Dec. 19, 2013

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LOGAN, Utah -

UCSB 57, Troy 54

Alan Williams had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Kyle Boswell hit the go-ahead three-pointer with :08 to play to rally UC Santa Barbara (6-3) to a 57-54 win against Troy (4-5) in the opening game of the 2013 Basketball Travelers Classic hosted by Utah State here Thursday night.

Troy held a 50-43 advantage with 4:15 remaining, but UC Santa Barbara finished the game on a 14-4 run, as the Trojans were just 1-of-4 at the free throw line in the final 3:21.

Taran Brown added 12 points for UC Santa Barbara as the Gauchos finished the game shooting 45.8 percent (22-48), including 40.0 percent from three-point range (6-15) and 63.6 percent at the free throw line (7-11).

Hunter Williams scored 18 points to lead Troy, as he was 6-of-12 from behind the arc. Troy shot just 31.3 percent overall (15-48) and just 54.5 percent at the free throw line (12-22), but made 12-of-28 (.429) from three-point range to stay in the game.

UC Santa Barbara scored the first nine points of the game and lead 13-3 with 12:37 to play in the first-half, before Troy went on a 16-4 run over the next 5:55 to take its first lead of the game at 19-17 following a three-pointer from Kelton Ford. Neither team led by more than two points the remainder of the half as the two teams went into the locker rooms tied at 26.

Troy led for the majority of the second-half as it built a five-point advantage at 33-28 and later led 42-37 before UCSB scored six-straight points for a 43-42 advantage. The Trojans then scored eight-unanswered for its largest lead of the game at 50-43 before the Gauchos game-ending rally.

Troy will face Western Illinois in Friday's first game during the second day of action at the Basketball Travelers Classic at 5:30 p.m., while UCSB while play host Utah State at 8 p.m.