SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Alan Williams scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as UC Santa Barbara broke away in the final four minutes to hold off Vermont, 64-57 in a non-conference game Friday night.
The teams took turns with the lead throughout the second half in the first meeting between the schools. The Gauchos (6-7) took a four-point lead at intermission, but Vermont rallied in the second half and Ethan O’Day tied the game at 33-33 with 17:23 left.
Kurt Steidl’s layup with 4:24 left gave the Catamounts a 54-52 lead, but Eric Childress’ layup less than a minute later put Santa Barbara in front for good, 56-54.
The Gauchos closed the game on a 12-3 run, with Williams adding a pair of free throws and a layup during the run.
John Green had 18 points for Santa Barbara while O’Day paced Vermont (5-8) with 11 points.