SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (12-6, 4-3 Big West) saw their five-game winning streak fall as UC Davis (11-8, 5-3 Big West) came into The Thunderdome and walked away with a 64-60 victory. The Gauchos nearly overcame an 18-point deficit, but ultimately fell.

FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"I told our team after Cal Poly that it is all about us being able to play the full 40 minutes, and we did not do that today," said Pasternack. "Until we can put together two great halves, we won't be a consistent basketball team."

HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, UC Santa Barbara started strong with a layup from Kenny Pohto followed by a 3-pointer from Swenson, giving them an early 5-0 lead. Despite their efforts, UC Santa Barbara faced challenges with turnovers, committing nine in the first half, which contributed to the Aggies taking a lead. Pohto was active in the paint, scoring multiple times, but UCD extended their lead to 29-17 by the end of the half, capitalizing on the Gaucho turnovers.

The second half featured a significant scoring run from UC Santa Barbara, highlighted by Colin Smith's three successful 3-pointers, including one at the fast break at 2:05, contributing to a total of 43 points in the half. Kenny Pohto added crucial points from the free-throw line, including two successful free throws at 8:40, while Stephan Swenson provided multiple assists, aiding the team's offensive efforts. Despite the Aggies' attempts to maintain their lead, UC Santa Barbara's bench stepped up significantly, scoring 19 points, leading to a stronger second half for the home team. Despite their second half surge, and overcoming an 18-point deficit, the Gauchos fell for the first time in nearly a month.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• It was a tale of two halves for the Gauchos. Santa Barbara shot just 25.9% in the first but turned that around and shot 50% in the second half. The 37.3 shooting percentage for the game was the lowest for the Gauchos this season.
• Colin Smith got back to scoring the ball putting up 14 points, the most he has scored since his game against Fresno State when he dropped 17.
• This was just the the second time the Gauchos won the rebounding battle but lost the game. The last time it happened was against UTEP when the Gauchos out rebounded the Miners by 17.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will prepare for a two-game road trip as they begin the tip in La Jolla, California. The Gauchos and Tritons will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23. For those unable to make the trip the game can be streamed on ESPN+ and it will be broadcast on Spectrum Sportsnet. Live stats will also be available at ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.