FULLERTON, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (15-13) hit the road as they took on the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Despite the Gauchos having the first lead of the game, it was the Titans who came out on top as they took down the Gauchos 79-70.
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"We must be able to defend and rebound to win on the road. Tonight, they shot at 50 percent and out rebounded us 36-29. We can't win games when that happens."
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos were the first team on the board with a free throw from
Yohan Traore, but that was short lived. The Titans went up by seven before the Gauchos could rally back behind Traore's back-to-back baskets and a three-pointer by
Cole Anderson. Neither team could pull ahead of the other for three minutes before Cal State Fullerton started making their move. Once halftime hit, the Gauchos were down by seven with a score of 43-36.
From there, the Titans kept their lead despite the Gauchos' best efforts to make a comeback, getting within three. Again, Cal State Fullerton scored 11-straight points. Although UC Santa Barbara tried to battle back, they could not fully close the gap as they lost this game 79-70.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
- Josh Pierre-Louis was one point shy of a career-night as he put up 24 points while making nine of his 16 shots from the field. Along with that, he led the team in assists with five while grabbing four rebounds.
- Cole Anderson was the second-leading scorer for the Gauchos. He finished the night with 14 points while adding on four rebounds and two assists.
- Ajay Mitchell also added on double-digit points, contributing 12. He also helped the team out with four assists and a steal.
- One more Gaucho earned double-digit points and that was Yohan Traore. He finished the night with 11 points while adding on five rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play their final road game of the regular season as they make the trip to Walter Pyramid to take on Long Beach State. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7. For those who can't make it to Long Beach, they can stream the game through ESPN+.