RENO, Nev. — The chilly spell that froze UC Santa Barbara’s prime two scorers out of Monday’s basketball sport in opposition to Loyola Marymount confirmed no indicators of abating in a Saturday afternoon matinee at Nevada.
Colin Smith and Aidan Mahaney mixed to make simply 5-of-24 pictures because the Gauchos suffered their second-straight defeat, 77-64, at the Wolfpack’s Lawlor Events Center.
UCSB (3-2), whose 38.6% capturing from three-point vary this season ranked forty fifth nationally, made solely 29.2% (7-of-24) as a staff on Saturday. The Gauchos shot simply 40.4% total whereas committing 15 turnovers.
“It really affects our defense, it looked like to me tonight,” coach Joe Pasternack mentioned of the poor capturing. “Our offense wasn’t clicking, and 15 turnovers makes it actually exhausting to beat anyone on the street.
“This week has been tough. We played two really good teams.”
Nevada (4-2) snapped a two-game shedding streak which included a 75-71 residence defeat to the Big West Conference’s UC Davis on Tuesday.
The Wolfpack reversed its fortunes by moving into the Gauchos defensively with 11 steals. It transformed UCSB’s 15 turnovers into 24 largely fast-break factors to inflate its personal capturing accuracy to 47.9%.
“It’s a good learning experience coming into a Mountain West school,” Pasternack mentioned. “They’re an excellent staff with an excellent entrance line, and so they’ve obtained some big-time guards that we couldn’t guard.
“They were better than us.”
The failure of UCSB’s man-to-man protection to cease dribble penetration continued to be a serious Achilles heel. All 4 of the Gauchos’ Division 1 opponents this season have had a guard rating a career-high complete of at least 27 factors in opposition to them.
Nevada’s Cory Camper Jr. was the newest. The 6-foot-5 switch from UTEP reached 27 on Saturday by making 9-of-14 pictures, 4-of-7 threes, and 5-of-6 free throws. He additionally had three steals.
He was a contented Camper in opposition to the Gauchos final yr, as nicely, when he scored 13 factors for UTEP in its 79-76 win at the Thunderdome.
“He’s a stud,” Pasternack mentioned.
Smith got here into the sport as UCSB’s main scorer with an 18.0-point common and because the No. 3 three-point shooter in the nation with an accuracy of 63.6%.
Mahaney was averaging 15.0 factors on 45.8% capturing from three.
But they had been a mixed 2-for-10 from three through the second half on Monday when the Gauchos blew a 14-point lead in a 78-74, extra time loss to Loyola Marymount at the Thunderdome.
Their misfires continued all through most of Saturday’s sport in Reno. They mixed to make simply 3-of-14 threes. Mahaney completed with 10 factors on 4-of-16 capturing whereas Smith scored six factors, making simply 1-of-8 pictures.
Smith’s solely basket got here on a 3 with only one minute remaining and the sport lengthy determined.
Pasternack was extra disillusioned that, for the second-straight sport, the 6-foot-8 junior ahead obtained solely three rebounds.
“At the end of the day, you can’t just rely on a three-point shot,” he mentioned. “Everybody will get excited that he was (third) in the nation in three-point capturing, however you’ve got to have the ability to defend, rebound and drive the ball to the put up, and get different issues, when your three-point shot isn’t falling.
“It’s form of like (former Gaucho and Boston Celtic) Miles Norris. It took Miles Norris a very long time to know which you could’t simply depend on your three.
“That’s not going to work.”
The Gauchos turned over their first two possessions on Saturday, giving the Wolfpack a pair of straightforward layups to begin the sport.
Nevada led 13-4 after 6½ minutes when Elijah Price’s basket cashed in one other UCSB turnover.
The Gauchos missed their first 5 three-point makes an attempt. Miro Little lastly ended the drought with 11:23 to go in the primary half. The junior level guard from Finland led UCSB with 13 factors, six rebounds and 4 assists. Mahaney additionally had 4 assists.
Zion Sensley scored back-to-back baskets — one on a layup off Hosana Kitenge’s high-post go and the following a protracted two-pointer — to get the Gauchos to inside 18-13.
UCSB was simply 3-of-11 from three till Little and Marvin McGhee IV hit back-to-back bombs in a 37-second span to whittle the Wolfpack’s result in simply 24-22.
McGhee, a switch who shot 47.1% from three for Cal State Bakersfield final yr, made his Gaucho debut on Monday after lacking the primary three video games with a foot damage.
“We’ve got to figure out how he fits into our rotation,” Pasternack mentioned. “This sport was only a step in determining totally different mixtures.
“That’s what nonconference is for, to get ready for conference play and figure out how we can be at our best and be with the best combination of guys.”
Kitenge’s layup off Little’s behind-the-back go and Smith’s free throw capped a 12-3 run that gave UCSB its solely lead, 25-24, with 2:02 left in the primary half.
“We played a decent first half, but our offense affected our defense in the second half,” Pasternack mentioned.
Camper outscored UCSB 8-3 all by himself for the final two minutes of the primary half, sending Nevada into the locker room with a 32-28 lead.
Camper saved his fireplace going in the second half, scoring 10 factors in the primary seven-plus minutes to increase the Wolfpack margin to 53-39.
Kitenge, a 6-8 and 242-pound switch from the University of Louisiana, tried to rally the Gauchos by scoring 9 of his 12 factors through the closing 12 minutes, however UCSB might get no nearer than eight factors.
“Hosana played hard,” Pasternack mentioned. “He had 4 turnovers, was 2-of-6 from the free-throw line, and that basically damage him, however he performed exhausting.
“We’re just trying to find some guys who have some energy. Some passion.”
The Gauchos will return residence for a 6 p.m. sport on Monday in opposition to Buena Park’s Nobel University. The Knights, coached by former UCSB level guard Les Bean, compete in the small-college National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Gauchos will get solely two extra Division 1 tune-ups — at the Resorts World Las Vegas Classic on November 28 and 29 — earlier than starting Big West play.
“Every game is great for us to figure out different combinations and figure out where we’re going to go from there,” Pasternack mentioned.
UCSB will open convention with residence video games on Dec. 4 in opposition to Long Beach State and Dec. 6 in opposition to Cal State Bakersfield.