LONG BEACH – UCSB scored the first basket of the second half at Long Beach State on Thursday night, tying the game with the 49ers at 32-32.
Things went downhill from there.
Long Beach (8-9 overall, 2-2 in the Big West) capitalized on UCSB’s (8-7 overall, 3-2 in the Big West) poor shooting and abundance of turnovers, ending the game on a 35-15 run en route to a 67-47 win at the Pyramid.
The Gauchos finished the game with a season-high 29 turnovers and shot just 32.7% overall and 21.4% in the second half. The 49ers on the other hand, made 45.0% of their shots, including 51.9% in the decisive second half. They added 20 turnovers as well, but it mattered little.
Santa Barbara led 17-9 midway through the first half, but Long Beach used a 23-9 run to take a 32-27 lead. A three-pointer by James Powell just before the buzzer made the score 32-30 at halftime.
Following the first basket of the second half by Jaimé Serna, the 49ers went on a 12-0 run to reclaim a 44-32 lead with 14:54 to play. UCSB got within seven at 48-41 with 10:28 to play but an 8-0 49er run stretched the lead to 56-41 with 7:59 to play and, essentially, put the game away.
T.J. Robinson led Long Beach with 19 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 13 of his points in the second half. Casper Ware added 13 points and five assists and three steals, while Larry Anderson had 10 points. UCSB was led by Orlando Johnson who had 12 points. Serna and Jordan Weiner added eight points apiece.
“That was a really bad second half performance on our part,” said Gaucho head coach Bob Williams. “Our lack of toughness with the basketball was disgusting and there’s not way to sugarcoat it.”
UCSB won’t have much time to think about the defeat. The Gauchos return home to host UC Riverside at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16. To purchase tickets, please call (805) 893-UCSB, visit the Ticket Office located inside the Intercollegiate Athletics building on campus or click here.
