SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (15-12) returned to The Thunderdome for the Blue-Green Rivalry as they faced the Cal Poly Mustangs. In front of a sold-out crowd, the Gauchos came out with a Big West win as they took down the Mustangs 83-75.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I was really excited to see such an amazing student crowd. We always wanted an incredible, dominant home court and the students came out in full force. It was awesome to see. It gives our team such an added bonus when we can have all the seats filled up. I just really appreciate the students and the entire Santa Barbara community coming out to support us."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was a slow start for both teams, but UC Santa Barbara was first on the board. From there, Cal Poly couldn't find an answer as the Gauchos went on an early 9-0. This early lead didn't last for long as the Mustangs started to fight back, tying the game by the final timeout on the court. By the end of the first half, the Gauchos regained the lead as they went to the locker room with a score of 37-34.
 
The second half began like the first half ended as neither team could really pull ahead of the other. That was before the Gauchos picked up the pace, going on a 13-2 run. The Mustangs made a small dent into UC Santa Barbara's 13-point lead, but it wasn't enough as the Gauchos secured their 14th-straight win over the Mustangs with a score of 83-75.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell led all the Gauchos in scoring tonight as he put up 22 points. Not only that, but he also led the team in assists with seven while adding on two steals.
• Yohan Traore racked up 19 points tonight, also having a perfect night of shooting. He made all five of his shots from the charity stripe while going seven-of-eight from the field. He also added on five rebounds.
• Josh Pierre-Louis filled up the stat sheet. He secured 11 points while grabbing nine boards. If that wasn't enough, he led the team in steals with three while adding on four assists and a block.
• Ariel Bland helped the team out as well with 12 points while leading all players on the court with three blocks.
• Cole Anderson is the last Gaucho to earn double-digit points. He finished the night with 10, earning all of those points in the second half. He also shot at 100 percent from the free throw line.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have a quick turnaround as they make the trip to face the Titans of Cal State Fullerton. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. in Fullerton on Saturday, March 2. For those who can't make it to Titan Gym, they can watch from home on ESPN+.