SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (13-9) returned to The Thunderdome for their first of two games this week as they took on the Anteaters of UC Irvine, who are at the top of The Big West standings. Despite UC Santa Barbara's hot start, this game did not end in their favor as the Gauchos dropped their third-straight home contest 61-76.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Irvine is a really good team. They are a better team than us right now. We have to keep getting better. We are playing to get the best possible seed for the conference tournament. We can't defend for one half. I thought we defended well in the first half; we just couldn't score as we shot at 37 percent. Second half, we let them shoot at 63 percent. You can't beat anybody, especially a really good team, letting them shoot at 63 percent."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos had a hot start against this tough team, going up by eight early in this first half. It only lasted for a short time before the Anteaters rallied back. UC Irvine went on a 12-2 run over UC Santa Barbara, causing them to fall behind. Even though the Gauchos tried to make a comeback, it wasn't enough to close the gap as the Anteaters were up 33-24 at the half.
 
From there, UC Irvine continued to build on their lead. They went on a 6-0 run while UC Santa Barbara went more than three minutes without a field goal. When the Gauchos started to get hot, the Anteaters would always respond with a basket of their own, preventing UC Santa Barbara's comeback. Once there was eight minutes left on the clock, that's when the Gauchos picked up the pace. They went on a 7-0 run over UC Irvine as they fought to get themselves back in this game. Even with this push, it wasn't enough to come out on top as UC Santa Barbara lost 61-76 to UC Irvine.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell led all players on the court tonight in scoring as he put up 17 points. He also added three rebounds and one steal.
• Cole Anderson had a great night from the floor. He secured 16 points while contributing two assists.
• Josh Pierre-Louis was the last Gaucho to finish with double-digit points as he notched 12. He also led the team in steals with three while adding on two assists.
• Ariel Bland helped the team's efforts on the board. He was tied for the most rebounds on the night with eight. 

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in The Thunderdome again this Saturday, Feb. 10, as they take on the CSUN Matadors. At this game, the Gauchos will welcome back alumnus Gabe Vincent for a community-oriented event. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.