It started beautifully for UCSB, but ended ugly.

A scintillating career-high, 16-point game for Justin Joyner, and six-for-eight shooting and 15 points from Chris Devine came to naught in the end, as the Gauchos surrendered to UC Irvine, 65-59, on Saturday at the Thunderdome.

UCI’s intensely physical defense rendered the rest of the Gauchos stone cold, notably UCSB’s usual top scorers, Alex Harris, who was three for 12 from the floor, and James Powell who shot two for 10.

The loss hurt badly, dropping UCSB to 6-4 in Big West Conference play (17-6 overall) and making the Gauchos’ dreams of winning league and getting that cherished Big West Tournament top seed very unlikely. Irvine improved to 5-5 in league, 10-13 overall.

Joyner’s 10-point first half included four for four shooting, two for two from behind the arc. Backed by Harris’ nine points, the outburst gave the Gauchos a 34-30 halftime lead in what had been a two- and three-point game throughout.

But it could have been worse. Five fouls by the Anteaters in the first several minutes could have given UCSB, one of the nation’s best free-throw shooting teams, a real edge had they sought more inside penetration and gotten to the line more often. Instead, the Gauchos stayed outside where their perimeter shooters had little success against Irvine‘s full-contact defense.

“These officials just are not going to call the physical type of defense they play,” Gauchos head coach Bob Williams explained. “We’ve just got to realize it and be tough enough to play through it.”

UCSB was playing through it for the first five minutes of the second period, and extended its lead to 47-37 with Joyner, Devine and Harris exchanging beautiful assists and buckets. But then the beauty turned beastly.

“We played the next two or three minutes as poorly as we can play,” Williams lamented. “We got soft on defense, and then would try to get it back with quick shots from outside, instead of working and grinding in the half court.”

With 9:47 left, Irvine had taken the lead, 50-47, as Darren Fells (12 rebounds) and Patrick Sanders dominated inside against the Gauchos. While they were ripping down offensive rebounds, following shots and taking it to the hole strong, UCSB was casting from deep, turning the ball over, missing easy inside shots and fouling repeatedly.

Marcus Macintosh’s drive to the bucket and free throw, ended Irvine’s 13-point run with three of his 16 points. And though UCSB came back to take a lead after a pair of Devine power plays inside, the Gauchos’ mojo was gone.

Sanders took over for Irvine with a skyhigh drive and perfect free-throw shooting. He ended up five for nine from the floor and six for six from the line for 18 on the night.

The Gauchos still have several more chances to get it done before the March 12 Big West Tournament, against some of the league’s toughest.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, UCSB hosts Cal Poly in the Thunderdome, before embarking on a two-game road trip to UC Davis and Pacific.

Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State loom ahead as well, and the Gauchos would love to beat them all to get that confidence back for the season-ending tournament that may yet grant NCAA qualification.

They’ll have to earn it.