Dec. 6, 2008

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Joe Harden made two free throws with 6.1 seconds remaining to lift UC Davis (3-6) past Cal State Bakersfield, 87-86, in a non-conference men's basketball game at The Pavilion on Saturday. The Aggies overcame a four-point deficit with two minutes remaining to win the high-scoring contest. Harden led five Aggies in double-figures with 18 points, including a 10-for-11 effort from the line. Trent Blakley led CSUB (3-5) with a game-high 22 points. Both teams finished with season-highs in points and shot better than 50 percent.

Dominic Calegari scored 16 points, including 14 in the first half alone. Mark Payne finished with a season-high 15 points as well as a game-high nine assists. David Carter tossed in a season-high 13 while Vince Oliver also posted 13 points.

The decisive sequence started after Terrence Johns made a layup with 2:15 left in the game to put Cal State Bakersfield up 84-80. Payne followed with a three-point play in the Aggies' next possession to make it a one-point game. A pair of Blakley free throws at the 1:48 mark increased the lead to 86-83. It stayed that way for the next 1:05 when Blakley went 0-for-2 from the line.

At the other end, Carter made two free throws with 28 seconds remaining to pull UC Davis within 86-85. The Aggies forced a turnover on the Roadrunners' next possession to get the ball back with 21 seconds left. That allowed UC Davis to get to the line one more time when Harden was fouled in the closing seconds. After he made both free throws to put the Aggies up 87-86, UC Davis committed two fouls it had to give to hamper the Roadrunners' final possession. After an inbounds play with just over a second remaining, Blakley missed a long, off-balance three pointer as time expired.

"We got back to our identity tonight," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart. "We were far more aggressive and assertive. Our guys played as well as they could possible play down the stretch. It wasn't just one person, though. It was a multitude of players. It was an exciting game."

UC Davis finished the game 19-for-21 from the line, including 12-for-13 from beyond the arc. CSUB shot 6-for-13 from the stripe.

The Aggies were able to ultimately overcome 14 three-pointers by the Roadrunners. CSUB finished a high-octane first half on both sides with a 51-45 lead. Blakley went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the first half while Calegari went 4-for-4. The teams combined for 16 three-pointers in the opening half, which accounted for 48 of the 96 combined points in the half. CSUB finished the game 14-for-24 from long range while UC Davis shot a season-best 63 percent from beyond the arc on 10-for-16 shooting. For the game, the Aggies shot 58 percent compared to 54 percent for the Roadrunners.

The game was close from start to finish with neither team leading by more than seven points. There were 10 ties and 20 lead changes. The Aggies' largest lead came after Calegari opened the game with consecutive treys to make it 6-0. The Roadrunners led 54-47 early in the second half.

CSUB's Santwon Latunde finished with 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds. The Roadrunners outrebounded the Aggies, 31-21.

UC Davis is next in action Dec. 15 when it plays at The Citadel.