The Gauchos got back on track after a decisive defeat at Long Beach.
UCSB’s stupendous stable of sophomores produced a bounce-back men’s basketball victory on Saturday at the Thunderdome. James Nunnally, Orlando Johnson, and Will Brew combined for 47 points and the Gauchos derailed UC Riverside 63-56.
“You have to defend the home court,” said Gaucho head coach Bob Williams. “We’re doing what we have to right now.”
UCSB led by nine points at halftime but came out ice cold to start the third quarter. The Highlanders were able to scrap back into the game, taking the lead with 14:48 left after a top of the key jumper by Bryson Hampton.
“We knew they were going to come out and play hard,” said Johnson. “It was a very physical game and we just had to battle back and dig deep.”
The resilient Gauchos recaptured the lead soon after. UC Riverside lost the ball at the top of the key, and as it was rolling towards mid-court Nunnally picked up the ball up, took a charge and hit the shot, giving UCSB a 38-37 point lead with 13:56 left to play.
After both teams got into foul trouble in the second half, it came down to the team which could knock down free throws. The Gauchos made 18 of 25 free throws while UC Riverside were only able to connect on 10 of 20 from the charity stripe.
“If we’re hitting our free throws down the stretch, that’s going to be the key for us winning close games,” said Johnson. “It was a good game, we fought hard and got it done.”
Nunnally had 20 points — 14 in the second half — and seven rebounds. Johnson had 16 points and has scored in double figures every game this season.
Kyle Austin’s 25 points and six rebounds led the Highlanders.
Brew had a party from beyond the arc, connecting on three first-half 3-pointers to finish the game with 11 points.
“Everyone made big plays and stepped in to contribute to the win,” said Brew.
UCSB erased an early four-point deficit after going on a 14-3 four-minute run capped off by Johnson going high into the air to grab an offensive rebound and lay the ball in. On the next play, Johnson drained a step-back three from the right wing giving the Gauchos a seven-point cushion.
The Gauchos led by as much as 10 points in the first half after Brew knocked down a straightaway 3-pointer, stretching the lead to 32-22 with under a minute to play before the half.
The UCSB lead was cut to one after a pair of Highlander 3-pointers and a top-of-the-key jumper.
The game was put away when Nunnally drove to the hoop, clashed with a Highlander defender and made the off-balance shot. Jordan Weiner put the finishing touches on the victory as he scored a lay-up as time expired.
Even though UCSB only shot 40 percent from the field, it was able to get key stops at key moments that prevented UC Riverside a victory.
The Gauchos boosted their record to 9-7 and 4-2 in the Big West Conference. The Highlanders fall to 7-10 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
UCSB will host Cal State Fullerton January 23 at the Thunderdome for a 7:05 tip off.
