Overview:
Gauchos seek first win this season over UC Riverside in Friday’s 8:30 p.m. Big West Conference Tournament semifinal game
HENDERSON, Nev. — Another big finish by Ajay Mitchell kept UC Santa Barbara’s basketball season from ending on Thursday.
The sophomore point guard scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the last 12 minutes to rally the Gauchos to a 64-54 victory over Cal Poly in the quarterfinals of the Big West Conference Tournament.
“He’s an unbelievable talent that will probably play on the big screen some day,” Mustangs’ coach John Smith said after watching Mitchell dismantle his team’s 10-point lead.
UCSB (25-7), the tournament’s No. 2 seed, will take a five-game winning streak into the Dollar Loan Center for Friday’s 8:30 p.m. semifinal against third-seeded UC Riverside (21-11).
The Highlanders, who handed the Gauchos two of their five Big West defeats this season, routed No. 6 seed UC Davis 68-52 in Thursday’s last quarterfinal. Top-seeded UC Irvine (23-10) and No. 4 Cal State Fullerton (19-12) advanced to Friday’s 6 p.m. semifinal. Both games will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
Cal Poly (8-25), the No. 10 seed, had ended an 18-game losing streak by trouncing No. 7 Long Beach State 88-68 in Wednesday’s opening round.
“They lost 18 in a row, but it’s so deceiving because of the margin (of the Mustangs’ defeats),” UCSB coach Joe Pasternack said. “They’re a really talented team but they just haven’t found a way to get over the top.
“We knew it was going to be a really tough game … A dogfight.”
Josh Pierre-Louis put UCSB ahead 5-2 with a three-pointer and two free throws. The Gauchos, however, missed the seven threes they attempted the rest of the first half.
The Gauchos made just three more baskets total during the next 12 minutes.
“We were kind of shocked,” Pasternack said. “We were in a new arena, we couldn’t get good shots, and defensively we didn’t play well.”
Cal Poly’s Alimamy Koroma abused UCSB around the basket with four baskets in the first eight minutes while en route to an 17-point performance. A three by Brantly Stevenson, the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 18 points, and another layup by Koroma gave them their biggest lead of 22-12 with seven minutes to go in the first half.
“The first tournament game is always the hard one,” Mitchell said.
The Gauchos began to show life when Andre Kelly took a steal in for a dunk. Pierre-Louis followed with a pair of free throws, cutting their deficit to 22-17, after hustling to rebound a missed three by Miles Norris. It was UCSB’s first offensive rebound of the game.
Mitchell, who had missed his first four shots, finally scored off a whirling move with only 3:41 left in the first half. He said his mindset was “Just to stay calm … that my time will come.”
He did get four of his five assists during the first half.
“We have a lot of options,” Mitchell said. “Everyone is ready to take the shot. Everyone is ready to pass to the open man. That’s what makes us dangerous.”
Kelly was his best option during the first half. He scored nine of his 11 points and grabbed five of his game-high eight rebounds during the opening period. His floater just before the buzzer cut UCSB’s deficit to 32-26 by halftime.
The Mustangs out-shot the Gauchos 46.2% to 34.8% during the first half while out-rebounding them 19-12.
“We didn’t move the ball in the first half,” Pasternack said. “That was the biggest problem — it was just sticking on one side.
“We were just in kind of a daze. But our guys really moved the ball and shared the ball in the second half.”
UCSB shot 54.2% in the second half. It out-shot Cal Poly for the game, 44.7% to 40.4%, which helped it overcome the Mustangs’ 36-27 rebound dominance.
The Gauchos wasted no time getting started in the second half. Kelly’s steal terminated the Mustangs’ first possession and Mitchell cashed it in with a corner three. Kelly finished with a game-high three steals.
Kelly’s hook shot off a pass from Calvin Wishart got the Gauchos within 32-31 just 80 seconds into the second half.
Norris got involved by driving to the basket to score nine of his 12 points during a five-minute outburst. His whirling bank shot put UCSB ahead for good at 42-39 with just over 12 minutes remaining.
All four of his shots in the first half had been three-point misses.
“I know I can shoot the ball well but the shots aren’t going to fall every night,” Norris said. “I know I can get to the rim, as well, so once I see my shot not falling, I try to do something else — get to the basket.
“My guys were just getting me the ball, spacing the floor, and it allowed me to drive to the rim.”
Mitchell took over from there by scoring 18 of the Gauchos’ final 22 points. The spree included another three and a three-point play off a driving leaner which put UCSB ahead 58-49 with 4:21 left.
“Toward the middle of the second half, I thought Miles and Ajay really took over the game,” Pasternack said.
Cal Poly twice got within six points — with 3:21 to go and again with 1:35 left. But Mitchell answered both times, with a running finger roll and then with a pair of free throws. The Mustangs never got closer.
“His poise for a sophomore is unbelievable,” Pasternack said. “I’m so proud of him. The way he played in the second half was huge.”
And it gave him the chance to play again on Friday.
“We’re happy we got that dub,” Mitchell said, “so we’ll just go from there.”