SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball team fell on a buzzer beater to UC San Diego, 64-63 in the Gauchos regular season finale at The Thunderdome on Saturday. The game featured six ties and 17 lead changes, with UCSB shooting 10-for-27 from beyond the arc. Despite the Gauchos' strong shooting, UCSD capitalized on turnovers, converting 20 points off 17 UCSB turnovers to secure the victory.
 
FROM HEAD COACH JOE PASTERNACK
"That last shot did not beat us," said Pasternack. "We had 17 turnovers and gave up some costly offensive rebounds. It has been the story of our season, one-possession games."

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Santa Barbara opened the game with Miro Little sinking a 3-pointer to set the tone early. Despite this, the half saw a back-and-forth battle with both teams exchanging leads multiple times. UCSB struggled with turnovers, committing seven, but managed to keep pace with five 3-pointers and contributions from the bench, which added 11 points.
 
A significant momentum shift occurred when UCSB went on a scoring run, fueled by Little's fast-break jumper and CJ Shaw's 3-pointer, giving UC Santa Barbara a brief lead. However, the Tritons closed the half with a late 3-pointer to edge ahead. As the half ended, UCSB trailed 31-29.
 
UC Santa Barbara started the second half with Colin Smith's three-pointer, assisted by Little, shifting the initial momentum. Zion Sensley followed up with a layup to regain the lead. However, UCSD quickly answered, creating a back-and-forth dynamic early in the half.
 
Aidan Mahaney's three-pointer at 10:05, that was assisted by Little, initiated a scoring run for UC Santa Barbara, who maintained a narrow lead. Despite UC San Diego's attempts to close the gap, including a layup by Hudson Mayes, the Gauchos held firm.
 
As the half neared its conclusion, CJ Shaw's three-pointer at 1:23 broke a tie, and his layup with seven seconds left gave UC Santa Barbara a slight edge. However, a last-second layup by Jaden Vance of the Tritons resulted in the Gauchos dropping their regular season finale.
 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara will be the No. 7 seed in The Big West Championships at take on the No. 6 seed UC Davis Aggies on Wednesday, March 11. The Gauchos and Aggies will tip off at 8:30 p.m. at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.