Senior forward Chris Devine, who scored a career-high 29 points and made two free throws with 7.3 seconds to play to give UC Santa Barbara 68-66 win over Cal Poly on Saturday night, was named Big West Player of the Week.
In addition to his 29 points, Devine grabbed five rebounds and passed off for a season-high four assists as the Gauchos overcame a 10-point deficit to edge the Mustangs. He made 10-of-16 shots overall – including a three-pointer – and 8-of-9 free throws in the win. Devine also scored 12 of the Gauchos’ final 16 points.
The native of Eagle River, Alaska is now averaging 15.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0% from the field. He ranks third in the Big West in scoring.
Also on Saturday, Devine’s five rebounds moved him into UCSB’s all-time top-five in that category with 668. He also has 1,488 career points, fourth all-time, and has joined Doug Rex as one of two players in school history to rank among the top-five in both categories.
Devine is the first Gaucho player to win Player of the Week honors since the end of the 2007-08 season. It is his first honor since early in the 2006-07 campaign.
Devine and the Gauchos remain at home for the next two games, hosting Pacific on Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Montana State, as part of the ESPNU BracketBuster series, on Saturday, Feb. 21. Both games will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday night’s game against Pacific will be Coke Family Pack Night. For just $40.00, fans can get four tickets, four t-shirts, four hot dogs, and four Cokes. Tickets for all Gaucho games can be purchased from the Ticket Office in the Intercollegiate Athletics Building on campus, by calling 805-893-UCSB, or online at UCSBgauchos.com.
