SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — UC Santa Barbara used a dominant first half and relentless defense to defeat UC San Diego 62-48 in a men’s basketball game Thursday night at RIMAC Arena.

The Gauchos (14-7, 5-3 Big West) held the host Tritons (15-7, 6-3) to 22 first-half points, building a 13-point lead they never relinquished before a crowd of 3,704. UC San Diego, a pregame favorite, shot just 36% from the floor and committed 18 turnovers.

Miro Little and Zion Sensley each scored 15 points for UC Santa Barbara. Bol Dengdit led all scorers with 15 points for UC San Diego. The Tritons’ 48 points marked a season low.