The UC Irvine Men’s Basketball team (9-7, 4-3) defeated UC Santa Barbara (8-9, 1-5) at the Thunderdome on Feb. 3.
UCSB started off the match strong. Living up to their title of best passing team in the conference, the Gauchos maintained sharp, clean ball movement in order to get defense to shift. UCI fought hard for offensive rebounds in hopes of second chance points.
Shortly into the half, each team hit a rough patch. The Gauchos rushed their possessions, taking unnecessary shots that hindered them. The Anteaters struggled with miscommunication, resulting in multiple back-to-back turnovers.
Eager for redemption, the ‘Eaters became generous with the ball. Maneuvering it from left to right, the team fed the ball to cutters and ran up their score.
UCI redshirt senior forward Collin Welp showed off his skills with a pump fake to dribble past his defender and finish with a mid-range jumper. This put the Anteaters at a double digit lead, 21-10, forcing a timeout call from the Gauchos at the 12-minute mark.
UCSB stepped back onto the court with their heads held high. Senior forward Miles Norris picked up the momentum with a steal, ending with a dunk past two defenders.
Irvine remained in the lead, 33-21, at the end of the first half with 17 rebounds, while UCSB had 15 rebounds of their own.
The second half started off rocky for the Gauchos, who seemed lost on defense. Irvine redshirt junior forward JC Butler cruised right down the middle of the paint for an effortless untouched floater.
With a feel for change, the ‘Eaters decided to switch up their defense to a 2-3 zone, but UCSB instantly saw this as their opportunity to score. UCSB’s redshirt junior guard Calvin Wishart hit a three, cutting the lead in half with plenty of time to spare.
Both teams clustered on defense, resulting in turnover after turnover. The pressure seemed to get into the players’ heads, and players on both sides missed shots and let rebounds slip from their hands.
With five minutes left in the last half, there seemed no improvement on either team. Shots fell short and valuable layups were missed.
Gauchos senior forward Amadou Sow then decided to take control by creating a three point-play. He took his defender one on one and finished at the basket with a foul. Sow then proceeded to play smart on the next possession, taking contact for another foul. Making both his free throws, he put the score at a four point deficit with two minutes to go.
Losing their 15 point lead, Irvine had to play wisely to keep themselves in the game. Their players ran the clock down to make sure the Gauchos had as little time as possible to score.
With 17 seconds left to make a play, UCSB gave the ball to freshman guard Cole Anderson, who confidently shot the ball and made a three-pointer to set them at a one point difference, 52-53.
With seven seconds left in the game, the crowd roared throughout the gym. With the opportunity to gain the last possession, UCI cracked under pressure and were unable to inbound the ball before the five second violation.
Right underneath their basket, UCSB inbounded the ball, but did not make a shot. UC Irvine took the win, 53-52.
Welp’s well fought performance resulted in 17 points, along with eight rebounds for the Anteaters. Showing out for the Gauchos, Sow put up 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Anteaters will travel to the Matadome Gymnasium to take on Cal State Northridge on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m.
Jazlyn Flores is a Sports Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. She can be reached at jazlynpf@uci.edu.