RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Feb. 17, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (20-5, 11-3 Big West) are hitting the road for a one-game stint as the Gauchos take on the UC Riverside Highlanders in the second leg of this series. The last time these two teams faced each other was in The Thunderdome when the Highlanders pulled out the last-second win over UC Santa Barbara.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos were home in The Thunderdome as they hosted the UC Irvine Anteaters, who were one spot behind the Gauchos in The Big West standings. The first half saw a close contest between these two teams, with neither team getting more than a two-point lead through the first half. However, UC Santa Barbara could not hold onto the lead as the Anteaters closed the gap and then some. This ultimately led to the 70-59 loss for the Gauchos against the Anteaters.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside is coming into this game after getting a big conference win over Long Beach State on their home court at SRC Arena. Prior to that, the Highlanders lost to UC Irvine while grabbing a win over UC Davis.
The Highlanders have one of the best rebounding margins in the country. Currently, they rank 21st in the NCAA and second in The Big West in this statistical category, registering a 5.9 margin. They are also the best team in the conference when it comes to three pointers made per game as they average 8.4 a game.
Senior guard Flynn Cameron has been a huge asset for the Highlanders from beyond the arc. He is No. 1 in The Big West in this statistical category as he shoots at 64 percent from three. With numbers like this, he is second on the team in points with 330, which averages out 12.22 per game. He also leads the team in assists with 95.
Fellow senior guard Zyon Pullin has been the driving force of the team's offense. He leads the Highlanders in points with 393 as he accumulated those across 22 games. This averages out to 17.86 points a game as he wraps up his time in Riverside. He's also one of the team's assists leaders by putting up 89 while averaging 4.27 rebounds a game.
The Highlanders are coached by Mike Magpayo, who is in his third season with the team. The UC Santa Barbara alumnus started as an associate head coach with the program before his promotion in 2020. Prior to that, he was on the coaching staff at the University of San Francisco. Since stepping into this head coaching role, Magpayo has an overall record of 47-30.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will hit the court in Riverside tomorrow night at 5 p.m. in the SRC Arena. A live stream will be available through ESPN+ with live stats available through gohighlanders.com.
