Gauchos work overtime to defeat seaside rival Pepperdine
MALIBU, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball (6-2) made a trip down Route 101 as they prepared for the War by the Shore against the Waves of Pepperdine University. These two teams faced each other last season with the Gauchos grabbing the win on their home court.
The Blue and Gold kept their winning streak alive as they pushed through overtime to grab the 67-64 win over Pepperdine, extending their streak over the Waves to seven wins.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos struck first, taking an eight-point lead in the first two minutes to cause Pepperdine to take an early timeout. From there, UC Santa Barbara kept up the intensity, but not without a fight from the home team. Pepperdine battled back and took the lead with less than 10 minutes in the first half. The Gauchos only allowed it for so long. UC Santa Barbara battled back to secure a one-point lead heading into the second half with a score of 34-33.
Miles Norris led the scoring for the Gauchos in the first 20 minutes, registering 10 of the team's 34 points. Josh Pierre-Louis was also impactful for the Gauchos, shooting 50 percent from the field while securing eight points to go along with three steals.
Once both teams were back on the court, the intensity continued. The Waves got hot at the start of the second half, going on a six-point run to take a five-point lead. The Gauchos played hard on defense in the middle of the game, grabbing baskets of their own and keeping the Waves in a scoring drought for five minutes. During that time, the Gauchos went on a 6-0 run to grab the lead again. Even with this push, the second half ended in a tie, taking this game to overtime.
From there, the Waves and Gauchos duked it out over five more minutes of play, and this is where UC Santa Barbara took control. They stopped Pepperdine's offense, keeping the Waves at bay while scoring seven points in a row to secure the 67-64 win.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Norris and Pierre-Louis led the offensive efforts with 16 points apiece. The senior forward from San Diego also added on two blocks while the senior guard from New Jersey added on six steals while shooting 57 percent from the field.
Ajay Mitchell also had a great night for the Gauchos. He finished the game with 15 points while making some key plays in overtime to help UC Santa Barbara lock up the win. He made all his free throws this evening while leading the team in assists with three.
Crashing the boards for the Gauchos was none other than Andre Kelly. He led the team in rebounds with eight while Calvin Wishart added six rebounds to the stat sheet.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos have a very short turn around as they head back to The Thunderdome to take on the Hawks of San Diego Christian College. Tipoff for this non-conference contest will begin at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+. During this game, the team will partner with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department's annual toy drive. Bring an unwrapped toy to this game to brighten Christmas for children throughout the community.
(Story courtesy of UCSB Athletics)
