Month: December 2025

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – It was not a relaxing ‘Beach’ day for the Gauchos.

UCSB blew a late four point lead in regulation but recovered in time to beat Long Beach State in overtime 84-77 in the Big West opener for both teams.

Colin Smith scored eight of his 18 points in overtime including a 4-point play that put UCSB up 77-72 with 2:36 to play in the extra session.

10 of the 17 points scored in overtime by the Gauchos came at the free throw line. For the game UCSB went 32-for-38 from the charity stripe including 11-for-11 from Aidan Mahaney who finished with a game-high 26 points.

The Gauchos improve to 7-2 on the season while Long Beach State dropped to 2-7.

Freshman Gavin Sykes led The Beach with 24 points including back-to-back three-pointers in the final 40 seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime tied at 67.

UCSB starting point guard Miro Little did not play the entire second half and overtime after injuring his foot. He was on the bench cheering his teammates on and he told KEYT Sports Director Mike Klan that he “tweaked” his foot.

The Gauchos host Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday at 6pm.

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Mike Klan

FULLERTON, Calif. (KEYT) – Sophomore guard Peter Bandelj finished with a career high 37 points – including breaking the Cal Poly men’s basketball program single-game record with nine three-pointers – as the Mustangs sank 18 total three-pointers to open Big West play with a 94-91 victory at Cal State Fullerton.

Sophomore guard Hamad Mousa added 27 points for Cal Poly (5-5, 1-0), which trailed Cal State Fullerton, 52-49, with 18 minutes to play before Bandelj hit three-pointers of successive possessions to place the Mustangs in front. Mousa followed with a layup before Bandelj nailed his seventh three-pointer of the night to hand the Mustangs their first double-digit lead.

A Mousa three-pointer – one of four drained against the Titans – stretched Cal Poly’s advantage as far as 79-61 with seven-and-a-half minutes to play.

The Titans, however, kept Cal Poly scoreless the next three minutes to close their deficit to single digits. Cal State Fullerton eventually cut the gap to 83-79 with 99 seconds left after guard Kiwane Garris, Jr. converted a three-point play before a three-pointer by guard Jaden Henderson with 37 seconds to go trimmed the deficit to two.

Cal State Fullerton twice came within a point of Cal Poly’s lead in the final minute but, with the Titans forced to foul to regain possession, Bandelj and junior guard Jake Davis each knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Mustangs in front.

During a game that featured 10 lead changes (with the Mustangs trailing for just two combined minutes), Cal Poly shot 49.1 (27-for-55) percent from the floor and 48.6 (18-for-37) percent from three-point range.

Guard Guzman Vasilic matched a season high with 15 points for Cal Poly while fellow sophomore Cayden Ward finished with 11. Mousa led Cal Poly with seven rebounds while senior Luka Tarlac produced a career high six assists.

Up Next: Cal Poly continues Big West play and closes Bold Week when hosting UC Riverside on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. inside Mott Athletics Center. Cal Poly seeks its first back-to-back wins to open Big West play since starting the 2013-14 season 3-0.The Thursday victory marked Cal Poly’s first win in a Big West opener since defeating CSUN, 67-57, on Dec. 29, 2022.Cal Poly’s 18 total three-pointers tied for the fourth highest single game figure in program history. The Mustangs twice hit 18 three-pointers last season while the program record remains 21.Scoring in double digits in all nine appearances, Hamad Mousa remained second among Big West players at 19.3 points per game.Enjoying his seventh double-digit scoring game of the year, Bandelj now sits third among Big West scorers with 17.9 points per game.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly)

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Mike Klan

LONG BEACH STATE, Calif. (KEYT) – UCSB was on target to begin Big West play.

The visiting Gauchos made 14 three-pointers to run their win streak to six games, beating Long Beach State 67-52.

UCSB is 7-1 on the season.

Jessica Grant made five three-pointers and finished with a team-high 15 points.

Zoe Borter drilled 3 three-pointers and had 14 points while Zoe Shaw scored all 12 of her points with 4 made three-pointers.

FROM HEAD COACH RENEE JIMENEZ”We executed offensively with great shooting and 19 assists on 23 field goals. But we’ve got to improve our rebounding and learn how to close out games if we want to reach our potential,” Jimenez said. “Defensively, there were stretches where we lost focus, and those moments add up in tight games. The encouraging part is that everything we need to fix is within our control. If we stay committed to the little things like finishing possessions, communicating, and staying poised late, we’ll put ourselves in position to continue to win consistently.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDThe first quarter was even throughout and ended in a 20-20 tie. The teams went tit-for-tat across the court, taking turns putting the ball in the basket. It was here that Jessica Grant began her three-pointer campaign, making two to keep the Gauchos on pace with the Beach.

In the second, the Gauchos moved quickly. After a short-lived tie at 25-25, they embarked on a 12-0 run that featured two threes from Grant and no points from the Beach.

The third quarter saw a 20 point lead by Santa Barbara at 53-33 and a final score of 60-43. Zoe Shaw nabbed six points while Grant made her final three of the game. Both teams went on seven-point runs during the fourth, but there were little additional points. In the end, the Gauchos took it 67-52 for their third consecutive win over Long Beach State.

Grant led the Gauchos in points for the first time this season, depositing 15 from five three-pointers. Zoe Borter logged 13 and also had an impressive three-point shot showing, as the forward made three out of five attempts. Shaw went 80% from long-range, sinking four of five attempts.

Olivia Bradley had a game-high eight rebounds, while Maddie Naro had a game-high eight assists. As a team, Santa Barbara drilled 14 of 28 three-point attempts to shoot 50% from the arc and four Gauchos scored double digits.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos will take on Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2:00 p.m. for their second road conference game.

(UCSB Athletics contributed to this article)

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Mike Klan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – Big West champion Cal Poly upended the No. 5 seed BYU Cougars in a five-set thriller in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship on Thursday at the Galen Center on the campus of Southern California.

Cal Poly (26-7) registered 64 kills with a hitting percentage of .313, while also recording 72 digs while outblocking their opponents from Provo 12-5. The Mustangs maintained a 7-4 edge at the service line including the night’s final point to claim the win, taking sets 1, 4 and 5 to advance. This marks the Mustangs fourth Power 4 win of the season, twice taking down ranked foes from the Big 12.

By defeating fifth-seeded and 22nd-ranked BYU in the Kentucky quadrant, the Mustangs advance to play host and No. 4 seed USC on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. Cal Poly has now won their first round game in consecutive NCAA appearances, taking the win over Georgia in 2019.

Cal Poly secured the first set with a decisive 25-19 win. The Mustangs were led by sophomore outside hitter Kendall Beshear, who contributed two critical blocks that stifled BYU’s momentum, and Big West Championship MVP Chloe Leluge, who delivered key kills, including one that tied the score at 10-10. Redshirt senior setter Emme Bullis facilitated the offense with multiple assists, setting up Charlotte Kelly and Emma Fredrick for pivotal points. Cal Poly’s efficiency was further highlighted by their ability to convert on BYU’s service errors, which aided in maintaining their lead.

In the second set, BYU evened the score with strong offensive play to secure a 25-17 set win. Brielle Kemavor and Big 12 Freshman of the Year Suli Davis led a decisive stretch of points for the Cougars, each contributing multiple kills with Kemavor’s final point ending the frame. Cal Poly fought hard in the third set but was unable to overcome BYU, falling 25-20. Kelly and Beshear led the attack with crucial kills, helping the Mustangs stay within reach, with a two-point game seen after key points for Beshear to make it 17-15 and 19-17, but the Cougars were able to close strong to take the lead in the match.

Cal Poly secured a decisive fourth set victory, 25-20, to force a fifth set. Bullis orchestrated the Mustangs’ attack with numerous assists, including pivotal kills by Annabelle Thalken and Leluge, who each contributed multiple points with the Cal Poly defense getting critical blocks from Kelly and Beshear. Cal Poly closed with the final four points in the fourth to gain the momentum heading into the deciding set.

The battle in the fifth opened with teams trading the point and the lead in the early-goings of the match. After a successful BYU challenge set the score at 3-3, the Mustangs rallied to take the next point off a strike from Beshear and never looked back. The match was ended on an ace for junior Emma Fredrick to send the team stampeding into the second round.

Bullis directed the Mustangs’ offense with 52 assists with Beshear emerging as the offensive cog, recording 20 kills on .383 hitting with with 12 digs, four total blocks – including two solo stuffs – and a pair of aces. Fredrick added 15 kills and 10 digs for the double-double with Elif Hurriyet anchoring the defense while popping up 16 digs. Kelly and Leluge were both in on five blocks as six players on the Cal Poly roster were able to notch multiple denials in the strong play at the net.

Davis paced the Cougars’ offensive efforts in the loss with 18 kills, while Kemavor added 15 kills and three blocks. BYU caps their season at 22-9 overall.

(Article courtesy of Big West)

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