{"id":82405,"date":"2025-12-05T05:53:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T05:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/82405\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T05:53:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T05:53:08","slug":"beach-falls-in-overtime-at-uc-santa-barbara-in-big-west-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/82405\/","title":{"rendered":"Beach Falls In Overtime At UC Santa Barbara In Big West Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. \u2013 Gavin Sykes<\/a> hit a clutch three as part of 24 second-half points to force overtime on the road at UC Santa Barbara, but a free throw advantage down the stretch favored the home team as the Beach fell 84-77 in overtime.
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\nA thrilling contest that was tight throughout featured 17 lead changes and 15 ties, a matchup that was deserving of the extra minutes. The main difference on the night came at the free throw line, as UC Santa Barbara (7-2, 1-0 Big West) made 32 of their 38 free throws, while Long Beach State (2-7, 0-1 Big West) only shot 24 in total, making 19 on the evening.
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\nComing down the stretch, UC Santa Barbara was able to open up a four-point lead on a pair of free throws from Adrian Mahaney. The Beach turned to their hot hand, freshman Gavin Sykes<\/a>, who had gotten going in the second half and cut the lead to one with a three. After two more free throws, Long Beach State found Sykes again, who buried a shot from the top of the key to tie the game at 67, and a late heave from Mahaney was no good as the game moved to overtime.
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\nA Mahaney bucket and a pair of Gaucho free throws gave UCSB an early edge in the overtime for a four-point lead, but Derrick Michael Xzavierro<\/a> tipped out a second chance to Shaquil Bender<\/a>, who had a highlight dunk for a three-point play to cut the lead to one. A four-point play by Colin Smith turned the tide for the Gauchos, pushing their lead to 78-72, and UCSB closed out the game by making six straight free throws down the stretch to finish off the game.
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\nMahaney finished with a game-high 26 points, going 11-for-11 from the free throw line, while Smith finished with 18, going 10-for-11 from the line. Sykes had 24 points for Long Beach State, all in the second half, while Bender added 19 off of the bench for the Beach. Petar Majstorovic<\/a> was also in double-figures for the Beach with 12 points, while Xzavierro was close to a double-double with 8 points and 10 rebounds on Thursday night.
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\nBold Week continues with a home game on Saturday for Long Beach State, as the Beach hosts UC San Diego at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ from the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
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