DAVIS, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (7-4) made the trip up to Davis, California for their first Big West game of the season as the Gauchos took on the Aggies of UC Davis. The game started as a close battle between these two teams, but by the end, it was the Aggies who came out on top as UC Santa Barbara dropped their first Big West game of the season with a score of 62-76.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Tonight was a tough game for our team. It's hard to win on the road when you get 16 turnovers and only seven assists. I will give credit to UC Davis, they out-rebounded us 35 to 30. Defensively, giving up 76 points on the road is not a recipe for a victory."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were the first team on the board as Yohan Traore made a mid-range jumper followed by a layup from Ajay Mitchell. However, the Aggies responded quickly with a 7-0 scoring run to put them in the lead. Even though the Gauchos rebounded quickly on the back of Traore, who put up eight points in eight minutes, the Aggies were too hot to stop as they took the lead halfway through the first half. After two minutes of no one scoring, the Aggies were the next on the board, growing their lead to four. Despite UC Santa Barbara fighting back, they couldn't quite grab the lead heading into the half as UC Davis was up 39-34 over the Gauchos.
 
Once the second half began, the Gauchos racked up the fouls, accumulating six in five minutes while the Aggies went on an 8-0 scoring run. Traore continued with his stellar game as he broke this stretch with a three-point play. Even with that stop, the Aggies came back right away, continuing to grow their lead. With 6:31 left on the clock, the Gauchos began chipping away at their opponents' lead, going on an 8-0 run before the Aggies could get back on the scoreboard. Even with the Gauchos closing in, it wasn't enough to finish this game on top as UC Santa Barbara dropped their first conference game of the season 62-76.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Yohan Traore led the Gauchos in scoring this evening as he put up 25 points, making 10 of his 14 shots from the field. Along with that, he grabbed four boards.
• Ajay Mitchell was second on the team in points as he racked up 12. Mitchell also added on three assists and a steal.
• Ariel Bland put in work on defense. He led the team in rebounds with five while also contributing a block.
• Josh Pierre-Louis distributed the ball well tonight as he had the most assists on the team with four. He was also third on the team in scoring with seven points.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have a very quick turnaround as they make their way down to Riverside, California for their next Big West contest as they face the UC Riverside Highlanders. Tip-off will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30, with a live stream available through ESPN+.