LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team snuck out of the first round of The Resorts World Las Vegas Classic with a 72-70 win over Lehigh, Friday afternoon. The Gauchos shot 87.5 percent from the charity stripe in the game and crashed the offensive glass en route to the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Lehigh grabbed the opening lead after a few missed shots and turnovers by the Gauchos led to a 7-2 lead for the Mountain Hawks. As the half progressed, the Gauchos fought hard on the defensive end of the ball to keep the score manageable. Hosana Kitenge broke a scoring drought for the Gauchos, and after drawing a few fouls, the Gauchos cut the lead to three with the help of free throws.
 
Midway through the first half, the Gauchos cut the lead to two after more free throws by the Gauchos, this time courtesy of Colin Smith. The teams went on a stretch of trading baskets through the middle part of the half. Lehigh then went on a 6-0 run to build their lead to double-digits. The double-digit lead did not last long as UC Santa Barbara started to force turnovers, which led to fast break opportunities that they capitalized on, cutting the lead back to four.
 
In the final four minutes of the opening half, the Gauchos cut the lead to two and then took their first lead of the game with 1:10 left after Aidan Mahaney drilled a wide-open three to give the Gauchos a 33-32 lead. Unfortunately, a foul and two made free throws gave the Mountain Hawks the lead back as the Gauchos would end up trailing 34-33 at the break.
 
The Gauchos came out of halftime and reclaimed the lead quickly, proceeding to go on an 8-0 run. run. Zion Sensley was instrumental in the run, grabbing three offensive rebounds in the first two and a half minutes. The Gauchos built their lead up to seven, their biggest of the game. Throughout the second half, the Gauchos continued to crash the boards and draw fouls. Despite the 8-0 run, Lehigh stayed within one or two possessions after hitting some three pointers and making their free throws when fouled.
 
At 9:22, Lehigh tied the game after making two free throws and from that point on, it was a fight for the lead. The Gauchos pulled ahead by six, but Lehigh then made a run of seven points to regain the lead for the first time since halftime with 3:24 to play. Both teams were solid on their free throw shooting, which kept the game tight until the very end. After Lehigh tied the game on a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left. Miro Little raced down the floor and got fouled on a take to the basket. He buried both to give the Gauchos a two-point lead with three seconds remaining.
 
Lehigh got off a last-second three-point shot but hit the back iron, and the Gauchos won 72-70 over the Mountain Hawks.
 
NOTABLES

• The teams shot the exact same (11-26) in the first half.
• Miro Little was perfect from the charity stripe, making 10-of-10. Half of his points came from the free throw line.
• The Gauchos grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in the win, their second most this season. UC Santa Barbara has now grabbed double-digit offensive boards in seven straight games to open the season.
• This was the first win over a Patriot League opponent for Head Coach Joe Pasternack since taking over the reins of UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball.
• For the third time this season, the Gauchos have turned the ball over less than 10 times. They are 2-1 in which they do so.

 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will now play for The Resorts World Las Vegas Classic Championship tomorrow, Nov. 29 at 1:30 p.m. The game will be streamed through FloCollege with live stats available.