Gauchos Score First-Ever Win Over Cal
UCSB’s Thunderdome may have seen the last of a Pac-12 school for another decade.
The Gauchos used a strong second half to beat Cal for the first time in eleven attempts. Alan Williams scored 20 of his game-high 24 points after halftime as UCSB won 72-65.
Cal was the first Pac-12 school to play in Santa Barbara since 2002 when the Gauchos routed USC.
Trailing 28-27 at the half, Williams scored 11 of UCSB’s first 13 points to start the second half as the Gauchos grabbed a 40-34 lead. Midway throught the second half UCSB sophomore Taran Brown got hot. He scored seven straight points on two dunks and a three-pointer to put the Gauchos up 58-49. Brown finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four block shots. Zalmico Harmon’s jumper gave UCSB their biggest lead of the game at 60-49 with 7:08 to play.
Cal cut the deficit to 66-62 on a dunk by David Kravish with 1:42 left but the Golden Bears would get no closer. UCSB made all six of their free throws down the stretch for the seven point victory.
Afterwards the 4-3 Gauchos went into the stands to celebrate the big win with the student body.
