SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team looks to maintain momentum in conference play when they host Cal Poly at the Thunderdome, followed by a road game at Long Beach State.
LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday, the Gauchos defeated conference leader Hawai'i 77-62, extending their winning streak against the Rainbow Warriors to eight games. The Blue and Gold surged ahead early, holding Hawai'i scoreless for over four minutes. Colin Smith scored six straight points, and UCSB entered halftime with a 40-21 lead. Hosana Kitenge had a perfect night, going 6-for-6 on the floor, and Miro Little's key three-pointer and 8-0 run in the second half extended the Gaucho's lead to 15 and locked in the win for the team.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly is coming off a rough 66-86 loss to Hawai'i last Thursday, dropping to a 7-12 overall record and 3-4 in conference play. The Mustangs currently sit at 8th in the Big West and are 3-7 on the road. Head coach Mike DeGeorge, now in his second year with Cal Poly, aims to build on last season's success, having guided the team to the Big West Championship semifinals for the first time in 11 years.
The Mustangs are averaging a solid 80.6 points per game, ranking third in the Big West, but they struggle defensively, allowing 85.3 points per game, which ranks last in the conference. Cal Poly shoots 33.5 percent from beyond the arc and averages 10.8 three-pointers per contest, good for first in the Big West. Cal Poly also pulls down 38.8 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Hamad Mousa leads the Mustangs and ranks first in the Big West, averaging 21.6 points per game. The Mustangs have two other players in the top 10: Cayden Ward, averaging 15.0 points per game, and Peter Bandelj, averaging 14.8. Mousa and Ward also rank in the top 10 for rebounds, with Mousa averaging 6.8 and Ward 5.9.
SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach is fresh off three consecutive wins, its most recent victory coming against CSUN with an 87-80 win. This hot streak brings the team to an 8-11 overall record, with a 4-3 record in Big West play. The Beach, who sit at sixth in the conference, perform significantly stronger at home, boasting a 7-3 home record there compared to just 1-8 in away games. Head coach Chris Acker is in his second season with the team and looks to continue improving on Long Beach's 10th-place finish in the Big West last season. Prior to their matchup with the Gauchos, the Beach will face conference opponents Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night.
LBSU is middle-of-the-road defensively, ranking sixth in the conference and averaging 77.0 points allowed per game. Offensively, Long Beach ranks ninth, scoring 75.9 points per game. The Beach shoot 32.7 percent from beyond the arc and make 6.8 threes per game on average, ranking toward the bottom in the conference. The team struggles in rebounding, averaging 33.5 rebounds per game, which ranks last in the Big West.
The Beach have two players scoring in double figures. The first, leading the team offensively, is freshman Gavin Sykes, who averages 18.9 points per game and ranks second in the Big West. Not far behind him is sophomore Petar Majstorovic, who ranks seventh in the conference with 15.3 points per game; Majstorovic also ranks seventh for rebounds with 6.3 per game.
FOLLOW ALONG
UCSB's Thursday matchup against Cal Poly will tip off at 6 p.m. inside The Thunderdome, while Saturday's contest at Long Beach will begin at 4 p.m. inside Walter Pyramid. For those who cannot attend in person, games can be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available.
