SANTA BARBARA — Gavin Sykes scored all 24 of his points after halftime, including a 3-pointer to force overtime, but Long Beach State lost to UC Santa Barbara, 84-77, in the Big West Conference opener for both teams on Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
Shaquil Bender added 19 points for Long Beach (2-7 overall, 0-1 Big West), while Petar Majstorovic added 12 points and two steals and Derrick Michael Xzavierro had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Aidan Mahaney had a game-high 26 points and six rebounds to lead UCSB (7-2, 1-0). Colin Smith added 18 points and three steals, and Zion Sensley shot 4 for 7 from 3-point range on his way to 14 points.
The game was tight throughout, with 17 lead changes and 15 ties, but the Gauchos made the most of an advantage at the free-throw line – going 32 for 38 at the stripe while LBSU shot 19 for 24.
Coming down the stretch in regulation, UCSB held a four-point lead after a pair of free throws from Mahaney. Long Beach got back within one at 65-64 on a Sykes 3-pointer with 24 seconds left. After two more free throws from Mahaney with 17 seconds to play, Sykes buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score at 67-all with eight seconds left. A late heave from Mahaney was no good as the game headed to overtime.
A Mahaney basket and a pair of Gaucho free throws gave UCSB an early four-point lead in the extra period, but Xzavierro tipped out a second chance to Bender, who had a highlight-reel dunk as part of a three-point play with 3:30 left. A four-point play by Smith turned the tide for the Gauchos, extending their lead to 78-72 with 2:38 remaining, and UCSB secured the win by making six straight free throws down the stretch.
Mahaney made all 11 of his free throws, while Smith shot 10 for 11 from the line.
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LBSU hosts UC San Diego on Saturday at 6 p.m.