Gauchos Edge Omaha 60-59 on Opening Night

Friday, November 13

Baxter Arena

7:00 PM

Omaha

0-1

UC Santa Barbara

1-0

Team	1	2	F
UC Santa Barbara	29	31	60
Omaha	24	35	59

Gauchos Edge Omaha 60-59 on Opening Night

Nov 14, 2015 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Omaha Athletics

OMAHA, Neb. -- Despite a late second-half rally, the Omaha men's basketball team dropped a season-opening 60-59 heartbreaker to UC Santa Barbara Friday night in front of 3,538 fans at Baxter Arena. The Mavericks are now 0-1 on the season, while the Gauchos improve to 1-0.

Senior forward Randy Reed II led the Mavericks with a career-high 14 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor and 8-of-8 at the line. The St. Louis, Mo., native pulled down a career-best eight rebounds and added two steals and a block.

Sophomore forward Tre'Shawn Thurman narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, adding two blocks. Senior guard Devin Patterson also had a double-figure scoring night with 10 points alongside two assists, two steals and a board.

Freshman guard JT Gibson also had an outstanding performance off the bench, scoring eight points with two key 3-pointers that helped Omaha close in on the Gauchos in the second half.

UCSB was led by a double-double from John Green, who had 22 points and 13 rebounds, along with three assists, three steals and a block. Gabe Vincent chipped in 16 points with a pair of threes.

The two teams were nearly identical in shooting, as Omaha finished at .347 (17-of-49) from the floor while the Gauchos came in at .349 (22-of-63). The Mavericks struggled at the line, shooting .629 (22-of-35) to UCSB's .750 (12-of-16). UCSB also outrebounded UNO, 43-39.

UNO shot a cold .292 (7-of-24) in the first half and was led by six points apiece from Patterson and Reed, the latter of whom went 6-for-6 at the line in the first 20 minutes of play. A back-and-forth half saw the Mavericks hold their last lead of 16-15 with 7:22 to go, before a 7-0 UCSB run made it 22-16. Four straight Reed free throws pulled the Mavs within four at 24-20, but a three by T.J. Taylor put the Gauchos up by seven again. Two more Reed foul shots and a layup by sophomore forward Daniel Meyer made it 27-24 with 11 seconds to go, but Taylor hit a jumper right before the buzzer that gave UCSB a 29-24 lead at the break.

A slow start to the second half saw UNO post just nine points in the first nine minutes play, while the Gauchos ran out to a 47-33 advantage with seven points apiece from Vincent and Green and four more from Mitch Brewe. Gibson finally broke the lull, nailing back-to-back 3-pointers, followed by back-to-back dunks from Reed, which cut the UCSB lead to four at 47-43 and started a 25-4 run over the next seven minutes. Free throws inched the Mavericks ever closer, as two by junior guard Tra-Deon Hollins made it a one-point game at 49-48.

Omaha finally tied it at 51-51 with 5:54 left on a Reed jam, then took the lead when Patterson drained a triple. Four straight free throws from Jackson and Reed extended the Mavericks' advantage to 58-51 by 4:29, but UNO managed just one more point down the stretch. Vincent hit a three for the Gauchos on the next possession, and two Childress free throws trimmed it to 58-56. A Vincent jumper got UCSB within one, and the two teams traded three missed 3-point attempts in the ensuing minute. With three seconds left, Childress tipped in a missed layup to put the Gauchos back on top 60-59. On the final possession, Reed heaved a long pass to Thurman, who put up a falling last-second shot, but time expired to give UCSB the win.

UNO continues its three-game homestand this Sunday, Nov. 15, hosting Saint Mary's (Minn.) at 4 p.m. at Baxter Arena. Gary Sharp and Grant Nieland will have the call on 1180 Zone 2, and links to live stats, audio and video will be available on OMavs.com.