BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (13-8) had a quick turnaround after a late Thursday night game as they made the trip to Bakersfield to take on the Roadrunners. What was a very close game ended with the Gauchos on top as UC Santa Barbara ended the night with the 70-59 win.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I'm proud of how our team responded tonight. We really defended and rebounded against a tough team."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came to the Icardo Center ready to play, going on an early 7-0 run while the Roadrunners couldn't score a basket for almost six minutes. However, it didn't take long for Bakersfield to rally back as they tied the score at 13-13 with nine minutes left in the first half. Even with the slight lead the Gauchos gained, it wasn't enough to separate them from Bakersfield as UC Santa Barbara went to the locker room up by two with a score of 26-24.
 
The Roadrunners were the first ones on the board in the second half, tying up the game quickly and taking a one-point lead over the Gauchos. From there, the energy in the Icardo Center helped the Roadrunners extend their lead to five, their biggest of the game. That is when the Gauchos got hot. UC Santa Barbara went on a 10-2 scoring run to regain control of the game and go up by three when there was a timeout on the floor. They didn't stop there. By the time the game was over, UC Santa Barbara was up by 11 as they left Bakersfield with the 70-59 win.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Josh Pierre-Louis had a phenomenal night on the court. He finished the night with 20 points, which included his 1,000th career point. To go along with that, he was tied for the most rebounds on the team with seven while adding on two assists and a steal.
• Yohan Traore had the best performance of his career from the charity stripe. Of the 14 points he recorded, 10 of those came from his made free throws.
• Ajay Mitchell had a well-rounded night. He ended the night with 13 points while contributing seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will spend the week preparing for a series of home games as they take on UC Irvine and CSUN in The Thunderdome. The first of these games will be against the Anteaters on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. For those who can't make it to Santa Barbara, they can watch at home through ESPN+.