GAME NOTES: Seeking to extend a three-game win streak, the SMU Mustangs will play host to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in a non-conference matchup at Moody Coliseum Monday evening.

UC Santa Barbara has won four of its last five games, including an 87-46 drubbing of Seattle in the team's latest contest. The only thing separating the Gauchos from a five-game win streak is a tight 65-63 loss to Colorado State in the Great Alaska Shootout.

SMU has won three in a row, and like Santa Barbara has won four of its last five. The Mustangs are coming off a 66-53 victory over Wyoming in the team's latest contest. SMU's seven-game homestand still has two more games left, including this clash with the Gauchos.

The two sides have met just once in their series history, with UC Santa Barbara owning a 68-66 victory which came during the 1973 campaign.

UC Santa Barbara simply overmatched Seattle in just about every aspect of the game in the Gauchos' most recent outing. Thanks to 58.1 percent shooting in the first half, Santa Barbara was able to take a commanding 42-19 advantage into the intermission, and the team never looked back. Alan Williams notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, adding in three blocked shots to his stat line. Michael Bryson scored 14 points to help out the cause, and both John Green and Gabe Vincent chipped in with 11 points apiece. The Gauchos held Seattle to 32.1 percent shooting in the game.

Williams continues to be a stud both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court, and could be the most underrated big man in college basketball. He enters this clash with SMU averaging a team-high 19.3 ppg on 48 percent shooting, with a team-best 13.3 rpg and 2.9 blocked shots per contest. Bryson chips in with 12.0 ppg, Green adds in 10.9 ppg and Vincent rounds out the group of double-digit scorers with 10.0 ppg. As a unit, Santa Barbara is accumulating a healthy 73.0 ppg on 46.3 percent shooting, while holding its opponents to 58.4 ppg on just 35.3 percent shooting.

SMU shot 57.9 percent from the floor in the first half in the team's last game against Wyoming, and held the Cowboys to 37.5 percent shooting in the same frame, yet still only took a 26-24 in the midway break. But a 54.5 shooting percentage in the second half allowed SMU to pull ahead comfortably for the win. Nic Moore scored 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the team, with Yanick Moreira adding a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds. Ben Moore rounded out the team's double-digit scorers in the contest with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Nic Moore is once again the team's leading scorer this season, as he reprises his role as the go-to player after a strong 2013-14 campaign. He enters this clash with a strong UC Santa Barbara squad netting 15.8 ppg on 51.8 percent shooting from the floor. Moreira adds in 12.1 ppg, and Ben Moore checks in with 10.8 ppg to complete the team's double-digit scoring trio. Moreira and Ben Moore lead the team in rebounding, each nabbing 6.9 boards per outing. The Mustangs come into this contest netting 70.9 ppg as a unit, allowing just 63.6 ppg to opponents.

Moreira and Williams clashing in the post should make for a very interesting matchup down low, but Nic Moore's explosive scoring ability may be something the home Mustangs can exploit against Santa Barbara. The Gauchos are strong defensively, but SMU can be a different type of animal on the offensive end.