The Gauchos huddling up for a pre-game pep talk. Courtesy of UCSB Athletics

The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team fought down to the wire on Feb. 19 against the California State University, Northridge Matadors, but ultimately fell 85-83 in overtime after a rollercoaster game with 11 lead changes, a bevy of clutch buckets and several technical fouls. 

CSU Northridge entered the Thunderdome sporting a five-game win streak, but a meager 4-7 record in away games on the year. The Gauchos took momentum early, with junior guard Marvin McGhee IV making an instant impact with a 3-pointer quickly after subbing into the game with five minutes gone in the first half. The lead grew to 17-8 at the 11-minute mark of the half, but the Matadors had it tied up after a run where the Gauchos had no answer for senior guard Joshua O’Garro, who scored 7 straight points for his team. 

The first half ended with the Gauchos trailing 32-27, but senior guard Aidan Mahaney, who was held to just 3 points in the first half, quickly caught fire for his team. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Mahaney gave the Gauchos the spark they needed to go on another run, and Mahaney and Matador senior forward Grady Lewis traded technical fouls at the 15:20 mark after jawing with each other after Mahaney’s second consecutive 3 restored the Gaucho’s lead. The lead continued to grow, getting as big as 55-42 with 9:22 to play in the game. 

The Matadors hung around, though, with their primary scoring coming from an unexpected source. Senior guard Larry Hughes II was held to just 12 points in 39 minutes, well short of his usual 19 points per game. His backcourt running mate, senior guard Josiah Davis, took over the game in his place, putting up career highs of 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Davis’s aggression in getting downhill and knack for drawing fouls gave Northridge the fire they needed to stay in the game — with just over a minute remaining, Davis’s free throws drew the Matadors level at 69 points apiece. 

Freshman guard CJ Shaw hit a huge 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to put the Gauchos back up by 3 points, and Mahaney’s two free throws a possession later looked to have sealed the win. However, Hughes II delivered when it mattered with a big 3 coming out of a timeout, and the Gauchos were sent to the line immediately after the inbound to preserve precious seconds on the clock. 

Mahaney knocked down two more free throws, but O’Garro hit a layup with 14 seconds remaining to draw the Matadors back into a one-possession game at 76-74. A costly turnover by Shaw under the Matador’s basket saw Lewis get a wide open layup for his first points of the night, tying the game at 76. Mahaney had a chance to win the game, but a controversial no-call as he hit the deck on a fadeaway jumper sent the game to overtime. 

The Gauchos couldn’t find any rhythm in the bonus period, with a Mahaney 3-pointer the only field goal the home team could muster. Davis added 5 points to his tally for the Matadors, and sophomore guard Zion Sensley couldn’t score a game winning 3 as the final buzzer sounded, eliciting a storming of the court from the Northridge bench. 

Shaw led the way on offense for the Gauchos, scoring 22 to go with 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Mahaney scored 19, with all 5 of his field goals coming from beyond the arc, while junior forward Colin Smith and McGhee IV added 16 and 13 points, respectively. Sensley’s cold 2-for-11 night from the field (1-for-9 from 3-point range) nullified one of head coach Joe Pasternack’s most reliable scorers on a night he was desperately needed to combat one of the Big West’s premier offensive teams. 

The Gauchos drop to fourth in the Big West as Northridge leapfrogs them for the third seed as the season winds down. The Matadors are the second team to sweep the regular season series with Santa Barbara, joining UC Davis on a list of teams that could prove to be a worrying opponent in the Big West playoffs come March. 

Pasternack and his squad will return home to face UC Riverside on Feb. 26 back at the Thunderdome, with a win desperately needed against the 4-12 Highlanders to enhance their chances at clawing back a first-round bye in the Big West Tournament.