made his impact on the offense yet again, contributing 17 points. He also contributed six rebounds while adding on a block.
• Matija Belic led the team in blocks, securing two on the night. He also added on eight points.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have a quick turnaround as they head back home to The Thunderdome to take on the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. This game will start at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.