SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (1-0) kicked off the 2024-25 season here in The Thunderdome as they took on the San Francisco State Gators. The Gauchos had a great showing for their first time on the court this season as they won this game with a score of 96-47.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I thought it was a really good opening night for us. For us, it is all about depth. It's a team game. We expect our guys to really play hard for the minutes they are in, and we played hard tonight. It was really good to get everyone on the court."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong, going on a 5-0 run thanks to baskets from Kenny Pohto and Cole Anderson to start off the new season. Even though the Gators hung tight for the first five minutes, their momentum was killed quickly by the Gauchos' defense. With San Francisco State only making one of seven attempted shots, the Gauchos pushed ahead with an eight-point run that gave them a comfortable lead. UC Santa Barbara kept pushing ahead as they doubled their opponents' points, closing out the first half with a score of 40-20.
 
The second half started a little slow for the Gauchos, but that didn't hold them back for long as Max Murrell gave the Gauchos the boost they needed with back-to-back three pointers. UC Santa Barbara continued with the 13-2 run that pushed them farther ahead of their opponent. The Gauchos dominated San Francisco State for the rest of the game as UC Santa Barbara came out with the 96-47 win.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Zion Sensley had one of the best performances for the Gauchos. The freshman ended the game with 11 points while adding on five rebounds in just 15 minutes of play.
• Colin Smith was the other Gaucho to grab 11 points, making four of his seven shots. Along with that, he added on two rebounds, a steal and an assist in his first appearance in the Blue and Gold.
• Stephan Swenson stepped right into his role as the starting point guard. He concluded his first night in The Thunderdome with 10 points and five assists.
• Jason Fontenet II crashed the boards as he grabbed eight on the right. To go along with that, he contributed eight points in his first career start.
• The Gauchos had a great night from the field. They finished this game shooting at 54 percent while they held the Gators to 26.5 percent from the field. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will hit the road for their first road test of the season as they take on the University of Portland Pilots. Tipoff will be at 3 p.m. inside the Chiles Center. For those who can't make it to Portland, they can watch on ESPN+.