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    Long Beach State can’t complete comeback against UCSB
    • January 25, 2026

    LONG BEACH — The Long Beach State men’s basketball team erased a 17-point second-half deficit to pull even with UC Santa Barbara in the closing minutes, but Petar Majstorovic’s final shot couldn’t send the game to overtime as the Gauchos held on for a 74-71 win at the Pyramid.

    Majstorovic scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half to pace Long Beach (8-13 overall, 4-5 Big West) and spark the comeback bid. Isaiah Lewis scored 16 and Shaquil Bender added 15 points for LBSU, while Leopold Levillain contributed eight points and seven rebounds.

    UCSB (13-7 overall, 6-3 Big West) shot 59% from the field in the first half, including a 7-for-12 showing from 3-point range, to build a 44-29 lead by halftime.

    The Gauchos’ lead was at 17 points with less than 16 minutes left in the second half, but Long Beach found some renewed energy. Majstorovic got the hosts rolling with a three-point play, then scored two quick baskets trim the margin to 10 points in just minutes.

    A jumper from Lewis got Long Beach within 56-51, and while the Gauchos answered to push the margin back to 10 points at 65-55, LBSU responded with a 7-0 run. Bender scored five quick points with a 3-pointer and a layup, then Leopold Levillain chipped in with a drive to cut the Gauchos’ lead to 65-62.

    Long Beach knotted the score at 67-all on a Bender 3-pointer with 2:54 left that sent the arena into a frenzy. UCSB kept its composure and took a 71-67 lead, but LBSU pulled back within 72-71 on a Lewis mid-range jumper with 36 seconds left.

    Senior guard Aidan Mahaney danced around the paint to get a layup that gave the Gauchos a three-point lead with 10 seconds left, before Majstorovic missed on his potential tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds.

    Mahaney finished with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting (3 for 5 from 3-point range) for UCSB, which won its fourth in a row and beat Long Beach for the eighth consecutive time. Colin Smith and CJ Shaw each added 11 points for the Gauchos.

    The last five games between Long Beach and UCSB at the Pyramid have been decided by five points or less.

    UP NEXT

    Long Beach plays at UC Riverside on Thursday at 7 p.m.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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