SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Irvine was limited to just two free throws in the final 8:33 but was able to hold off UC Santa Barbara in a 53-52 victory at the Thunderdome Thursday night.

UCSB trailed by 14 with 8:27 to play and out-scored UCI, 15-2, the last a three-pointer by Cole Anderson to close within one with 7.4 to play. The Anteaters could not get the ball inbound and was called for a 5-second violation, handing the ball back to the Gauchos for the final possession. A UCSB three-pointer banged off the rim and Austin Johnson grabbed the rebound to secure the victory.

The Anteaters win their third consecutive game and improve to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the Big West. UCSB falls to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the conference standings.

In the first trip to the Thunderdome since Feb. 8, 2020, UCI came out on-fire, shooting 50% (13-26) from the floor in the first half. The Anteaters ended the night shooting 41.7 percent (20-48) and held the Gauchos to 31.4% mark (16-51).

Once again UCI's defense was key, holding UCSB to just 3-20 shooting from three-point range.  The Anteaters, who are second in the country in three-point defense, have held opponents to just 8-47 (.145) from beyond the arc over the last three games.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Senior Collin Welp led UCI with 17 points and eight rebounds. The forward, who had 13 points in the first half, was 6-14 from the field and 4-4 from the line
>Guard DJ Davis had nine points off the bench
>Guard Dawson Baker recorded seven points, going 3-5 from the floor
>Guards Justin Hohn and Isaiah Lee each added six points
>Forward Austin Johnson pulled down seven rebounds and a game-high three blocks
.>UCI had a season-high free throw percentage at .889 (8-9)
>UCI out-rebounded the Gauchos, 39-29
>UCSB's Amadou Sow was 9-11 from the line and ended with 17 points and 11 rebounds

FIRST HALF
>UCI jumped out to a 12-6 lead on the strength of seven Collin Welp points, a basket and two blocks by Austin Johnson and a three-pointer by Isaiah Lee at 15:35
>Another Lee three from the left corner was followed by a Welp free throw line jumper to force a Gaucho timeout, 21-10 (12:25)
>A Justin Hohn jumper was followed by a pair of free throws and a layup by DJ Davis to take the largest lead, 27-12 at 9:07
>UCSB would score five in a row to cut the Anteater lead to 10 (27-17) at 7:36
>Neither team would score a bucket for almost five minutes until Dawson Baker hit a fall away jumper at 4:27
>Another Welp basketball and a runner by Hohn rounded out the Anteater scoring. The Gauchos could only manage four free throws in the final 3:41 as UCI led at the half, 33-21

SECOND HALF
>UCSB scored the first four points out of the break until Baker drained a three from a Butler pass, 36-25 (17:30)
>After holding UCSB to 0-6 from three in the first half, the Gauchos hit two treys, the last by Calvin Wishart at 14:32 (42-35)
>A key moment was Amadou Sow heading to the basket, but was blocked from behind by Lee and led to a transition three by Davis at 13:04 (45-35)
>UCSB had 14 points in the first 5 minutes of the half then did not have another basket until Sow had a rebound put-back at 7:34 as part of a 7-0 run  to edge within 51-44 at 5:43
>Welp would hit two free throws at 3:54 then held on as UCSB had a layup and four free throws by Sow  before Anderson's three with 7.4 left.

UC IRVINE HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER
"We came on the road and got a tough victory. I don't think anyone in our group is satisfied how we closed that game, but we closed it in front of Santa Barbara and that's not easy to do."

NOTES
>UCI had 20 turnovers, second most this season
>The Anteaters' 53 points is the second lowest of the year
>Austin Johson has a league leading 41 blocks
>Bent Leuchten had a career and team best two steals to go with two points
>Collin Welp has made eight straight from the line and 15 of his last 16
>UCI is ninth nationally in scoring defense, holding its last three opponents to an average 50.6 points

UP NEXT
UCI remains on the road, heading to CSUN Saturday (Feb. 5) for a 7:00 p.m. game at the Matadome.