Gaucho Basketball Team Suffers Two Road Losses over Holiday Break

Jeff Newton:

Give Bob Williams credit, he clearly cares about his players. Following their tough home loss against San Diego State on December 5th, the men’s team didn’t suit up again until after finals. The favorable schedule allowed players to buckle down, hit the books and pass some tests. Hopefully they excelled in the classroom, because their rust showed on the hardwood. The scholar athletes can use the time they spent on political science, chemistry and economics as an excuse for why they forget how to shoot and defend the perimeter. The damage: two double digit road losses and a laundry list of questions as the (now) 4-4 team’s non-conference schedule nears its conclusion.

The Gauchos twelve day break ended with a visit to Montana State on December 18th. UCSB shot less than 40 percent from the floor and surrendered ten three pointers to the host Bobcats. Montana State junior guard Erik Rush led all scorers with 17 points while James Nunnally, coming off the bench, led UCSB with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Orlando Johnson added 12 points and James Powell contributed 9 points off of three 3 pointers. Montana State led 34-29 at the half and pulled away early in the second frame, sparked by a 10-3 run. The Big Sky conference leaders cruised to a 76-64 victory. Williams’ roster dropped to 4-3.

On Monday night, the Gauchos fizzled against the biggest name on their schedule. The Arizona State Sun Devils, a six seed in last year’s NCAA tournament, broke the game open in the first half with one simple strategy; let Rihards Kuksiks shoot the ball. Kuksiks, a junior jump shooting specialist from Riga, Latvia, drained seven three balls in the first half alone. He finished with eight three pointers, just two shy of the Pac 10 record, and 24 points on 8-17 shooting. As a team, ASU nailed 15 shots from beyond the arc. UCSB, on the other hand, struggled mightily on offense. They managed a feeble 36.2 field goal percentage, which included a shoddy 30 percent night from three point range. Johnson, with 16 points, provided the Gauchos’ lone bright spot on offense. No other UCSB player added more than five points as ASU prevailed in the laugher, 69-42. The Sun Devils, who led 37-20 at intermission, improved to 9-3 on the season. The Big West visitors left Tempe licking their wounds.

With conference play less than two weeks away, UCSB must address some glaring statistics. For starters, they’ve dropped four straight games, three of which have come by double digits. Their next game, against Furman on December 28th, will mark the one month anniversary since their last victory. During this tough stretch, they’ve shot more than forty percent on just one occasion. They’ve also scored just 58.8 points per game in these contests; they averaged 79 a game in their four wins. They’re tied with Cal State Fullerton for the fifth best non-conference record among Big West teams. They faced the teeth of their early schedule, and faltered. We’ll learn more about this squad in the new calendar year, where they open conference play with five of eight games at home. The high fives and high point totals have, at least for the moment, faded away. Winter quarter can’t come soon enough for the struggling Gauchos.