GREEN BAY, Wis. – The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball team was unable to come from behind to take down the Phoenix on Wednesday night. The Gauchos went into halftime down 12 but were able to cut the deficit to one point down the stretch. Unfortunately, the Gauchos were unable to take the lead or force overtime and fell to Green Bay, 67-64
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Green Bay opened the game on a 13-4 run and was perfect from the field in the opening minutes. After a timeout by Santa Barbara, the Gauchos started to settle in. The game would go back and forth for a little with the Phoenix lead hovering around 10 points for the majority of the half.
 
UC Santa Barbara was able to trim the lead slightly, but Green Bay proceeded to go on a 6-0 run and build their lead back to double digits and the Gauchos went into the half down 12.
 
To open the second half, the Gauchos started to chip away at the double-digit deficit. Missed free throws by Green Bay also helped the case. Through the opening stretch, the Gauchos were able to cut the lead to six and through the middle part of the second half, the Phoenix lead stayed around six points.
 
With six minutes to go Colin Smith converted an and-one to cut the lead to two, the smallest margin since the opening minute. After keeping the game at two possessions for a couple of minutes, the Phoenix went on a 7-0 run and went up nine.
 
Down the stretch, the Gauchos again came back and cut the lead to one after a CJ Shaw 3-pointer. The Gauchos kept it at a one-possession game all the way until the final minute. UCSB was forced to foul, down one with under 10 seconds to play. Green Bay made both from the charity stripe to go up three. On the Gauchos final possession, they got down the court, but could not get the final shot off in time and fell 67-64.
 
 NOTABLES
This was the first time the Gauchos lost a game while winning the rebounding war this season. They were 6-0 prior to the contest.
After making 10 3-pointers in the first half, the Gauchos limited Green Bay to just one in the second half. 
Despite some shooting woes, Marvin McGhee IV pulled in 10 rebounds, a season-high for the junior.
Under Pasternack, the Gauchos are 12-5 when coming off back-to-back losses.
 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will return to The Thunderdome on Monday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. as they host Portland in the final game of the 2025 calendar year. UC Santa Barbara basketball in partnership with One805 is excited to celebrate first responders during the game. All first responders will receive free admission for an afternoon filled with fun and gratitude. Visit the ticket link here, and enter promo code GGMBB1222 to get your tickets. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available.