UCSB Gaucho Hoops™

Friday, February 10, 2023

UCD vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 24 (BW Game 13)

UC Davis at UCSB
Saturday, February 11, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.

Quick Bite
Once again the Gauchos (19-4, 10-2) got off the floor, dusted themselves off and posted a high-quality conference road win. UCSB has quite the list of road scalps: Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, Hawai'i and now Long Beach State. The loss at CSUN continues to perplex, but JPL didn't play in the 2nd half of that contest and he was a difference maker at the Pyramid. He looked fully recovered from a hip injury as he was quick, bouncy and, most importantly, under control.

The Gauchos now return home to face another team they have yet to face in the guard-oriented Aggies (14-10, 7-5). UC Davis has the highest-scoring 1-2 combo in the Big West in Elijah Pepper and Ty Johnson. Pepper is on an unbelievable roll, having reached or surpassed 28 points in 4 straight games. He's a bull in a china shop driving inside, but he can also hit threes and is essentially a stat-stuffer, filling every column with crooked numbers. Johnson runs the point and is the #4 scorer in the conference, but he is prone to turnovers. The Aggies like to push the ball , feeding off of turnovers, and are very streaky. They can go ice cold and then explode for points.

UC Davis-UCSB History
UCSB leads the series 32-11
Recent games
February 24, 2022: W 76-69 (OT) at Davis
March 12, 2021: W 71-55 at BWT, Paradise, NV
January 30, 2021: W 89-86 (OT) at Davis
January 29, 2021: W 72-51 at Davis
February 22, 2020: W 70-56 at Santa Barbara
February 13, 2020: L 75-84 at Davis
February 9, 2019: L 57-61 at Santa Barbara
January 17, 2019: W 69-58 at Davis
February 17, 2018: L 54-71 at Santa Barbara
February 8, 2018: W 90-81 at Davis

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000
Saturday night is Goleta Union School District night where all families in the district can claim free tickets to attend.

Head Coach
Jim Les
overall: 332-329 (.502)
UC Davis: 178-189 (.485)
Monson is in his 13th season at Davis. He has 2 Big West regular-season titles (2015, 2018) and 1 Big West Tournament title (2017). Prior to his arrival in Davis he roamed the sidelines for nine seasons at his alma mater Bradley, where he made one trip to the NCAA and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen. He played his college ball at Cleveland State and then Bradley and had NBA stops with Utah, the Clippers, Sacramento and Atlanta. He led the NBA in 3-point shooting with the Kings in 1991. He even spent some time with the Santa Barbara Islanders of the CBA.

UC Davis Roster
Elijah Pepper #40 JR G, 6-4 200, Selah, WA -- 20.9 Pts, 6.0 Reb, 3.7 Ast
Ty Johnson #2 SO G, 6-3 190, Chicago, IL -- 15.8 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Christian Anigwe #4 SR F, 6-9 220, Phoenix, AZ -- 11.7 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Robby Beasley #5 SO G, 6-3 190, San Ranon, CA -- 9.8 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Kane Milling #0 JR G, 6-4 180, Nantes, France -- 6.0 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Ade Adebayo #24 JR G, 6-4 200, London, United Kingdom -- 4.0 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Leo DeBruhl #10 SO G, 6-2 190, Seattle, WA -- 3.6 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Niko Rocak #20 SO F, 6-9 220, Geneva, Switzerland -- 2.4 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Sione Lose #22 FR G, 6-4 170, Sacramento, CA -- 1.1 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast
DeAndre Henry #15 JR F, 6-7 225, Phoenix, AZ -- 5.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Sam Manu #13 JR F, 6-7 210, San Mateo, CA -- 2.1 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Jac Mani #11 FR F, 6-9 217, Beverly Hills, CA -- 5.0 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Francesco Borra #55 SO F, 6-11 250, Moncalieri, Italy -- 1.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Patrick Lambey #23 JR F, 6-5 190, Granite Bay, CA -- 1.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.9 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.7 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.4 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.0 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.7 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.1 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.8 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.9 Pts, 0.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.5 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.4 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast

UC Davis National Ranking Outliers
Team

Assist/Turnover Ratio: 301 (0.86)
Bench Points per game: 305 (14.50)
Fastbreak Points: 16 (14.62)
Free Throw Attempts per game: 12 (23.8)
Free Throws Made per game: 22 (16.2)
Rebound Margin: 39 (+5.0)
Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 52 (11.88)
Three Point percentage Defense: 344 (.381)
Turnovers Forced per game: 51 (14.96)

Players

Elijah Pepper -- Assists: 197 (86), Assists per game: 175 (3.7), Double Doubles: 318 (2), Field Goal Attempts: 45 (350), Field Goal percentage: 178 (.463), Elijah Pepper: 46 (162), Free Throw attempts: 48 (140), Free Throw percentage: 246 (.779), Free Throws: 47 (109), Minutes per game: 131 (34:10), Points: 25 (481), Points per game: 16 (20.9), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 222 (4.74), Rebounds per game: 335 (6.0), Steals: 190 (36), Steals per game: 165 (1.57), Three Point Attempts: 190 (142), Three Pointers per game: 224 (2.09), Three Pointers: 267 (48)
Christian Anigwe -- Blocks: 102 (31), Blocks per game: 97 (1.35), Free Throw Attempts: 254 (98), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 210 (2.22)
Ty Johnson -- Field Goal Attempts: 299 (270), Field Goal percentage: 147 (.478), Field Goals: 229 (129), Free Throw Attempts: 35 (145), Free Throws: 73 (100), Points: 196 (378), Points per game: 185 (15.8), Steals: 104 (42), Steals per game: 98 (1.75)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

Effective FG percentage: 49 (.539)
Field Goal percentage: 14 (.488)
Rebound Margin: 50 (+4.4)
Scoring Defense: 24 (62.8)
Scoring Margin: 67 (+7.8)
Three Point Attempts per game: 339 (16.3)
Three Pointers per game: 330 (5.4)
Winning percentage: 10 (.826)

Players

Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 92 (2.05), Assists: 66 (113), Assists per game: 53 (4.9), Double Doubles: 318 (2), Field Goal percentage: 110 (.500), Field Goals: 270 (124), Free Throw attempts: 103 (123), Free Throw percentage: 218 (.789), Free Throws: 80 (97), Minutes per game: 269 (32:39), Points: 251 (358), Points per game: 200 (15.6), Steals: 208 (35), Steals per game: 177 (1.52)
Miles Norris -- Blocks: 253 (22), Blocks per game: 249 (0.96), Double Doubles: 211 (3), Field Goal percentage: 107 (.502), Minutes per game: 276 (32:32), Rebounds: 330 (144), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 237 (2.13), Rebounds per game: 272 (6.3)
Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 299 (20), Blocks per game: 290 (0.87), Double Doubles: 113 (5), Rebounds: 264 (151), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 149 (5.13), Rebounds per game: 224 (6.6)
Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 261 (33), Steals per game: 164 (1.57)

Prediction
I think the Gauchos have learned their lesson (fingers crossed). Thursday was a well-played basketball game deserving of the national stage. Hopefully the Gauchos are not looking ahead as the Aggies are a dangerous team. UCSB 70, UC Davis 61

Official Site:  https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.aggiesportstalk.com/categor ... lton-court
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 7fbe8d0e8a
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428861

Gauchos Use a Steal and Four Free Throws in Final 1:11 to Rally Past Long Beach State

https://www.noozhawk.com/gauchos-use-a-steal-and-four-free-throws-in-final-111-to-rally-past-long-beach-state/?utm_source=hive&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hive_email_id_169697_mbb-newsletter&h_sid=ac7b9e7f60-c318d5d68ba04b1c28c8fc84&h_slt=eyJoYXNoIjoiYmFhMWFhOTM5NDlkYjExIiwiaGl2ZV91c2VyX2lkIjo2ODI0NDc3OH0%3D

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Women's Basketball Welcomes Long Beach State to the Thunderdome

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230208zfxxth

Gauchos Hit The Road To Take On Long Beach State

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230208r4bfcv

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

UCSB vs LBSU Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 23 (BW Game 12)
UCSB at Long Beach State
Thursday, February 9, 2023, 8:00 pm PST
Long Beach, Calif.

Quick Bite
While that wasn't the first time the Gauchos (18-4, 9-2) have been zoned this season, it was certainly the worst they played against one. One thing I noticed was the lack of flashes into the high post...perhaps CSUN's type of zone was preventing that but, regardless, that's been the way UCSB has defeated zones in the past. Hopefully the loss wakes the Gauchos up, because it's go time. UCSB is done with, arguably, the bottom 3 teams of the conference. The Gauchos have just one game remaining vs. a team with an overall losing record. UCSB had a chance to be two games clear of the field; instead, they are just 2 games ahead of 6th-place UC Davis.

No question about it. The Beach (14-10, 8-4) are the hottest team in the conference. Long Beach State has won 6 straight games, including an overtime win at home vs. UC Irvine and a sweep of Cal State Fullerton. As Sparky mentioned above, Marcus Tsohonis has emerged as their go-to scorer. They are plus plus in rebounding with the Toures and still play with that slightly out-of-control feel. Andre Kelly will likely need to shut down Lassina on the inside while Miles Norris will need to contend with the more rangy Aboubacar. This would be the perfect team to zone since they don't shoot well from outside, but we'll have to settle for the Gauchos playing some pack-line defense and liberally switching.

UCSB-Long Beach State History
Long Beach State leads the series 71-64.
Recent games
March 11, 2022: L 64-67 at BWT, Henderson, NV
February 19, 2022: W 84-71 at Santa Barbara
January 13, 2022: L 58-65 at Long Beach
March 11, 2021: W 95-87 at BWT, Paradise, NV
February 1, 2020: W 87-62 at Long Beach
January 11, 2020: L 52-55 at Santa Barbara
February 28, 2019: L 64-69 at Santa Barbara
January 26, 2019: W 82-71 at Long Beach
March 1, 2018: L 69-70 at Santa Barbara
February 15, 2018: W 80-70 at Long Beach

The Arena
Walter Pyramid
Capacity: 4,000
It is one of just four true pyramid-shaped buildings in the U.S. Joe Pasternack is 3-1 in visits to Long Beach.

Head Coach
Dan Monson
overall: 421-375 (.529)
Long Beach State: 251-252 (.499)
Monson is in his 16th season at Long Beach. He has 4 Big West regular-season titles and 1 Big West Tournament title. He famously took Gonzaga to the Elite Eight in his 2nd and final season in Spokane in 1998-99, parlaying that run into a job at Minnesota. The Gophers only made the NCAA Tournament once under Monson's tutelage and he resigned seven games into the 2006-07 season. Monson's father is Don Monson, who coached men's basketball at Idaho when Monson was there playing football.

Long Beach State Roster
Marcus Tsohonis #0 JR G, 6-3 185, Portland, OR -- 15.7 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Lassina Traore #23 SO F, 6-9 215, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire -- 11.8 Pts, 11.0 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Joel Murray #11 SR G, 6-0 170, Rowlett, TX -- 15.7 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 3.8 Ast
Aboubacar Traore #25 SO G, 6-5 190, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire -- 9.9 Pts, 8.9 Reb, 2.9 Ast
AJ George #10 FR F, 6-6 190, Fresno, CA -- 7.6 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Tone Hunter #21 SO G, 6-1 160, Las Vegas, NV -- 7.3 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Jadon Jones #12 SO G, 6-5 190, Cerritos, CA -- 7.9 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Amari Stroud #1 JR F, 6-10 210, Fresno, CA -- 4.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Tobias Rotegaard #33 SO F, 6-7 200, Kongsberg, Norway -- 3.7 Pts, 1.4 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Chayce Polynice #13 JR C, 6-11 230, Van Nuys, CA -- 3.7 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Maddox Monson #3 FR G, 6-2 180, Los Alamitos, CA -- 1.0 Pts, 0.1 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Jeffrey Yan #40 JR C, 6-9 275, Shanghai, China -- 1.1 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Jason Hart #5 FR G, 6-2 175, Granada Hills, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.2 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.5 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 4.7 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.8 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.1 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.2 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.7 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.3 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.6 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 1.0 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.5 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.4 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast

Long Beach State National Ranking Outliers
Team

Assists per game: 73 (14.9)
Effective FG percentage: 290 (.483)
Fastbreak Points: 22 (14.17)
Field Goal percentage Defense: 52 (.410)
Free Throw Attempts per game: 64 (20.4)
Free Throw percentage: 206 (.665)
Rebound Margin: 13 (+7.4)
Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 8 (28.79)
Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 3 (13.96)
Rebounds per game: 2 (42.75)
Scoring Defense: 284 (73.7)
Scoring Offense: 58 (77.0)
Three Point Attempts per game: 345 (15.3)
Three Point percentage: 345 (.285)
Three Pointers per game: 348 (4.4)
Turnovers per game: 280 (13.8)

Players

Aboubacar Traore -- Assists: 341 (70), Double Doubles: 41 (8), Rebounds: 37 (214), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 109 (5.46), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 18 (3.46), Rebounds per game: 44 (8.9)
Jadon Jones -- Blocks per game: 279 (0.89), Steals: 343 (30), Steals per game: 166 (1.58)
Lassina Traore -- Double Doubles: 3 (14), Field Goal percentage: 85 (.519), Field Goals: 260 (121), Rebounds: 4 (265), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 12 (7.46), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 14 (3.58), Rebounds per game: 5 (11.0)
Marcus Tsohonis -- Field Goal Attempts: 258 (268), Field Goal percentage: 304 (.410), Free Throw percentage: 344 (.722), Points per game: 192 (15.7)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

Effective FG percentage: 49 (.539)
Field Goal percentage: 15 (.487)
Rebound Margin: 43 (+4.9)
Scoring Defense: 22 (62.4)
Scoring Margin: 66 (+8.0)
Three Point Attempts per game: 339 (16.3)
Three Pointers per game: 327 (5.5)
Winning percentage: 14 (.818)

Players

Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 104 (1.98), Assists: 91 (103), Assists per game: 70 (4.7), Field Goal percentage: 103 (.506), Field Goals: 305 (118), Free Throw attempts: 113 (116), Free Throw percentage: 198 (.793), Free Throws: 89 (92), Minutes per game: 289 (32:22), Points: 275 (341), Points per game: 206 (15.5), Steals: 234 (33), Steals per game: 195 (1.50)
Miles Norris -- Blocks: 230 (22), Blocks per game: 212 (1.00), Double Doubles: 136 (4), Field Goal percentage: 106 (.505), Minutes per game: 291 (32:20), Rebounds: 312 (141), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 224 (2.18), Rebounds per game: 255 (6.4)
Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 276 (20), Blocks per game: 269 (0.91), Double Doubles: 206 (3), Rebounds: 312 (141), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 154 (5.09), Rebounds per game: 255 (6.4)
Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 304 (31), Steals per game: 171 (1.55)

Prediction
Lots of question marks surrounding the Gauchos right now. Will they bounce back from a shocking loss? Will they play up to their competition? Is JPL going to play? Long Beach State 74, UCSB 70

Official Site:  https://longbeachstate.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://members4.boardhost.com/49erSports/
How to Watch: (ESPNU) https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 039ae28c2d
How to Listen:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ucsb/
Live stats:  https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=426162

Monday, February 6, 2023

Gauchos’ Basketball Road Winning Streak Gets Stopped Stone-Cold in Northridge

https://www.noozhawk.com/gauchos-basketball-road-winning-streak-gets-stopped-stone-cold-in-northridge/

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Gauchos Drop Physical Road Game To Matadors

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202302052sd5to

Lane Enters Record Books as Gauchos Fend off Late CSUN Rally to Win, 64-61

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230204xsq48m

Saturday, February 4, 2023

UCSB vs CSUN Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 22 (BW Game 11)
UCSB at CSUN
Saturday, February 4, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Northridge, Calif.

Quick Bite
The Gauchos (18-3, 9-1) looked like they were going to make quick work of Cal Poly on Thursday, but the Mustangs outscored UCSB in the 2nd half and denied Ajay Mitchell from controlling the game. Ajay adjusted and piled up 8 assists once he touched the rock. Rebounding was surprisingly an issue as Alimamy Koroma won the battle of the bigs. Koroma also scored 13 points as he repeatedly posted up deep in the key. UCSB bigs really need to get better at denying the opponents high-scoring spots on the floor. Enough negativity: the Gauchos have won 5 straight games and 14 of their last 15. The gauntlet of the Big West schedule commences next week.

Given UCSB's penchant for playing down to its opponents, it should be noted that the Matadors (4-18, 1-10) got off the snide with an overtime victory over Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 21. CSUN is a 3-headed monster of Atin Wright, Dionte Bostick and De'Sean Allen-Eikens. The consensus is that the Matadors are on the right track under head coach Trent Johnson, and teams like that start to come together in the latter half of a season. Eeyore is definitely in my house right now.

Last meeting
Jan. 19: UCSB 72, CSUN 52
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Ajay Mitchell scored 18 points and handed out 6 assists to spark the Gauchos to the win over the Matadors. Miles Norris added 17 points as UCSB fired off 13 straight points to wipe out a small 2nd-half deficit. Santa Barbara ended the game on a 36-14 run. Atin Wright led Northridge with 19 points.

Last time out
Feb. 2: UC Santa Barbara 68, Cal Poly 62
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Miles Norris scored 18 points and Ajay Mitchell added 16 as the Gauchos held off the Mustangs to remain in 1st place in the conference. UCSB led by as many as 11 points but Cal Poly wouldn't go away, tying the game with 5:46 left and still down just 1 point with 1:41 remaining. Alimamy Koroma had 13 points and 8 rebounds to lead the Mustangs, who have lost 10 in a row.

Jan. 28: UC Irvine 81, CSUN 56
IRVINE, Calif. -- Devin Tillis poured in 18 points, including a career-best 4-for-5 from three-point range, and the Anteaters used a strong 2nd half to rout the Matadors. UC Irvine led 31-24 at halftime, but exploded out of the locker room on a 13-1 run over the first 3:20. UCI led by as many as 34 points.

The Venue
Premier America Credit Union Arena
Capacity: 2,500
No, it's not a new arena. It's just the rebranded Matadome, AKA Matador Gym.

CSUN Roster
Atin Wright #5 SO G, 6-1 160, Lakewood, CA -- 14.4 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Dionte Bostick #0 SO G, 6-2 190, Clearwater, FL -- 12.4 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.7 Ast
De'Sean Allen-Eikens #25 JR G, 6-6 219, Williston, ND -- 10.4 Pts, 5.6 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Dearon Tucker #35 JR F, 6-10 240, Dallas, TX -- 5.4 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Ethan Igbanugo #21 SR G, 6-3 191, Lakeville, MN -- 5.0 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Fidelis Okereke #24 SO F, 6-6 240, Carson, CA -- 4.2 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Marcel Stevens #12 SO G, 6-2 175, Beverly Hills, CA -- 4.1 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Onyi Eyisi #13 SR F, 6-9 225, Napa Valley, CA -- 4.1 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Cam Slaymaker #3 FR G, 6-4 180, Coquitlam, Canada -- 2.2 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Adam Afifi #23 JR F, 6-9 235, San Jose, CA -- 4.0 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Arman Pezeshkian #22 JR G, 5-10 170, Glendale, CA -- 2.3 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
John Wade #1 JR G, 6-5 175, Oakland, CA -- 1.5 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Johnnie Walter #4 FR F, 6-9 210, Westlake Village, CA -- 0.8 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Lamine Niang #34 FR F, 6-10 225, Thies, Senegal -- 1.3 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Ben Starks #45 FR C, 7-0 235, San Clemente, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.5 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.7 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.9 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.2 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.6 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 6.9 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.6 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.7 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.5 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 1.0 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.5 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.4 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast

CSUN National Ranking Outliers
Team

Assist/Turnover Ratio: 315 (0.83)
Assists per game: 346 (9.9)
Effective Field Goal percentage: 345 (.445)
Field Goal percentage: 343 (.394)
Fouls per game: 297 (18.7)
Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 286 (23.45)
Scoring Margin: 297 (-4.2)
Scoring Offense: 335 (63.3)
Three Point Attempts per game: 297 (18.6)
Three Point percentage: 304 (.312)
Three Pointers per game: 318 (5.8)
Turnovers per game: 99 (11.9)
Winning percentage: 342 (.182)

Players

Atin Wright -- Field Goal Attempts: 271 (254), Free Throw Attempts: 290 (88), Free Throw percentage: 28 (.875), Free Throws: 168 (77), Minutes per game: 283 (32:20), Points: 292 (321), Points per game: 276 (14.6), Steals: 256 (31), Steals per game: 262 (1.41), Three Point Attempts: 190 (131), Three Pointers per game: 310 (1.91), Three Pointers: 311 (42)
Dionte Bostick -- Field Goal Attempts: 313 (245), Free Throw Attempts: 333 (84)
De'Sean Allen-Eikens -- Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 311 (1.95)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

Effective FG percentage: 29 (.548)
Field Goal percentage: 6 (.496)
Rebound Margin: 46 (+4.8)
Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 280 (8.67)
Scoring Defense: 18 (62.0)
Scoring Margin: 53 (+8.7)
Three Point Attempts per game: 343 (15.8)
Three Pointers per game: 328 (5.5)
Winning percentage: 7 (.857)

Players

Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 106 (1.96), Assists: 84 (100), Assists per game: 57 (4.8), Field Goal percentage: 89 (.516), Field Goals: 269 (115), Free Throw attempts: 98 (114), Free Throw percentage: 184 (.798), Free Throws: 73 (91), Minutes per game: 308 (32:09), Points: 240 (334), Points per game: 172 (15.9), Steals: 225 (32), Steals per game: 191 (1.52)
Miles Norris -- Blocks: 225 (21), Blocks per game: 207 (1.00), Double Doubles: 199 (3), Minutes per game: 234 (32:37), Field Goal percentage: 104 (.505), Minutes per game: 301 (32:12), Rebounds: 329 (132), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 263 (2.05), Rebounds per game: 271 (6.3)
Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 256 (20), Blocks per game: 249 (0.95), Double Doubles: 199 (3), Rebounds: 347 (130), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 167 (5.00), Rebounds per game: 282 (6.2)
Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 225 (32), Steals per game: 146 (1.63)

Prediction
I keep waiting for that blowout game where the team just clicks on all cylinders. Some good conversation on the board this week about the 2020-21 team. It had its scary moments as well against the dregs of the conference, but caught fire at the right time...the BWT. Today, I think we eventually pull away. UCSB 69, CSUN 54

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