Great defensive effort leads UCSB into Big West final
LAS VEGAS, Nevada. -Amadou Sow scored 23 points, JaQuori McLaughlin added 17 and Ajare Sanni had 16 as UC Santa Barbara led from start-to-finish in a 71-55 win over UC Davis in a semifinal game at the Big West Tournament on Friday night.
The Gauchos (21-4) have won four games in a row and 17 of their last 18. The Aggies (10-8) were led by Christian Anigwe with 15 points and Elijah Pepper with 13.
UCSB took a 6-0 lead to open the game and it never trailed, leading by as many as 20 early in the second half.
"This was a great test for our guys," said head coach Joe Pasternack. "Davis is a good team, but we have played with a great deal of purpose and that showed tonight."
Sow, a First Team All-Big West choice, made 7-of-12 field goals, but he also made 9-of-10 free throws for his season-high 23 points. He helped lead Santa Barbara to the league tournament championship game for the first time since 2012. It marked the third consecutive game in which Sow scored 20 or more, a first this season.
UCSB held a 33-21 lead at halftime and never relented. After falling behind 39-21, Davis never rallied back any closer than 56-46 on a layup by Anigwe with 6:24 left in the game. But a three-pointer by Sanni just 21 seconds later squelched that rally and put the Gauchos in prime position for the win.
After the three-point bucket by Sanni, the Aggies could never get closer than 15 the rest of the way.
The Gauchos were outstanding defensively, limiting the Aggies to 41.5% from the field overall and just 26.3% from beyond the three-point arc.
As it has done much of the season, UCSB had a major turnover advantage, forcing UCD into 14 while committing just seven of its own.
For the Gauchos, McLaughlin, the Big West Player of the Year, was 6-for-11 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the free throw line for his 17 points. He also added four assists and just one turnover in the win.
Sanni hit 8-of-9 free throws and made 2-of-3 shots from three-point range for his 16 points.
UCSB also had eight steals, including a team-leading three by Josh Pierre-Louis, who played just 15:10.
The Gauchos will play in the 2021 Big West Tournament Championship game against UC Irvine, which defeated UC Riverside on Saturday night. It will be the program's fifth league title game ever and the first since 2012. UCSB is 3-1 in Big West Championship games, having won in 2002, 2010 and 2011, before losing in 2012.
Saturday's title game will be played at 8:30 p.m. at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, and will be televised on ESPN2.
Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics
