Muristek
The UCSB men’s basketball team (4-2) made the trip across the country to Pittsburgh, Penn., to take on the Duquesne University Dukes for the first time in the history of these programs. Despite the effort put in by the Gauchos throughout the game, they were not able to leave the Keystone State with a win, dropping their second road game of the season 72-61 to the Dukes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos came out strong in the first seven minutes, going basket for basket with the Atlantic 10’s Duquesne. But once the Dukes grabbed a three-pointer, the Gauchos fell behind and could not come back. The Gauchos tried to create a consistent rhythm on offense, but they would get shut down by the Duquesne, resulting in a 37-27 score at the half.
From there, UCSB came back on the court with a new sense of urgency. They chipped away at the Dukes’ lead, down by only four with seven minutes left in the game. However, Duquesne went on a run at the end of the second half, suffocating the Gauchos’ spark. Even with a last-minute push, UCSB could not close the gap, losing this game 72-61 to Duquesne.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
– Josh Pierre-Louis has been phenomenal since returning from injury, and he continued that success into this game. The senior guard from Plainfield, N.J., led the Gauchos with 15 points in the game, going seven-for-nine from the field. Along with that, he earned a team-high nine rebounds.
– Following up close behind Pierre-Louis was grad transfer Andre Kelly. He helped the Gauchos by earning 14 points and blocking a shot.
– Two other Gauchos secured 10 points apiece, Miles Norris and Ajay Mitchell. Norris commanded the offense by tallying a team-high five assists while shooting 50 percent from the field.
– As a team, the Gauchos caused Duquesne to turn over the ball 16 times while only allowing them six second chance opportunities throughout the game.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will be back in The Thunderdome this Saturday, Dec. 3, as they welcome the Tigers of the University of the Pacific to Santa Barbara for a non-conference contest. Tipoff will be at 2 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+ and live stats through ucsbgauchos.com.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
sports@newspress.com
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