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GAME NOTES: The Fresno State Bulldogs and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are set to square off tonight in a BracketBusters event at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.

The Gauchos have matched a season-high with four wins in a row to grab hold of first place in the Big West Conference standings at 10-3, a half game ahead of Pacific. In fact, they've already clinched a spot into the semifinal round of the upcoming Big West Conference Tournament. On Wednesday, UCSB claimed its third consecutive road win with a 73-65 victory at Cal State Fullerton.

Meanwhile, Fresno State has dropped two straight and four of its last six games entering this contest. The most recent of those losses was a 74-70 setback at Nevada on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs currently own a 13-14 overall record and a 6-7 mark in the Western Athletic Conference.

Fresno State holds a 51-46 lead in the all-time series with UCSB, although the Gauchos won the most recent meeting by a lopsided 70-42 final in 2006.

The Gauchos came together late in Wednesday's contest with a 16-7 run, sparked by a three-pointer in the corner from Justin Joyner at the 3:03 mark. Joyner hadn't scored a point all season before that bucket, but his timing could not have been better. Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points apiece in the win, and the two also combined for 15 rebounds. Jaime Serna added 13 points in 22 minutes of action. The Gauchos were out-rebounded by a sizeable 44-28 margin, but they made up for it by forcing 17 turnovers to their nine. Johnson is the only Gaucho to score in double figures in all 23 games, and he is averaging 17.5 points and a team- best 5.6 rebounds per contest. Nunnally is hot on his heels with 15.1 ppg and 5.5 rpg

Four players are averaging double figures for Fresno State, led by Paul George with 17.7 ppg to go along with a team-high 7.3 rpg. Sylvester Seay is next with 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Greg Smith (12.1 ppg) helps out on the boards with 6.4 rpg, while Mike Ladd (10.1 ppg) leads the team with 61 three-pointers (.412). Ladd has picked up his play during the WAC schedule, averaging 12.0 ppg against league foes. The Bulldogs shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first half of Wednesday's contest and led by six at halftime. But things quickly fell apart in the second half, as they went just 6-of-26 from the floor while Nevada seized the momentum. George scored a team-high 26 points in the loss, followed by Seay with 22 and Ladd with 12. On a positive note, the Bulldogs did connect on 24-of-27 free throws.

In addition to their four straight wins, the Gauchos have won seven of their last eight. The rebounding department could be an issue in this matchup, but give the edge to the hotter team of late.