With five seconds left UC San Diego’s Tom Beattie dribbled down the right side of the court, twisted through a double team at the three-point line and fired a pass to Jaden Vance under the basket, who dropped in a buzzer beater.
The dramatic sequence saddled the UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team with yet another one-possession loss on Saturday night, as the visiting Tritons captured a 64-63 victory in their Big West regular-season finale at the Thunderdome.
The tightly contested matchup featured six ties and 17 lead changes as both teams traded momentum throughout the night. UC Santa Barbara shot well from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of 27 three-point attempts, but turnovers proved costly. The Tritons converted 20 points off 17 Gaucho turnovers, ultimately making the difference in the one-point game.
“I don’t think that last shot beat us,” said UC Santa Barbara head coach Joe Pasternack postgame. “We had 17 turnovers and gave up some costly offensive rebounds. It has been the story of our season, one-possession games.”
UC Santa Barbara opened the game with an early three-pointer from Miro Little, setting the tone for a fast-paced first half. The Gauchos and Tritons exchanged leads repeatedly as both offenses found rhythm. Despite committing seven turnovers in the half, UCSB stayed within reach thanks to five three-pointers and 11 points from the bench.
The Gauchos briefly grabbed momentum when Little hit a fast-break jumper and CJ Shaw followed with a three-pointer during a scoring run. But UC San Diego responded as Leo Beath banked in a deep three-pointer as the first half buzzer sounded, giving the Tritons a 31-29 lead going into the break.
UC Santa Barbara quickly regained momentum early in the second half when Colin Smith knocked down a three-pointer off an assist from Little. Moments later, Zion Sensley added a layup to give the Gauchos the lead again, 34-33.
Midway through the half, a three-pointer by Aidan Mahaney sparked another Gaucho run, giving the Gauchos a 47-43 advantage as the teams continued to trade baskets.
With the game tied late, Shaw delivered again for UCSB, hitting a three-pointer with 1:23 remaining. He then converted a layup with seven seconds left to put the Gauchos ahead 63-62 with five seconds remaining.
Five Gauchos reached double figures, including Little, who made his return to the court after missing five weeks due to injury. He finished with ten points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
“I settled a lot today. I should have been driving more to the basket,” Little said. “Everybody is 0-0 now so we have a clean slate.”
Despite the loss, UC Santa Barbara will move on to postseason play in the Big West Men’s Basketball Championship. The Gauchos enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 6 seed UC Davis Aggies men’s basketball on Wednesday, March 11, at Lee’s Family Forum. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
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