LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (16-13) started the final week of regular season play, taking on Long Beach State on the road. For the second time this season, the Gauchos topped the Beach, this time with a score of 76-74. With that win, UC Santa Barbara secured their spot in The Big West Championships in Henderson, Nevada.  
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I am really proud of the fight our players had tonight. I thought our first half defense and rebounding was the difference in this game."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong, going on a 12-2 run while shooting at 88 percent from the field to go up 17-9 early on. As the game continued on, the Beach started to battle back, getting within four of the Gauchos. This is when UC Santa Barbara picked up the pace thanks to Ajay Mitchell. His 15 points were almost half of what the team scored as they wrapped up the first half on top with a score of 38-27.
 
Once the two teams came back on the court, the Beach went on a 7-0 scoring run while the Gauchos could not get on the scoreboard as the home team got within four of the visitors. Then again, Mitchell went on a crazy run of his own as he put up seven-straight points to give his team the 11-point lead yet again. However, Long Beach State is a tough team, and they proved that in this second half. They battled back to tie UC Santa Barbara with less than 2:30 left on the clock. This is when UC Santa Barbara kicked it into another gear. The Gauchos went on a 6-0 run, giving them a cushion heading into the final minute of play. The Beach came close to taking the lead, but by the end of the second half, it was UC Santa Barbara who came out on top as they finished out this game with a score of 76-74.
 
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Ajay Mitchell had one of the best nights of his career as he finished the game with 37 points and five assists. With those offensive numbers, he contributed to 50 of the team's 76 total points.
• Cole Anderson was second on the team in points as he finished the night with 12 points. All of his baskets came from beyond the arc as he went four-for-six from three.
• Josh Pierre-Louis also ended with double-digit points. He put up 10 points while also adding on five assists, five rebounds and three steals.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos will play their final regular season game of the season at home in The Thunderdome as they take on the Highlanders of UC Riverside this Saturday, March 9. The Gauchos will celebrate their two seniors in Josh Pierre-Louis and Gage Gomez prior to the game. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.