Nov. 28, 2008
World Vision Invitational Central | Final Stats | Postgame Notes | Quotes
NORMAL, Ill. -
UC-Santa Barbara (2-3) used a balanced scoring effort that saw 10 of its 12 dressed players record at least one point in the game to blow past Winston-Salem State (0-4), 71-58, Friday night in the opening round of the World Vision Invitational on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Winston-Salem State's 58 points scored marked the first time this season that the Rams have scored 50-or-more points in a game.
UCSB was led in scoring by Chris Devine and Paul Roemer. Devine racked up 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Roemer had a season-high 12 points.
Winston-Salem State's Isiah Tucker and Jamal Durham led all scorers in the game with 13 points apiece, while Brian Fisher also scored in double-figures with 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, which included a near-perfect 3-for-4 mark at the free throw line.
UC-Santa Barbara continued its hot shooting from the first half into the second half, as it built as much as an 18-point lead (61-43) at one point.
Despite holding a lead only once in the game, Winston-Salem State made the game competitive late in the second half when it rallied to within 11 points (65-44) with four minutes left in the game. That was the closest the Rams would get, however, as the Gauchos produced two-straight traditional three-point plays to extend their lead back to 15 points (69-54) at the 3:41 mark.
UC-Santa Barbara utilized a 44-percent shooting effort in the first half to jump ahead of Winston-Salem State, 34-23, heading into halftime. The Gauchos were led in scoring in the first half by James Powell, who scored nine points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Much of the first half came down to each team's ability, or lack thereof, to hit the three-pointer. UCSB connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers for 12 of its 34 first-half points, while Winston-Salem State struggled from beyond the arc and missed all 10 of their three-point field goal attempts.
The Rams managed to have just two players record multiple field goals in the first half, as Brian Fisher (seven points) and Jamal Durham (six points) led all WSSU scorers in the half.
Day two of the World Vision Invitational on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena will see both UC-Santa Barbara and Winston-Salem State back in action. WSSU will take on tournament host Illinois State at 6 p.m., while UCSB will face off against Nicholls at 8 p.m.
For complete coverage of the 2008 World Vision Invitational, hosted by Illinois State, please visit GoRedbirds.com.
