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Pacific Rallies From 13 Down, But Drops 56-53 Decision to UCSB
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Santa Barbara (11-7, 6-2 BWC) | 26 | 30 | 56 |
| Pacific (7-13, 3-5 BWC) | 16 | 37 | 53 |
| Stockton, Calif. (Alex G. Spanos Center) | |||
| UC Santa Barbara | Pacific |
|---|---|
| Pts: Serna, Jaime - 15 | Pts: Lorenzo McCloud - 20 |
| Reb: Serna, Jaime - 12 | Reb: Lorenzo McCloud - 8 |
| Ast: Garth, Nate - 4 | Ast: Lorenzo McCloud - 3 |
| Team Statistics | UC Santa Barbara | Pacific |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 33.3% (17-51 ) | 31.2% (15-48 ) |
| Rebounds | 41 | 31 |
| Assists | 10 | 8 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 7 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 13 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 8 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 12 | 8 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 10 | 7 |
Stockton, Calif. -- The Pacific men's basketball team rallied from a 13-point second half deficit but dropped a 56-53 decision to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 28 in the Alex G. Spanos Center. With the loss, the Tigers fell to 7-13 on the year and to 3-5 in the Big West Conference. The Gauchos improved to 11-7 overall and 6-2 in Big West Conference games.
Junior Markus Duran kept the Tigers even in the early going, hitting a pair of three-pointers for a 6-6 score. The Gauchos then held Pacific without a point for five minutes, taking a 12-6 lead with 12:26 to play in the half. The Tigers put up five straight points, including a three-pointer from junior Rodrigo De Souza to cut the lead to 12-11 with 10:43 left on the clock. The Gauchos reciprocated, posting five quick points to take a 17-11 lead. Junior Trevin Harris connected with a three-pointer to make it 17-14 with 7:53 left in the half. After Harris's shot, the Tiger offense was shut down, as UCSB posted a 9-0 run to take a 26-14 lead. The Tigers scored on pair of free throws by Duran with a minute remaining for the only two Pacific points in the final 7:53 of the first half. UCSB led at the break 26-16, as the Tigers hit just five of 26 shots from the field (19.2 percent).
The Tigers opened the first half with a jumper from junior Lorenzo McCloud, marking Pacific's first field goal since the 7:53 mark in the first half, and converted a three-point play to make it 26-19. After a pair of Gaucho free throws, Pacific embarked on a 6-2 run that cut the UCSB lead to five (30-25) with 13:53 left in the game. UCSB responded with a quick 8-0 run to take its largest lead of the game (13 points) and bring the score to 38-25 with 11:54 to play. McCloud started a 13-4 run with a pair of free throws and scored five points, dropping the Gaucho advantage to 42-38 with 7:44 to go. The Gauchos scored four of the next five points to push their lead back to seven 46-39, but junior Travis Fulton and McCloud each nailed big three-pointers as part of an 11-4 run that would bring the Tigers to within a basket (50-48) with 1:38 remaining in the game. UCSB's Orlando Johnson hit one of two from the line, setting up another big three-pointer from Fulton that tied the game at 51-51 with :54 seconds left. UCSB's Kyle Boswell connected with a three-pointer of his own to give the Gauchos a 54-51 lead before McCloud earned a trip to the free throw line. McCloud converted both shots to bring the Tigers to within one, but Johnson made a pair of free throws to drive the Gaucho lead back to three with :14 seconds remaining. McCloud's three-point attempt at the buzzer was just short.
The Tigers are next in action on Thursday, February 2 at UC Riverside. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm in Riverside. Listen live at www.pacifictigers.com.
