Big Second Half Pushes Banana Slugs Past Eagles on Senior Night

Saturday, February 19

Kaiser Permanente Arena

7:00 PM

UC Santa Cruz Athletics

5-17,0-0CAC

West Coast Baptist

0-9

West Coast Baptist

UC Santa Cruz

McDonald had a double-double in his final home game

Big Second Half Pushes Banana Slugs Past Eagles on Senior Night

2/20/2022 9:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Five Banana Slugs reach double figures in 81-63 victory

SANTA CRUZ (2-19) – The Banana Slugs outscored NCCAA opponent West Coast Baptist College by fourteen in the second half at Kaiser Permanente Arena en route to a 81-63 victory on Senior Night.. Before the game, the Banana Slugs honored seniors Calvin Keyes, Matthew McDonald and Simon Mueller-Landsvik.

In the first half, the Banana Slugs would start the game on a 9-2 run capped by Keyes's three-pointer with 17:23 left in the half. The Eagles would then go on a 24-13 run, capped by a David Goweh three with 7:04 left in the half, to take their largest lead of the game at 26-22. The Banana Slugs would go on a 10-3 run, capped by another Keyes three-pointer with 3:05 left in the half, to take the lead for good at 32-29. The Banana Slugs led 39-35 at halftime.

In the second half, the Banana Slugs would expand their lead to seventeen on two occasions; the second occasion at 57-40 on an Avri Finch layup with 12:22 left. The Eagles would come as close as eight, at 66-58, on a Job Sichting three-point play with 6:06 left. The Banana Slugs allowed just five points the rest of the way for their second consecutive victory.

McDonald had a career-high fifteen points to lead the Banana Slugs, along with eleven rebounds. Sichting had a game high thirty-one for the Eagles. Mueller-Landsvik had fourteen points and a season-high 9 assists. Keyes had thirteen with Zach Granberry and Ian McCloskey both had twelve in the victory.

The Banana Slugs shot 46.4% (32-69) from the field, 13.8% (4-29) from the three-point line and were 61.9% (13-21) from the free throw line. UC Santa Cruz outscored Pacific Union 56-22 in points in the paint.

The Banana Slugs will take part in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship. The tournament will start on Thursday in Newport News, Virginia.