Make note of the date – Thursday, March 6 – and the place – Cal State Northridge’s Matadome. There will be a rematch of Saturday night’s barnburner of a basketball game between UCSB’s Gauchos and CSN’s Matadors.
Northridge rode the torrid shooting of junior guard Deon Tresvant to an 88-84 victory over the Gauchos on Saturday night at the Thunderdome. Tresvant scored 31 points as the Matadors rallied from a 13-point deficit to move atop the Big West Conference standings with a 2-0 record. They are 10-3 overall. UCSB, now, is 1-1 and 12-3.
The visitors benefited by facing the Gauchos with few UCSB students in the crowd of 2,590 because of the winter break. Still, the home team seemed in control with a 54-41 lead early in the second half. Midway through the final period, the Gauchos still had a 12-point lead (66-54) after Alex Harris scored off a pass from Chris Devine>, and the UCSB teammates celebrated with a chest bump.
Perhaps they were a bit too happy, UCSB coach Bob Williams suggested later.
The Matadors, who never wasted any time putting up shots, came back in a hurry. Tresvant scored 23 points in the second half. The 6-footer, a transfer from Long Beach City College, made seven of 11 shots from 3-point range against a UCSB defense that led the Big West in denying threes (allowing only 28.6 percent of its opponents’ attempts). The Matadors abused the Gauchos by shooting 52.4 percent from downtown (11-for-21) and made 68 percent of their shots overall in the second half.
“He had a great night,” Williams said of Tresvant. “He has a very good step-back shot. He jabs you off, rises up and shoots it.”
Harris led UCSB with 25 points, and Devine scored a season-high 24 points. James Powell had 13 points and six assists.
Turnovers hurt the Gauchos. They had only eight miscues in their Thursday night victory over Long Beach State, but they coughed up the basketball 20 times against the Matadors.
GAUCHO WOMEN: UCSB is off to a 2-0 start in the Big West women’s basketball season after an 88-44 rout of winless Cal State Northridge on Saturday afternoon at the Matadome. Sophomore Meagan Williams led five Gauchos in double figures with 16 points. The Gaucho women have won three straight games to move above .500 for the first time with a 7-6 overall record.
Senior guard Jessica Wilson had a solid all-around game with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals, while junior center Kat Suderman finished with 14 points.
The Gaucho women will be home this week, facing UC Irvine at 7 p.m. Thursday and Cal State Fullerton at 2 p.m. Saturday.