RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Callum McRae scored 18 points, Arinze Chidom added 12 and the home team led for the first 27 minutes before UC Santa Barbara thwarted the Highlanders' top-10 defense to defeat UC Riverside, 65-60, Thursday night at SRC Arena.

After UC Riverside (15-15, 5-9) held the Gauchos to 8-for-27 first-half shooting and took a 30-24 lead into the break, UC Santa Barbara (19-9, 8-5) went on a run as junior guard Jaquoiri McLaughlin (game-high 22 points) hit one of his four three-pointers to give the Gauchos their first lead with 12:35 remaining. The Highlanders tied it up at the 8:51 mark on two free throws by George Willborn III (7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal) and had it down to a two-point deficit with 58 seconds to play after McRae (8-9 FG, 6 reb., 2 blocks) went over and around Robinson Idehen on the baseline.

As UC Riverside scrambled to steal the ball and stop the clock, Deveari Ramsey (14 points) sank five straight free throws for UC Santa Barbara, including three after Zyon Pullin fouled out making contact outside the arc with 32 seconds left, then two more for the final, five-point gap after Dikymbe Martin (8 pts, 5-7 FTs) closed it to 63-60 on three straight free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

Points in the paint favored UC Riverside Thursday night, at +14, but the Highlanders, who came into the game with a Big West-best 236 made threes, shot only 5-for-21 from long range. Equally tough to overcome was a difficult night at the free-throw line, where they shot 17-for-27 (63 percent).

Entering the game UC Riverside was ranked No. 9 nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 61.0 points per game, but the Gauchos managed to eclipse that average and match the final score from their first meeting  on Jan. 24, sweeping the regular-season series against the Highlanders.

With UC Riverside sitting at 15 wins, two more games to play in the regular season and a slot in the Big West Tournament available for the taking, the Highlanders are still in position to tie or better their best-ever record in Division I history, achieved in the 2008-09 season with a 17-13 overall record.

"Every play matters," said head coach David Patrick. "It is a wacky Big West and we've got a week left promised to us. I want these seniors to go out with a bang. Can they get to the most wins in D1 history? That would be great."

The turnaround is immediate for the Highlanders, who fly to Hawaii for a Saturday game at 9 p.m. PT. "Our team's based on toughness," coach Patrick said. "I hope we can all get some rest on that flight tomorrow and give Hawaii all we've got on Saturday night."