UCSB men’s basketball holds off UC Davis in testy rematch

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - After a loss to the Aggies last week, UC Santa Barbara men's basketball got some payback on UC Davis on Saturday night at Thunderdome. Then things got interesting after the final buzzer.

As the clock expired and the Gauchos won 70-56, Gauchos star Max Heidegger and UC Davis's Joe Mooney exchanged words on the court. Mooney then followed Heidegger and pushed him in the back.

UCSB's Brandon Cyrus then intervened and shoved Mooney away, leading to a heated exchange that forced coaches to separate both teams. No punches were thrown.

Mooney stormed off angrily, kicking some water bottles over on his way out of the building. Late in the game, Mooney finished a basket over UCSB's Amadou Sow and then stared Sow down and let out a scream. He finished with seven points in 17 minutes.

Heidegger led the Gauchos with 17 points. Sow had 16 points and six rebounds. Devearl Ramsey added 13 points and seven boards.

UCSB (18-9, 7-5 Big West) climbed to second place in the conference standings. UC Davis (13-16, 7-6) is now in third place.

The Gauchos have four games remaining in the regular season.