Overview:
Ajay Mitchell makes 14-of-14 free throws to lead the Gauchos with 22 points
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There are defeats, and then there are the feet.
UC Santa Barbara felt the excruciating pain of both in Wednesday’s 84-61 basketball loss at New Mexico.
The Gauchos were within eight points of the Lobos in the second half when they lost senior guard Josh Pierre-Louis, their most electric player, to a foot injury.
They got the daylights knocked out of them after that, making just 3-of-20 shots and committing 10 turnovers in the final 14 minutes.
The only good news for UCSB (4-3) came after the game from New Mexico’s orthopedic surgeon.
“Josh was examined and he’s OK,” Gaucho coach Joe Pasternack said. “That’s what they told me just now.
“Who knows? But they said they ruled out the worst-case scenario and said it could be a muscle or something … I don’t know.”
He did know this: New Mexico (8-1) and its fabled arena, The Pit, both lived up to their billings.
The Lobos shot 51.47%, out-rebounded the Gauchos 41-33, and stole the ball from them an astounding 13 times. It didn’t help to lose Pierre-Louis, the only Gaucho besides point guard Ajay Mitchell with much ball-handling experience.
“New Mexico is a really, really good team,” Pasternack said. “I mean, I think they’re a top-25 team. They’re deep — they were rotating guys in and out — and it’s a great environment.
“I’m glad we played this game. They bought us to come here. Our guys need to grow up. It was a growing up experience for our guys who don’t have experience playing college basketball.”
UCSB (4-3), which was ranked third nationally with a field-goal percentage of 53.2%, made just 36.2% of its attempts on Wednesday.
Mitchell Scores 22
Mitchell, who increased the game’s attendance to 10,311 by attracting NBA scouts from both the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, led the Gauchos with 22 points. But while he fell just short of his season average of 23.3 per game, he needed to make 14-of-14 free throws to get there.
“He’s a competitor, and he was trying to carry us,” Pasternack said.
The Lobos double-teamed him on the perimeter and harassed him into making only 4-of-17 field-goal attempts.
“They have one of the best guards in the country and we held him to 4-of-17 shooting,” New Mexico coach Richard Pitino said. “We wanted to have a team effort on him.
“Our depth is allowing us to keep subbing guys in.”
Sophomore center Yohan Traore added 18 points for UCSB on 8-of-12 shooting.
Pasternack, however, wasn’t happy with how little help the front-court players gave his backcourt defenders. The Lobos scored 54 of their 84 points in the paint, mostly on drives by guards Donovan Dent (23 points) and Tru Washington (17 points).
“Our ball-screen defense has to get better,” Pasternack said. “For us to have the type of year we’re going to have, Yohan and Evans (Kipruto) at the five position have to play a lot better defense.
“This isn’t about offense. Those two have not had any playing time in college basketball, and so they’re learning on the fly right now.”
A driving, three-point play by Jemarl Baker triggered an early 12-0 run which put the Lobos ahead 16-6.
But Mitchell rallied the Gauchos with a pick-and-roll pass to Traore for a dunk, a scoring runner and two free throws. He led UCSB with five assists and his five rebounds matched Traore and Matija Belic for the team lead.
Cole Anderson hit a three-pointer from the top and a pullup jumper to reduce New Mexico’s lead to 20-17. But he missed the eight shots he took after that and finished just 1-for-8 from three. The Gauchos shot 3-for-17 from three as a team.
Jason Fontenet II had the other two threes in a 3½ -minute span to help UCSB draw as close as two points. Mitchell’s runner trimmed the deficit to 35-33.
But the Gauchos missed four of their last five shots of the first half while also committing three of their 19 turnovers.
“They prey on your turnovers, and we’ve never had a year with so many turnovers … ever,” Pasternack said. “It just fuels their fast break.”
Dent capped his 15-point first half with a scoring drive to give the Lobos a 42-35 lead.
Mitchell’s dazzling, double-pump runner got the Gauchos as close as 49-43 with 17:27 to go.
Turning Point
But Pierre-Louis’ foot — and the game — turned the wrong way for UCSB after Pitino, incensed when no foul was called on one of Dent’s rare misses, was charged with a technical foul.
Mitchell made both free throws to reduce the Gauchos’ deficit to 47-55. On the ensuing possession, however, Pierre-Louis injured his right foot and fell hard while changing direction with the ball.
UCSB missed 11 straight shots while committing eight turnovers in the next 10, disastrous minutes. Its only points during that stretch were six free throws by Mitchell.
“It was just a phenomenal defensive performance in the second half,” Pitino said. “That lineup of Isaac (Mushila), Tru, (Jaelen) House, Donovan and either JT (Toppin) or Nelly (Joseph) was unbelievable defensively against a really good offensive team.
“It was a great win. I have a lot of respect for what Santa Barbara is doing.”
The Gauchos were looking at their biggest deficit of 26 points, 79-53, when they finally scored a field goal on Traore’s dunk off Mitchell’s high-post pass.
UCSB, which returns home to play Bethesda on Saturday, may get some help soon from guard Ben Shtolzberg, a sophomore transfer from Creighton, and forward Kilian Brockhoff, a 6-9 freshman from Germany’s U20 team.
“Ben is any day now,” Pasternack said. “We’re just waiting for the doctor’s clearance, but he’s practicing with our team now.
“Kilian is practicing, too. We’re waiting on his clearance, but I expect Killian to play on Saturday.”