SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (10-6) returned to The Thunderdome to take on Long Beach State. This nationally-televised game was one for the books as these two teams battled it out until the very end. When the final buzzer sounded, it was the Gauchos who came out with the win as they took down the Beach 85-76.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Long Beach State has the most experience in our league. They are so well coached. It is really, really tough to play them. I am just so proud of our guys' fight, and it started with three minutes left in the second half on Thursday. We just carried that over into tonight. For me, win, lose, or draw, it's about honoring our process and can we get a little bit better. The Friday before Cal Poly, we got a lot better in the film room defensively. Every day we have gotten better."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Beach were first to strike, going up by four before the Gauchos could get on the board. However, that didn't last for long as Yohan Traore scored back-to-back baskets to spark a fire in his team. From there, the Gauchos battled for a slight lead, giving them the two-point advantage for a short time. Long Beach State didn't let them keep the lead for long as they came back with a three pointer 30 seconds later. That was the last time the Gauchos would be on top in the first half as they went to the locker room down by five with a score of 35-40.
 
The Gauchos came out hot in the second half, ready to fight for this Big West win. But every time the Blue and Gold would put up a basket, the Beach would respond with one of their own, keeping UC Santa Barbara from gaining the lead. Finally, the Gauchos went on a 6-0 run capped by a layup from Josh Pierre-Louis that the Beach had no answer to, giving them their first lead of the second half. As if that wasn't enough, back-to-back three-pointers from Ajay Mitchell and Jason Fontenet II grew the lead to six. The Beach closed the gap quickly as the game was tied at 63 with 7:30 left in the second half. This is when the Gauchos kicked it into a new gear. The Beach continued to turn the ball over while the Gauchos kept scoring. By the time the game was over, UC Santa Barbara was on top, winning this game with a score of 85-76.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell scored the most points on the floor tonight as he secured 26 points. This is his eighth 20+ point game of the season. He also shot at 100 percent from the charity stripe while dishing out five assists.
• Josh Pierre-Louis had a well-rounded night for the Gauchos. He was second on the team in points with 17. If that wasn't enough, he led the team in rebounds with seven, assists with six, and steals with three.
• Cole Anderson could not be stopped from beyond the arc. The No. 1 three-point shooter in The Big West scored all 15 of his points from three, making five of his six attempted shots.  
• Yohan Traore was the last Gaucho to finish the night with double-digit points. He secured 12 points while making four of his seven shots from the field.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road as they make the short trip to Northridge, California to take on the CSUN Matadors. Tip-off will be on Thursday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. For those who can't make it to Premier America Credit Union Arena, they can watch from home on ESPN+.