IRVINE – UCSB opened its Big West schedule out-of-town on Saturday night and are now out-of-a-conference win after being stopped 57-55 by UC Irvine at the Bren Center.
“We were not very good offensively,” said UCSB head coach Bob Williams, frustrated that the Gauchos were unable to convert on some key possessions down the stretch. “We didn’t have any sort of rhythm or toughness on offense.”
UCSB's Orlando Johnson uses the left hand on a driving shot during the second half of Saturday's Big West opener at UC Irvine.
The Anteaters found their rhythm in the second half, building their biggest lead of the game at 47-36 with 8:46 remaining.
BOX SCORE *** BIG WEST STANDINGS
The Gauchos rallied, but were never able to pull closer than four points until Paul Roemer sank a meaningless 3-pointer as time expired to complete the scoring at 57-55.
Eric Wise carried Irvine, scoring 17 of his 21 points in the second half while connecting on 6-of-7 shot attempts. Michael Hunter did it for the Anteaters in the first half, tallying 13 of his 16 during the first 20 minutes of play to bring the hosts into the locker room with a 27-24 lead.
“We didn’t bring that physical presence like we normally do,” said Orlando Johnson, who topped UCSB in scoring with 19 and in rebounding with 8.
Overall, the Gauchos were outrebounded 34-29, with a game-high 14 coming from the Anteaters’ Adam Folker.
UCSB’s offensive woes showed in its 2-for-12 showing from beyond the 3-point arc and a pedestrian 42-percent shooting clip.
“We’ve struggled to defend so I think that was a big key for us,” noted Irvine head coach Pat Douglass, owner of a 7-6 record.
UCSB falls to 5-6 on the year and heads to UC Riverside on Monday while the Anteaters host Cal Poly.
