STOCKTON, Calif. -- Carried by a strong defensive effort, and a fast start in the overtime period, the Pacific men's basketball team defeated UC Santa Barbara, 80-71, Tuesday evening at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
The Tigers (5-6) finished the game shooting 46.9 percent (30-for-64) from the field, while the Gauchos (5-4) shot just as well at 47.4 percent (27-for-57). The Tigers, however, won the rebounding battle, tallying 37 rebounds to the Gauchos 29. The Tigers also collected 11 offensive rebounds.
 
"I thought the team responded and competed tonight," stated head coach Leonard Perry regarding the team winning the rebounding battle. "They competed on the glass, and we thought that's where the game was going to be won … the coaches told me before the game that if we win the battle on the glass then you can beat this team."
 
Pacific came out of the gates fast, jumping out to an 11-2 lead with just five minutes off the clock to begin the game. Alphonso Anderson led the charge in the first half, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the first 20 minutes of action. Anderson, who is second on the team in points per game with 11.3, also collected eight rebounds in the winning effort.
 
UC Santa Barbara, however, clawed back into the game and kept the score close towards the end of the first half. With the Tigers leading by 12 points midway through the first half, Ajare Sanni, who had 10 first-half points, led the Gauchos on a 13-7 run to close out the first half.
 
With Pacific holding onto a narrow 33-29 lead at the halftime break, UC Santa Barbara tied the game at 40 due to an 11-7 run to begin the second half.  The Gauchos controlled the pace of play throughout the second half and outscored the Tigers, 33-29, and held a late five-point lead nearing the end of regulation.
 
The Tigers promptly went on a 5-0 run in the last 2:38 to close out the half, as both teams were deadlocked at 62 when the second half horn sounded. With 13.1 seconds left on the clock, Nick Blake had a chance to win the game at the buzzer for the Tigers. Blake, who tallied 14 points, and three rebounds, saw his fade-away jumper fall short at the end of regulation.
 
Pacific outscored UC Santa Barbara, 18-9, in the overtime period, as the Tigers tallied the first seven points of the final five minutes of action.
 
Greg Outlaw, who also tallied 15 points, had a career night and was crucial throughout the entire game. Outlaw was a perfect three-for-three from beyond the arc and set the pace for the Tigers in overtime, knocking down a three-point basket at the 3:53 mark to put the Tigers up for good.
 
Khaleb Wilson-Rouse was the fourth Tiger to score in double figures, shooting 57.1 percent (four-for-seven) from the field en route to a career-high 14 points.
 
Pacific outmuscled UC Santa Barbara in almost every statistical category including, points in the paint (42-34), bench points (22-12), and second-chance points (11-2).
 
Pacific returns to action, Friday, December 17, as the Tigers take on North Dakota State at the Alex G. Spanos Center, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.