After losing its first seven road games of the 2005-2006 season, the UCSB men’s basketball team won its first road game this season with an 88-56 victory over Montana State last night.

The Gauchos (2-0 overall) hit their first eight field goal attempts and jumped out to an early 19-1 lead over the Bobcats (2-2 overall) after only four minutes of play. Following two baskets by the Bobcats, the Gauchos got back-to-back threes from junior guard Trevor Bing and freshman guard Paul Roemer to extend the lead to 25-5 midway through the first half.

The Gauchos went with a four-guard lineup for most of the first half with junior forwards Chris Devine and Ivan Elliott providing a strong presence in the post. Elliott finished with a career-high 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and added three rebounds and two blocks in only 17 minutes of play.

“I just want to get rebounds and get all the hustle plays,” Elliott said. “It’s the first road game, so we were all nervous, but we were prepared and we were really focused.”

The start of the second half turned into a track meet as the Gauchos quickly extended their halftime lead. A breakaway dunk and two consecutive layups from junior guard Alex Harris made the score 55-28, at which point Montana State Head Coach Brad Huse showed his displeasure by replacing all five of his starters. However, the substitutes could not fare any better, as the Gauchos eventually extended the lead to 35 points.

Devine scored eight points in the opening four minutes of the game and finished with 12 points before fouling out with eight minutes left in the second half. After scoring 25 points against San Jos