Cal State Fullerton can’t catch UCSB in Big West Tournament title game
Ajay Mitchell scores 14 of his 20 points in the second half and the Gauchos pull away late for a 72-62 win that clinches the conference’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris drives to the basket as UC Santa Barbara forward Andre Kelly defends during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio, left, is fouled from behind by UC Santa Barbara’s Matija Belic during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s Jalen Harris handles the ball as UC Santa Barbara’s Calvin Wishart defends during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton’s Lathaniel Bastian, left, and UC Santa Barbara’s Andre Kelly battle for a rebound during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton’s Tory San Antonio (23) defends UC Santa Barbara’s Calvin Wishart during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor talks to his team from the sidelines during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris drives to the net as UC Santa Barbara forward Evans Kipruto, center right, defends during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s John Mikey Square, right, pressures UC Santa Barbara’s Matija Belic during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton guard Jalen Harris drives to the basket as UC Santa Barbara forward Andre Kelly defends during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s John Mikey Square fouls UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternack directs his team from the sidelines during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. drives with the ball while defended by UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara’s Calvin Wilshart handles the ball as Cal State Fullerton’s Grayson Carper defends during the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio (23) shoots while defended by UC Santa Barbara forward Miles Norris during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton players head to the locker room after the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara guard Calvin Wishart shoots while defended by Cal State Fullerton guard Grayson Carper during the second half of their Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s Jalen Harris gets to the basket for a layup during the Big West Tournament championship game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
Cal State Fullerton’s Latrell Wrightsell Jr., center, and UC Santa Barbara’s Josh Pierre-Louis, right, watch a rebound bounce away during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell, right, drives to the basket while being defended by Cal State Fullerton forward Vincent Lee during the second half of their Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s Latrell Wrightsell Jr. celebrates a play during the Big West Tournament championship game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara guard Calvin Wishart, front, and Cal State Fullerton guard Tory San Antonio scramble for the ball during the second half of their Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara’s Andre Kelly puts up a shot during the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell shoots as Cal State Fullerton forward Lathaniel Bastian defends during the second half of their Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s Latrell Wrightsell Jr. drives past UC Santa Barbara’s Josh Pierre-Louis, right, during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell considers his options as Cal State Fullerton defenders close in on him during the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell, top, falls on Cal State Fullerton’s Lathaniel Bastian during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara’s Miles Norris, left, and Josh Pierre-Louis talk during a break in the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton’s Latrell Wrightsell Jr. handles the ball as UC Santa Barbara’s Ajay Mitchell defends during the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell drives past Cal State Fullerton forward Lathaniel Bastian during the second half of their Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara players celebrate on the bench during the final moments of their victory over Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Cal State Fullerton’s Tory San Antonio, bottom, and UC Santa Barbara’s Andre Kelly battle for a loose ball during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara’s Calvin Wishart calls out a play during the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara square off during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara guard Calvin Wishart (10) and teammates on the bench celebrate his 3-pointer late in the second half of their victory over Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
Players on the UC Santa Barbara bench celebrate a successful 3-point basket during the second half of the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara fans cheer during the first half of the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
Cal State Fullerton’s Grayson Carper shows some frustration during the Big West Tournament championship game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara’s Calvin Wishart shoots from outside during the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
Players on the UC Santa Barbara bench celebrate during the Big West Tournament championship game against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday night in Henderson, Nev. (Photo courtesy of the Big West Conference)
UC Santa Barbara players celebrate after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara players celebrate “punching their ticket” to the NCAA Tournament after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara players celebrate after defeating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara players and coaches celebrate after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara coach Joe Pasternak and his players celebrate after defeating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara’s Koat Keat Tong, right, celebrates with cheerleaders after the Gauchos defeated Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)
UC Santa Barbara guard Ajay Mitchell receives the Big West Tournament MVP award from Big West commissioner Dan Butterly after the Gauchos defeated Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara players and coaches celebrate after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara players and coaches celebrate after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
UC Santa Barbara players and coaches celebrate after beating Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament championship game on Saturday night in Henderson, Nevada. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)
The best player in the Big West Conference stepped up on the biggest stage at the most crucial moments on Saturday night.
Ajay Mitchell scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half to lead the second-seeded UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team to a 72-62 victory over fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the championship game of the Big West Tournament at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-5 sophomore shooting guard from Belgium who was named the Big West Player of the Year earlier in the week, was 8 for 12 from the field to help the Gauchos win the tournament for the second time in three years and secure the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Fullerton (20-13) brought an eight-game winning streak into its fourth tournament final in the past five seasons after reaching the championship game just once between 1989 and 2018.
“To be in the championship game four out of the past five years, it speaks volumes of our program and it speaks volumes for the guys in that locker room,” said Fullerton coach Dedrique Taylor, who was hired in March of 2013. “Not just this team, but previous teams, all the way back to when we started. Those guys built something for us and these guys are just continuing the tradition.”
The Titans received a solid performance from junior shooting guard Max Jones, who finished with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting. Tory San Antonio contributed 15 points and nine rebounds and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. also scored 15 but was just 6 for 17 from the floor.
Playing for the third time in three days, the Titans did not receive any points from their reserves.
“I don’t know that this group had enough to contend with Santa Barbara’s depth,” said Taylor, whose team won the 10-team tournament last year. “A lot of plays that we would normally make, they didn’t go our way tonight.”
The Titans took their last lead 50-49 on a jump shot by Wrightsell with 7:39 left. Mitchell put the Gauchos right back ahead with the 16th and final lead change of the game.
Fullerton was still within one point with five minutes left when Mitchell scored six points during an 8-0 run that put UCSB ahead 63-54 with 2:10 left.
The Gauchos (27-7) went 6 for 8 from the line in the final minute to hold off the Titans.
Jones scored seven points in a 9-0 run that gave the Titans an early 9-3 lead.
Taylor said Jones didn’t get enough credit during the season for being the impact player that he was for Fullerton.
“For the coaches to vote him honorable mention is extremely disrespectful, but it’s on par with how the other coaches treat us in this conference,” Taylor said. “Max is a helluva player. Not just tonight, but throughout the whole year. He might not show up in the stats, but what he does on the floor, it’s unbelievable what he does in terms of his impact and his contributions to our ball club and to our program. We’re not where we are without him. Not tonight and not throughout the course of this season.”
Wrightsell went to the bench with his second foul with 12:12 remaining in the opening half, and Jones picked up his second foul with 11:04 remaining, but he stayed in the game.
Wrightsell returned with about seven minutes left and hit a floater to give Fullerton a 21-20 lead.
The Gauchos put together an 8-0 run to take their biggest lead of the opening half at 30-24 with 2:26 remaining.
Jalen Harris hit the only 3-pointer of the first half on seven attempts for the Titans to cut the lead to three, and Wrightsell went end-to-end after stealing a pass to cut the deficit to 32-31 with a minute left.
“What these guys have endured the last 17-20 days, only playing one game, and then being in the championship game of this conference tournament, speaks volumes about the character that’s in that locker room,” Taylor said. “It speaks volumes about the leadership that’s in that room. I can’t say enough words about what this group has done.”
Calvin Wishart had 16 points and seven rebounds for UCSB, while Cole Anderson had 11 points, Mile Norris added 10 points and Andre Kelly had nine points and 10 rebounds.
UCSB outscored Fullerton from 3-point range, going 7 for 17 from behind the arc while the Titans were just 2 for 14.
UCSB will learn the day, time and opponent for its first NCAA Tournament game when the pairings are released on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. on CBS (Ch. 2)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Not surprisingly, Mitchell was named the tournament MVP. He was joined on the six-player all-tournament team by teammate Miles Norris, Fullerton’s Wrightsell and San Antonio, UC Irvine’s Dawson Baker and UC Riverside’s Flynn Cameron.
