With March Madness just around the corner, the UCSB men’s basketball needed a victory Saturday night to make a move in the Big West standings and improve its seeding for the Big West Tournament.
The Gauchos came through, thanks to the play of their bench. Freshman James Nunnally scored a game-high 18 points in a reserve role and seldom-used senior guard Nick Quick hit two clutch 3-pointers to help UCSB hold off UC Davis 66-64 before 1,767 at the Thunderdome.
The victory puts the Gauchos at 6-8 in the conference (13-14 overall) and only one game out of fourth place. UC Davis is 7-8, 12-17.
“This was a must-win as are the next two,” said UCSB coach Bob Williams, referring to the team’s final regular season Big West games against UC Riverside and Long Beach State at home this week. “They are must wins to have an opportunity to move up. There is a lot to be gained for us. There’s the personal satisfaction of digging out of a 2-7 start to an 8-8 finish, taking pride in the fact that we’re getting better. There’s a lot to be gained from these kids, not the least of it is to fight your way to a better seed.”
What was especially satisfying for the Gauchos on Saturday was how they fought back from an early deficit.
Williams said his team seems to play better from behind than with a big lead.
“It makes them a little more gritty when they have to dig out of a hole and they just continue to fight,” he said.
Digging in on defense was key part of the comeback. Early in the game, UC Davis guard Vince Oliver was beating the Gauchos on the dribble and scoring on layups.
That all changed once UCSB switched defenses. Oliver ran into roadblocks and often got stripped of the ball by Gaucho guards D.J. Posley (five steals) and Paul Roemer.
“It did put them on their heels a little bit and thus made us a little more aggressive and got us to where we were keeping them in front,” Williams explained. “They were a little hesitant in trying to figure out what we were in. Either that or we got them mesmerized by Nunn’s hair. It’s one or the other.”
Williams was referring to Nunnally’s mohawk haircut. The style did make him look menacing on the court.
“It was a freshman thing,” he explained of the hairdo. “All of us had one at one point or another. I wanted to be last one to have it, because I rock it so well. I think it looks a little better on me than the rest of the guys.”
Whatever it did, Nunnally was hair-raising force for the Gauchos on offense. He made 7 of 11 from the field, including a 3-pointer that started a personal seven-point run that cut the Aggies’ lead from 25-14 to 27-21.
“His athleticism is incredible,” Quick said. “It’s a matter of waking him up and getting him going.”
“I was ready to play,” Nunnally said. “I got a lot of sleep last night. I was just ready to play. I knew we were down. Myself, (Jesse) Bird all three guards, we knew what we had to do.”
Guards Posley, Roemer and Quick were instrumental in the victory. Roemer and Posley combined for eight of the team’s 12 steals and Quick hit some clutch shots.
“I thought all of our guards came out ready to play,” Williams said. “The first guy we talked about in the locker room was Nick Quick and how proud we were of him. When he got the opportunity, he came in and contributed. He gets a seven (in points scored), has no turnovers, drew a couple of fouls. He gave us a spark. I think he really lifted the team. To see Nick hit a couple, it was inspiring to the team. We’re obviously searching for something and it was great.”
Quick hit his first 3-pointer with 3:02 left in the first half to bring the Gauchos to within three at 29-26.
His second trey came with 3:50 left in the game and the Gauchos leading 56-53. Chris Devine managed to escape an Aggie trap at the end line and passed out to Quick, who buried his long-range bomb.
“Every time coach puts me in he tells me to let it go,” said Quick, who entered the game with a total of only 12 points scored this season. “My mentality is go in the game and, if someone is open, I’ll pass, otherwise shoot.”
He worked a nice give-and-go with Jaime Serna that resulted in Serna being fouled and hitting a free throw for a 61-55 advantage with 2:04 to go.
Serna played a solid game with 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting. His dunk at the 12:57 mark of the second half gave UCSB its first lead at 38-37.
“It gave the team a little momentum,” he said of the play.
Serna made a big defensive play late in the game, blocking a shot by Oliver, who drove into the lane.
But Harden continued to give the Gauchos fits. He muscled in a shot and was fouled for a three-point play to cut the UCSB lead to 62-60 with 48 seconds left in the game. Harden led all scorers with 20 points while Oliver added 19 points.
Roemer hit two free throws but Oliver came right back with a bucket to make a 64-62 game with 30 seconds left.
The Aggies had a chance to tie or take the lead after Sam Phippen missed two free throws with 29 seconds left, but Oliver missed a shot and Posley came up with the ball and was fouled. The Gaucho guard hit both free throws for a four-point lead.
Oliver scored the final basket with 3.2 seconds left.
