IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (16-9, 8-6 Big West) lost a heartbreaker Thursday night at UC Irvine. The Gauchos gave the Anteaters everything they could handle, but a game-winning field goal made as time expired lifted UC Irvine over UC Santa Barbara 62-60.

FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"Our player competed hard tonight," said Pasternack. "They left it all out on the court. We will regroup and get ready for UC Riverside on Saturday."

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara took an early lead with Kenny Pohto scoring two consecutive layups in the paint, assisted by Jason Fontenet II, and a jumper to bring the score to 6-4. Midway through the half, Koat Keat Tong made a significant impact by hitting two three-pointers to extend the lead to 14-10. Despite a strong performance by Pohto, who added another layup late in the half, UCI edged ahead in the final minutes, closing the half with a narrow 32-31 advantage.

In the second half, UC Santa Barbara and the 'Eaters exchanged leads multiple times, highlighted by crucial plays from both teams. Early on, Cole Anderson and Jason Fontenet II helped UC Santa Barbara close the gap, with Fontenet II converting two free throws to tie the score at 37-37. Later, Max Murrell contributed a pair of 3-pointers, aiding UC Santa Barbara in narrowing the deficit. Stephan Swenson hit a pivotal 3-pointer at to give the Gauchos a lead late in the game. The teams traded baskets and found themselves tied at 60 a piece with 30.6 seconds to play. 

With the Anteaters with the last possession, the Gauchos dug in looking to force overtime. With 0.6 seconds on the clock and inbounding from the baseline, UC Irvine lobbed up a pass that was quickly shot and feel through the basket as time expired.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Jason Fontenet II has a well rounded game scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.
• Koat Keat Tong had an efficient night from the floor going 3-for-3 including 2-for-2 from deep and finishing with a eight points, tying his career high.
• The Gauchos limited Bent Leuchten to just six points. The 7-1 senior averaged nearly 16 per game entering tonight's contest.

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will stay on the road as they travel to UC Riverside on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Gauchos and Highlanders will tip off at 5 p.m. For those unable to make the trip the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.