The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team mixed tenacious defense with an avalanche of offense, burying rival Cal Poly 107-67 on Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
With the win, the Gauchos have now claimed 17 consecutive matchups against Cal Poly and reached several statistical milestones in the process, as the offense was clicking on all cylinders.
“I think it comes down to shot selection. We are playing with a lot of young guys,” said UCSB coach Joe Pasternack of his team’s offensive efficiency. “They are learning what a good shot and a bad shot is. I thought our shot selection was excellent, and we are one of the top teams in the country in field goal percentage.”
The Gauchos built a commanding lead with a 59-point first half and finished the game with 15 made three-pointers and a 66.7 percent shooting percentage overall.
Zion Sensley led the charge with 20 points off the bench on eight-for-12 shooting from the field, but he was far from alone, as five other Gauchos reached double figures in scoring.
UCSB point guard Miro Little appears to be rounding into form after a foot injury sidelined him for a month. He finished with 12 points, 11 assists, and just one turnover while shooting five-for-six from the field.
“I feel great. A big thank-you to everybody who was helping me out — from the coaching staff to the trainers, the doctors, and everybody who helped me deal with the injury,” Little said. “It was really a focal point that when I came back, I would be 100 percent. I think we’re going in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go as a team. Just building every day, not jumping the gun, and trusting the process.”
The Gauchos jumped out to a 26-10 lead at the 11:48 mark of the first half on a three-pointer by Little and continued to pour it on.
A Sensley three-pointer extended the UCSB lead to 53-27 with 2:32 remaining in the first half. The Gauchos shot an astounding 23-of-28 from the field before halftime.
On the defensive end, UCSB held Cal Poly star sophomore Hamad Mousa, who is averaging nearly 21 points per game, to 10 points on only three shots.
“I’ll tell ya, Hamad Mousa is an NBA player, and I thought that our preparation this week to get ready for him was awesome,” Pasternack said. “I thought we did a terrific job. Our guys really fought and competed hard.”
Cal Poly was never able to cut its deficit under 27 points in the second half as the Gauchos cruised to victory.
The Gauchos (12-7 overall, 5-3 Big West) are now riding a three-game winning streak and will travel to Long Beach State for their next game on Saturday, January 24. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
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