Overview:
Mitchell rallies Gauchos by scoring nine of his 24 points in final 4:34
FULLERTON — Ajay Mitchell got mad. Then he got UC Santa Barbara more than even.
He shook off a technical foul that cost the Gauchos the lead with 2:22 remaining and beat the shot clock with a clutch three-pointer with 27 seconds left in Thursday’s 66-58 men’s basketball victory at Cal State Fullerton.
Mitchell scored nine of his game-high 24 points in the final 4:34 as UCSB (10-2) opened Big West Conference play with its sixth-straight win, four of which have come on the road.
“He’s been just an amazing player,” coach Joe Pasternack said of his sophomore point guard. “His consistency, his toughness, is unbelievable. He can really make big plays in big moments.
“That’s a special guy.”
The Gauchos finished the game on a 13-2 run to hand Fullerton (6-7), the defending Big West Tournament champion, its first loss at Titan Gym in six games.
UCSB out-shot the Titans 45.8% to 35.7% and made 11 steals while forcing them into 21 turnovers.
Josh Pierre-Louis added 17 points and led the Gauchos with three steals.
“He plays so hard,” Pasternack said. “His toughness really energized our whole team defensively.
“We’re not making a lot of shots, we’re not scoring a lot, but our defense is really keeping us in these games.”
That defense proved crucial during a game in which foul trouble limited the playing time of starting forwards Andre Kelly and Miles Norris, their top rebounders on the season. Fullerton won the rebound battle, 33-22, with Vincent Lee getting half of his 10 rebounds on the offensive end.
“Our guys have been prepared with our nonconference road schedule to be able to win on the road,” Pasternack said. “Things didn’t go perfect for us by any stretch, but holding them to under 40% in field goals was the key to the game.”
“We didn’t rebound the ball well and were in foul trouble the whole game. But at the end of the day, our guys really found a way.”
UCSB led by as many as 13 points in the first half before the Titans rallied to within 30-25 by the break.
The Gauchos got their lead back into double-digits by out-scoring Fullerton 12-6 in the first 6½ minutes of the second half. A three-pointer by freshman forward Koat Keat Tong gave them a 42-31 lead.
But Jalen Harris rallied the Titans ahead by scoring 12 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. He made 10-of-12 free throws — 8-of-10 in the second half, with two coming on Mitchell’s technical foul with 2:22 to go.
Mitchell slammed the ball to the floor in frustration after being called for a foul on Fullerton’s Max Jones. After Harris’ technical foul shots, Jones made two more to put the Titans ahead 54-53.
Calvin Wishart put right back ahead 27 seconds later with a jump shot just inside three-point line.
Two more free throws by Jones gave the Titans their last lead of 56-55 with 1:31 left.
Pierre-Louis was fouled just 15 seconds later and made both free throws to see-saw the Gauchos back on top. Tong then stole the ball from Jones on Fullerton’s next possession, and Mitchell cashed in the turnover when he beat the shot clock with a lunging three-pointer. The basket increased UCSB’s margin to 60-56 with 27 seconds remaining.
Wishart, Cole Anderson, and Pierre-Louis all made two foul shots apiece in the final 20 seconds to secure the victory. The Gauchos, who shot just 66.1% from the free throw line (113-171) in their first nine games, have made 82.6% in their last three (57-69).
Mitchell, who increased his team-best scoring average to 16.1 points, leads UCSB at the line at 84.4%.
“We’re really working hard at it, every single day,” Pasternack said. “We shoot free throws after weights in the morning, we’re shooting them after practice, during practice, day of the game.
“That’s what you have to have in close games.”
The Gauchos will return to the Thunderdome on New Year’s Eve Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against UC San Diego. The Tritons beat Long Beach State in overtime, 85-83, in their league road opener on Thursday.
“It’s really hard to win against anybody in college basketball on the road,” Pasternack said. “It’s just not the natural environment that you’re used to every single day. You don’t practice in that environment, so road wins are like gold.
“Fullerton is a very good team. They’ve had some good wins themselves, so for us, to be able to open up conference play that way, is huge.
“But as I told our team, in conference play, it’s all about what goes on now until 4 p.m. on Saturday. Being able to recover from such a tough game, that’s the key to the whole deal — the preparation leading up to 4 p.m. on Saturday.”
UCSB will celebrate Community Day at the Thunderdome on Saturday, with free tickets going to those who scan the QR code in the advertisement below. The first 750 kids through the door will also receive a free Gaucho basketball T-shirt.
