Dec. 18, 2002
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -
Nick Jones scored 21 points and had eight rebounds, and Cecil Brown added 15 points, to lead UC Santa Barbara past Westmont College on Wednesday, 74-63.
UCSB piled-up a 13-point lead with 9:56 remaining in the game, but the Warriors clawed back, getting to within 59-57 with 3:29 to go. The Gauchos, however, led by Jones and Brown, who combined for 30 of the team's 43 second half points, pulled away in the closing minutes to ice the win.
Jones, who leads UCSB in scoring and rebounding this season, made 6-of-13 shots from the field and all eight of his free throws. Brown, a freshman, is averaging 5.7 points per game and tonight he made 5-of-9 shots overall and 2-of-5 from three-point range. Mark Hull was the only other UCSB player to score in double-figures, finishing with 11 despite missing all five of his three-point attempts.
While the game was an exhibition for the Gauchos, it counted for Westmont, an NAIA program. The Warriors, now 5-3 on the year, were led by forward Chris Clark and Mitch Pierce who each scored 16 points. Guard Kevin Blomstrom added 14.
The Gauchos, which are 3-4 on the year, will return to the court on Saturday, December 21, when they travel to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU. The Cougars are currently riding an NCAA-best 34-game home winning streak. The game, originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (PST) has been moved to 4:00 p.m. (PST) to accomodate graduation ceremonies.
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