UCSB Beats Nevada 76-63 in Thunderdome
CJ Shaw led UC Santa Barbara with 20 points as the Gauchos moved to 3-0 and Nevada fell to 2-1.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Basketball
UC Santa Barbara defeated Nevada 76-63 on Wednesday at the Thunderdome. The Gauchos led 35-18 with 2:43 left in the first half and held off a second-half Nevada rally.
Why it matters
The win gives UC Santa Barbara a 3-0 start and handed Nevada its second loss of the early season. Nevada's season-opening run, including a Sunday overtime win over Saint Mary's, was interrupted by the defeat.
Nevada made five of its first 24 shots and shot 28.6% in the first half, while UCSB shot 48.2% and made 25 of 30 free throws. Nevada cut an 18-point deficit to six in the second half, shooting 50% in that half, but the extraction does not say whether that run changed the team's season outlook.
The players
CJ Shaw
A UC Santa Barbara guard from Las Vegas who scored a team-high 20 points in the win over Nevada.
Styles Phipps
A Nevada player who led his team with 20 points in the loss to UC Santa Barbara.
The details
CJ Shaw scored a team-high 20 points, eight of them in the final 4½ minutes, and Aidan Mahaney added 12 points and four assists. Marvin McGhee IV scored all nine of his points in the last nine-plus minutes of the first half, while Styles Phipps led Nevada with 20 points and Miro Little made eight straight free throws in the final 2:08 to finish with 12.
Timeline
Sunday: Nevada defeated Saint Mary's 96-95 in overtime at Lake Tahoe.
Wednesday: UC Santa Barbara defeated Nevada 76-63 at the Thunderdome.
Sunday at 1 p.m.: UC Santa Barbara is scheduled to play UC Merced.
Season Trajectory
Nevada's 96-95 overtime win over Saint Mary's at Lake Tahoe earlier in the week had given it a 2-0 start before this loss. The defeat drops Nevada to 2-1 while UC Santa Barbara improved to 3-0 with the win at the Thunderdome.
Nevada's 2-1 record leaves it with less margin for error as its early-season schedule continues. UC Santa Barbara's 3-0 start gives its bench a strong first-week record to build on.
The takeaway
Early-season losses can shape how a team handles close second-half games, and Nevada's comeback attempt shows the value of a late push. UC Santa Barbara's ability to build leads and then close them out is the pattern to watch as the season develops.
What happens next
UC Santa Barbara is scheduled to play UC Merced on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Further reading
For more on the teams' early-season results, see Basketball coverage in Nevada.
