UCSB Men’s Basketball Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak With 77-71 Victory Over Hawaii
Ajay Mitchell Finished With a Team-High 23 Points
The UCSB men’s basketball team battled back from a nine-point halftime deficit to capture a 77-71 victory over Hawaii on Saturday afternoon at the Thunderdome.
Ajay Mitchell led all scorers with 23 points, including six points in the final two minutes that helped the Gauchos secure the victory.
“I thought our guys really battled tonight. In college basketball the season is a marathon. You go through peaks and valleys,” said UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack. “We told our guys today ‘everything is not going to always go your way. You’re going to have really hard times and you have to find a way to dig down deep and fight.’”
The Gauchos came into Saturday’s contest riding a four game home losing streak. Their last victory at the Thuderdome before Saturday’s victory over Hawaii was on January 13 against Long Beach State.
“People have given up on our team and all we have is us,” Pasternack said. “I’m really happy for nobody else, but our players.”
After coming out strong and taking a 9-0 lead with 17:15 remaining in the first half on a jumper by Matija Belic the Gauchos struggled for the remainder of the first half. A basket by Bernardo De Silva increased the Hawaii lead to 34-23 with 55 seconds remaining in the first half.
However, the UCSB offense exploded for 52 points in the second half. The Gauchos took their first lead of the second half on a layup by Josh Pierre-Louis with 11:41 remaining in the second half.
The two teams went back and forth until UCSB put together an 11-4 run over the last 2:52 of the game to seal the win.
Belic was a huge ex-factor for UCSB with eleven points and solid defense in 32 minutes. Pierre-Louis also chipped in 16 points.
The Gauchos (14-11 overall, 7-8 Big West) will travel to UC Irvine on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tip off.