Gauchos Find a Way to Beat 49ers--Again

UC Santa Barbara’s mastery over Cal State Long Beach continued Saturday night when Paul Johnson made two free throws with four seconds left to give the Gauchos a 60-59 victory.

Long Beach appeared to be in position most of the game to end its six-game losing streak against the Gauchos, whom they haven’t defeated in three years.

But the 49ers, who dropped to 8-12 overall and 4-7 in the Big West Conference, scored only one point in the last 2:55. That on a free throw by Kevin Cutler with 26 seconds left.

Cutler, though, missed the second shot of the one-and-one opportunity, giving the Gauchos the chance to win.

They worked the ball inside to Gary Gray, who missed a lay-in with six seconds remaining. But Johnson outfought the 49ers for the rebound and was fouled as he attempted a shot.

Lucious Harris heaved a 40-foot shot that fell 10 feet short at the final buzzer.

“It’s a game we should have won,” Long Beach Coach Seth Greenberg said. “I’m tired of saying we played well enough to win.”

The 49ers outscored Santa Barbara, 9-0, in the last five minutes of the first half for a 37-28 lead. But the Gauchos (10-10, 5-6) scored 12 of the first 14 points of the second half.

“That’s where we lost the game,” said Greenberg. “We started playing tentatively and taking bad shots.”