SOUTHLAND ROUNDUP

UC Santa Barbara 78, Long Beach State 71--The 49ers fell apart in the final 8 1/2 minutes as UC Santa Barbara rallied from an 11-point deficit for a Big West Conference win before 2,264 at the Pyramid.

The bad loss came one game after the 49ers’ most dramatic victory of the season, rallying from 20 points down last Saturday at Pacific. Long Beach (12-9, 5-3) was outscored, 29-11, in the final 8:41.

Nick Jones scored eight of his 19 points during a 20-2 blitz that stunned the crowd. The Gauchos (7-11, 4-4) had lost four of five.

“They shot 60% in the second half so obviously they shot the ball very well,” Long Beach Coach Wayne Morgan said. “Our defense wasn’t good enough and I think we gave them some second shots that we shouldn’t have.”