SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Interstat) — UC Santa Barbara defeated Oakland 90-67 in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game on Saturday at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos improved to 2-0, while the Golden Grizzlies fell to 0-3. Attendance was 2,106. UC Santa Barbara used a balanced offensive effort and a decisive second-half run to turn a close game into a comfortable home victory. Oakland, which had lost its first two games of the season, stayed within striking distance early before the Gauchos pulled away after halftime. The Gauchos never trailed after halftime and led by double digits for most of the second half.

Oakland opened with energy from the perimeter. Nassim Mashhour hit a 3-pointer at the 19:27 mark of the first half, and he connected again from beyond the arc less than a minute later to give the Golden Grizzlies an early lead. Chris Fields added a layup and later a 3-point jump shot as Oakland traded baskets with UC Santa Barbara. Eric Dibami kept the Gauchos close inside with two early layups, and CJ Shaw made two free throws to tie the game at 8. Mashhour’s third 3-pointer of the first half gave Oakland an 11-8 edge, but UC Santa Barbara answered with free throws from Dibami and a 3-pointer from Aidan Mahaney. Hamoudy Mashhour also made a 3-pointer for Oakland, and Fields remained active around the basket. The Gauchos began to settle in defensively and used a late first-half surge to take control.

UC Santa Barbara took its first meaningful lead on RJ Smith’s 3-point jump shot with 10:40 remaining in the first half. Viljami Vartiainen then made a jump shot and a 3-pointer as the Gauchos moved ahead. Oakland stayed close with free throws from Warren Marshall and a layup by Fields, but Vartiainen hit another 3-pointer to push the margin to 24-20. Miro Little made a free throw, and CJ Shaw converted a layup. Oakland’s RJ Taylor made a 3-pointer, yet UC Santa Barbara closed the half with a Michael Simcoe 3-pointer and a Vartiainen layup. The Gauchos led 38-27 at halftime, a run that set the tone for the second half.

UC Santa Barbara quickly extended the lead after halftime. Miro Little made a 3-pointer on the first possession of the second half, and CJ Shaw followed with another 3-pointer. Oakland tried to keep pace as Ryder Bradley made a 3-pointer and Warren Marshall scored inside, but the Gauchos answered each time. Vartiainen caught fire from beyond the arc, making three 3-pointers in a span of just over three minutes. His final 3-pointer of that stretch pushed UC Santa Barbara ahead 61-43, and he added a free throw after the shot. Aidan Mahaney then made a layup, and the Gauchos had built a 64-43 advantage. Oakland’s Nassim Mashhour scored on a free throw, a jump shot and a 3-pointer to cut into the deficit, but UC Santa Barbara had too much offense. CJ Shaw made a layup, Marvin McGhee made a 3-pointer and a layup, and Mahaney hit another 3-pointer as the Gauchos pulled away. Antonio Chol added two late 3-pointers to help UC Santa Barbara finish the game strongly. Camden Thompson made a layup and a free throw for Oakland in the final minute, and Isaiah Theodile scored on a layup and a jump shot in the last two minutes. Marco John Wuol made a tip-in and Jordan Charles made two free throws for the Gauchos as the benches emptied late.

UC Santa Barbara shot 30 of 58 from the floor, including 18 of 29 from three-point range, and made 12 of 18 free throws. Oakland shot 23 of 49 overall, 10 of 22 from beyond the arc, and 11 of 16 from the line. The Gauchos had nine offensive rebounds to Oakland’s three and committed six turnovers to Oakland’s 11. UC Santa Barbara scored 12 points off turnovers and 16 fastbreak points, while Oakland had five points off turnovers and five fastbreak points. Both teams scored 22 points in the paint. Each team finished with four assists, and UC Santa Barbara recorded four blocks. Oakland was called for 19 fouls and UC Santa Barbara for 18. Oakland scored 67 points from 65 possessions, and UC Santa Barbara scored 90 from 64 possessions. Oakland’s offensive rating was 103.7, and UC Santa Barbara’s was 141.6.

Chris Fields led Oakland with 13 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. Nassim Mashhour added 19 points, three rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes. Brady Swartz finished with seven points, one rebound and one assist in 14 minutes. For UC Santa Barbara, Viljami Vartiainen scored 20 points and added three rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes. CJ Shaw had 14 points, three rebounds, one assist and one block in 27 minutes. Aidan Mahaney contributed 16 points and three assists in 28 minutes. Eric Dibami added nine points, seven rebounds and one block in 23 minutes. RJ Smith had five points, one rebound, seven assists and one block in 17 minutes. Marvin McGhee finished with five points, three rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes. Miro Little added seven points, two rebounds and eight assists in 27 minutes. Fields, a 6-foot-8 forward from Petersburg, Va., was Oakland’s top rebounder and interior scorer. Vartiainen, a 6-foot-6 guard, did most of his damage from beyond the arc. Mahaney and Shaw gave the Gauchos additional scoring punch, while Little’s eight assists helped keep the offense flowing. The Gauchos’ perimeter shooting and second-half execution powered the win as UC Santa Barbara remained unbeaten. Oakland will next visit Alabama, while UC Santa Barbara will host Nevada.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Oakland 78, UC Santa Barbara 74. Interstat’s ELO system had projected UC Santa Barbara with a 69.4 percent probability to win. UC Santa Barbara had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -13.5. The total score of 157 went under the over/under line of 150.5.