SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (14-8, 6-5 Big West) bounced back in a big way Saturday night as they routed Long Beach State (7-16, 3-8 Big West). Backed by Stephan Swenson's 20 point performance and Cole Anderson shooting 100 percent from three point range the Gauchos won 85-54.

FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Tonight was all about responding," said Pasternack. "We had a really tough game Thursday but in the last 48 hours our team responded really well to a team that took UC Irvine to overtime. Our focus right now is to honor the process and go 1-0 every day."

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara dominated from start to finish in their Saturday night contest against the visiting Beach. Jason Fontenet II made significant contributions with a defensive rebound and a 3-pointer, helping the Gauchos pull ahead early on. Deuce Turner added to the lead with a fastbreak 3-pointer to extend the Gaucho lead to 14-6. Despite some turnovers, UC Santa Barbara maintained control, with Max Murrell and Swenson adding key baskets, closing the half with a 38-26 lead over The Beach.

The Gauchos continues to dominate in the second half, scoring 47 points to Long Beach's 28. A key moment came early in the half when Stephan Swenson converted a three point play, extending the Gauchos lead. Cole Anderson contributed significantly with two successful 3-pointers boosting the team's score. Koat Keat Tong was active on the boards both defensively and offensively, securing eight rebounds and scoring five points off the bench. One of his baskets including a layup at 14:39. The Gauchos earned their fourth 20+ point victory of the season as they downed Long Beach 85-54.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• The Gauchos showed a balanced attack with seven players scoring more than five points. Stephan Swenson led the way with 20 and Cole Anderson scored 15 on 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. 
• Max Murrell and Koat Keat Tong both posted season-best rebounds grabbing six and eight respectively. 
• Swenson recorded another five assist game and now the Gauchos improve to 8-3 when he records five or more assists in a game.
• Under Head Coach Joe Pasternack the Gauchos now improve to 120-21 when they score 70 or more points in a game. 

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will take to the road in their first of two games next Thursday as they travel to CSU Bakersfield. The Gauchos and Roadrunners will tip off at 6:30 p.m. inside the Icardo Center. For those unable to make the trek to Bakersfield, the game can be streamed though ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats