Feb. 4, 2006
Final Stats
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Kyle Brucculeri scored a career-high 22 points and led a balanced attack as UC Davis defeated Cal Poly, 83-70, Saturday afternoon at Mott Gym in San Luis Obispo. Brucculeri made four three-pointers in the first half and finished 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Rommel Marentez scored 18 points while Phil Rasmussen and Vince Oliver each added 17. UC Davis shot a season-high 56 percent from the field. Chaz Thomas led Cal Poly with 17 points.
UC Davis (7-15) opened an early 15-9 advantage that Cal Poly (6-13) erased with a 6-0 run. The Aggies regained the lead when Brucculeri made his third trey to make it 18-15. The Mustangs took a 21-20 lead on a Dawin Whiten layup at the 7:32 mark.
The Aggies then turned it up for the remainder of the half. A layup by Rasmussen and another three by Brucculeri gave the Aggies a 25-21 lead. Just over three minutes later, a field goal by Brucculeri made it 32-24. With 38 seconds left in the half, Thomas Juillerat completed a three-point play to push the lead to 12. UC Davis led 39-28 at the half.
In the second half, the Aggies continued to apply pressure, pushing the lead to as much as 18 points with 10:51 left in the game. The 58-40 lead would be the largest of the game for UC Davis. The Mustangs would never get any closer than nine points the rest of the game.
"Today's effort really was a credit to the players and the way they responded after Thursday's loss to UC Santa Barbara," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart. "I'm really proud of them. It's fun to coach a group like this."
"The really nice thing was we shot 56 percent from the field," added Stewart. "I also felt we had tremendous aggression to start the game."
Included in the Aggies' field goal percentage was a 6-for-14 effort from beyond the arc. UC Davis committed 12 turnovers while forcing Cal Poly into 17.
The win completes a sweep by the Aggies this year over the Mustangs. UC Davis won the earlier match-up, 65-52, at The Pavilion on Jan. 13. It was also the fourth straight win for UC Davis in the series.
UC Davis is next in action Feb. 11 when it hosts Northern Colorado at The Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
