RIVERSIDE, Calif. - After suffering a buzzer-beating loss on Thursday to UC Irvine the UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (16-10, 8-7) looked to get back in the win column at UC Riverside. A tightly contested first half saw the teams deadlocked at 37 after the first 20 minutes of play, but it was the Highlanders that prevailed at the final horn.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos started strong with Kenny Pohto scoring an early layup, assisted by Jason Fontenet II. Cole Anderson made a significant impact with three 3-pointers, two of which occurred consecutively, maintaining a close contest with the Highlanders. Max Murrell contributed two successful 3-pointers in quick succession, which helped to briefly put the team ahead, 19-14. During the final minutes, Ben Shtolzberg's two free throws brought the score to 37-37, concluding the half on even footing.

In the second half, UC Santa Barbara saw notable contributions from Kenny Pohto, who scored multiple layups and dunks, with his efforts putting the team ahead 52-51 at one point. Max Murrell added a key 3-pointer at 9:22, assisted by Jason Fontenet II, to stretch the lead to 48-43. Despite these contributions, the team faced a scoring drought towards the end, allowing UC Riverside to capitalize with a series of free throws and jumpers, resulting in a final half score of 81-69 in favor of the Highlanders.

LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS

• Kenny Pohto and Max Murrell each recorded season-high scoring efforts in the loss. Pohto put up 24 while Murrell contributed 18, which also tied his career-high.
• The Gauchos grabbed a season low 24 rebounds in the loss.
• For the first time since Jan. 2 the Gauchos committed less than 10 turnovers in the game. 

UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will return to the Thunderdome as they host Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 20. The Gauchos and Titans will tip off at 7 p.m. For those unable to attend in person the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.