HENDERSON, Nev. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (16-15) kicked off The Big West Championships at the Dollar Loan Center as they took on the CSUN Matadors. It was a chippy battle between these two teams who were looking to keep their postseason hopes alive, but in the end, it was the Matadors who came out with the overtime win as the Gauchos lost this thriller 84-87.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I thought our guys really battled to the bitter end tonight, no matter what the circumstances were. Unfortunately, our Achilles' heel all year has been rebounding. Tonight, CSUN shot at 46 percent and they won the rebounding war. That's ultimately what got us tonight."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos struck first as a three-pointer from Ajay Mitchell gave their team the advantage. However, the Matadors recovered quickly, going on a 12-0 run to get the early 14-5 lead over UC Santa Barbara. That's when the Gauchos got hot. Mitchell could not be stopped from the arc as he went on to make three-straight three-pointers. This ignited the Gauchos' 13-0 run that put them ahead of CSUN. The lead changed numerous times from here on out, but by the time the first half ended, the Gauchos were on top with a score of 39-38.
 
The second half started in favor of CSUN as they went on a 10-0 run, keeping the Gauchos from scoring for almost three minutes. That was before UC Santa Barbara began their comeback, going on a 9-0 run thanks to Gauchos' free throws and a three from Cole Anderson. Even though the Blue and Gold tied things up, the Matadors went on another run as they garnered a nine-point lead. With 10 minutes left in the game, the Gauchos needed to give their all to keep their postseason hopes alive. They did just that as they made the final push to tie up the game at 79-79, taking this one into overtime. 

Once overtime started, the Gauchos could not get back into a rhythm. Foul trouble and missed shots ultimately halted UC Santa Barbara's efforts as their season came to an end with a score of 84-87. 
  
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell could not be stopped as he finished the night with his third 30+ game of the season. He led all players on the court in points with 36 while leading the Gauchos with nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. He also set a new career-high in made three pointers with five.  
• Yohan Traore was the only other Gaucho to earn double-digit points as he tallied 17 on the night. Along with that, he added on three rebounds and a steal.
• Jason Fontenet II helped the team out on defense. He grabbed nine boards while adding on a steal. Ariel Bland also assisted the team's defensive efforts with four blocks and six rebounds. 

IN CONCLUSION
With tonight's game, the Gauchos have wrapped up the 2023-24 season with a 16-15 record.