Overview:
Mitchell’s two clutch free throws hold off furious comeback by the Bulldogs
FRESNO — Coach Joe Pasternack promises a big second half of the season once he fits the new pieces together with the rest of his UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team.
But veteran Ajay Mitchell couldn’t wait, giving him a monster second half on Monday night.
The junior point guard scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the final 20 minutes to rally the Gauchos to a 69-65 victory at Fresno State’s Save Mart Center.
“Ajay is a superstar,” Pasternack said. “He was actually terrific the whole game.
“Obviously, we sorely missed him in our first two games of the season.”
Mitchell watched from the sidelines with a sprained ankle when UCSB lost its first two games to Portland State and Texas-El Paso. The Gauchos (3-2) have won three in a row since his return.
He made 10-of-18 shots, 1-of-2 three-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws. He also had a team-high seven rebounds from his guard position.
Yohan Traore, a sophomore transfer from Auburn, added 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting and six rebounds.
“I really, really believe this: More than any team we’ve had at UCSB, our best days are going to be ahead of us,” Pasternack said. “We have so much inexperience.
“Tonight we really grew up. Every game in the nonconference, we’re going to grow as a team and get experience on how to win on the road … How to defend.”
Feeling Defensive
He was most pleased with how the Gauchos held Fresno (3-3) to just 36.2% shooting overall and 22.6% from the three-point line (7-for-31). The Bulldogs came into the game shooting 49.3% overall and 38.5% from three.
“This was a team effort,” Pasternack said. “This was incredible, collective defense.
“All week since the Westmont game, all we’ve been preaching is how to get better defensively.
“Holding this team to 36% — they’re very, very well-coached and disciplined on offense — I’m just really proud of our guys’ collective effort.”
The Bulldogs’ full-court, trapping defense did turn the final 56 seconds into a near-miraculous comeback. They needed just 49 seconds to trim 11 points off UCSB’s 13-point lead.
Mitchell calmed the chaos by making two, game-clinching free throws with 6.3 seconds remaining.
The Bulldogs started as fast as they finished. They made their first five shots, three by Eduardo Andre. Donavan Yap’s three-pointer gave them an 11-4 lead after less than three minutes.
The Gauchos answered with a 6-0 run, getting pullup jumpers from Josh Pierre-Louis and Cole Anderson, followed by a hard runner by Matija Belic.
Mitchell made a three off an inbounds play and banked in a floater to get UCSB to within 18-17.
Nothing Free From Three
The Bulldogs allowed the Gauchos only four more three-point attempts — all misses. Anderson, UCSB’s three-point leader on the season (14-for-30, 46.7%), never even got a look from three. He went 4-for-10 overall and finished with nine points.
“They were really crowding Cole very hard,” Pasternack said. “But I told our guys this: When you go 1-of-5 from three for the game, and can win a game like that, that’s toughness.
“You can’t control your offense on the road, or even at home, but you can control your defensive effort, and your togetherness and connectivity. Tonight, we were connected.”
The Gauchos finally caught Bulldogs at 20-all when Jason Fontenet’s block of Xavier Dusell’s shot led to a three-point play by Anderson on a fast-break layup.
Traore scored a pair of jumpers, and Fontenet made two free throws to give UCSB its biggest lead of the first half, 29-25.
Fresno went on a 6-0 run to enter halftime with a 31-29 lead.
Enoch Boakye had 13 of his game-high 16 rebounds in the first 20 minutes, helping the Bulldogs win the backboard battle 39-38.
“They have some really big dudes … quick, older guys,” Pasternack said.
UCSB shot 38.7% in the first half while holding Fresno to 36.1%.
A Hotter Half
The Gauchos, who entered the game with the top field-goal percentage in NCAA Division 1 basketball (56.1%), clicked in the second half to the tune of 58.3% while finishing at 47.3% for the game.
The Bulldogs did increase their lead to six points, 45-39, after point guard Isaiah Hill hit a three and assisted Leo Colimerio’s layup. He led Fresno with 19 points and eight assists.
But Mitchell’s three-point play on a driving, baseline dunk triggered a 28-9 Gaucho run during the next 12-plus minutes.
He turned a steal into a double-pump runner, hit another foul shot and scored a running hook during a 69-second sequence that put UCSB ahead 49-47 with 10:51 remaining.
Fresno stayed close at 57-54 on Yap’s fast-break basket with 5:07 left.
UCSB pushed back with well-designed plays on its next two possessions.
Belic timed a pass perfectly to Anderson on a curl at the left elbow and the alumnus of nearby Clovis West High School made the 15-footer to start a 10-0 run.
Belic, a sophomore forward, made 2-of-3 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws to score eight points. He also blocked three shots, although he was officially credited with only two.
“Matija Belic came off the bench and was terrific for us,” Pasternack said. “He played his tail off — defensively, rebounding, and did a heck of a job.”
On A Roll
Traore followed that up with six straight points in the next two minutes. He scored on back-to-back, pick-and-roll plays —first on a pass from Mitchell and the next from Pierre-Louis — before adding a 12-foot baseline jumper.
“Yohan is really talented … He hit some tough shots,” Pasternack said. “Ajay found him on a huge pick-and-roll at the end of the game.
“Ajay makes him better, but Yohan did a really good job.”
By the time Mitchell scored another runner, the Gauchos appeared to have the game won at 67-54 with only 56 seconds remaining.
But Hill nearly scaled that 13-point mountain all by himself.
He got a steal in the Bulldogs’ full-court trap, pressed UCSB into another turnover, made a jumper, three foul shots and then a three-pointer with 7.6 seconds to go to reduce their deficit to just 67-65.
Mitchell, however, got the last word in the battle of star point guards. Just 10 seconds after missing the front end in a one-to-make-one free throw situation, he sealed the victory by swishing the next two with 6.3 on the clock.
UCSB won’t get much time to savor the victory, returning to the Thunderdome for a 7 p.m. game on Wednesday against Northern Arizona.
“We have a really big challenge ahead of how we can now refocus in a quick turnaround, like in conference,” Pasternack said.