In the absence of star point guard Ajay Mitchell, the UCSB men’s basketball team faced an uphill battle against visiting Portland State in its season opener.
The Gauchos struggled with turnovers and failed to replicate Mitchell’s late-game heroics in a 82-76 loss on Thursday night at the Thunderdome.
“Kudos to Portland State, they play really hard. The coach does a great job,” said UCSB coach Joe Pasternack. “I’m just thankful for the students and fans that came. They packed this place. It was awesome. It’s actually what I envision this place to be. To build a great home court advantage. Unfortunately we didn’t give them a lot to cheer about.”