Jan. 8, 2009

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis outscored UC Riverside 10-2 over the final 2:32 to defeat the Highlanders, 65-58, Thursday night in a Big West Conference men's basketball game at The Pavilion. The Aggies had led by as many as 12 points earlier in the second half before UC Riverside (9-5, 2-1 Big West) came back to take a 56-55 lead with under four minutes to go. Mark Payne led UC Davis (6-9, 1-1 Big West) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Austin led UC Riverside with 17 points. The Highlanders entered the night tied for first atop the Big West.

UC Davis led 23-19 at the half and opened up a 36-24 lead at the 15:28 mark of the second half. The Aggies still held a 10-point lead with 11:32 to play before the Highlanders went on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 44-44. Dominic Calegari, who finished with 11 points, made a three-pointer on the Aggies' next possession to help fuel a 7-2 run to put UC Davis on top 51-46 with 6:29 left.

UCR would once again battle back, and a three-point play by Aaron Scott put the visitors ahead 56-55 with 3:44 remaining in the game. Neither team scored on their next possessions, but Vince Oliver put UC Davis ahead with a layup at the 2:32 mark. A Highlander turnover was converted into a layup by Joe Harden, and the Aggies led 61-56 with just over two minutes remaining.

A bucket by Kyle Austin with 1:10 left pulled the Highlanders within three, but the Aggies closed out the game with free throws the rest of the way. Payne sank two free throws with 23 seconds left, and Harden did the same 12 seconds later. The Aggies, who lead the nation in free throw percentage, finished the game 17-for-19 from the line.

The first half was dominated by suffocating defense on both sides. Neither team led by more than three points until the four-point margin at the break. The Aggies held the Highlanders to just over 23 percent from the field by halftime. For the game, UC Riverside shot just 36 percent. The Aggies finished at 46 percent but shot 64 percent in the second half.

"It was a team effort," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart, "We executed defensively. We had to have some critical stops at the end of the game and got them. We held (UC Riverside) to under 40 percent field goal percentage. Those are all of the things we talk about. We stepped to the line and shot 17 out of 19 so it was a complete game for us. It's a hard-fought game that's not aesthetically pleasing as maybe a game that's played in the 90's, but we did a lot of good things tonight."

Harden finished the night with 12 points and seven rebounds. Oliver posted 10 points, and Kyle Brucculeri came off the bench to score eight.

Scott finished with 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds. UCR outrebounded UC Davis, 37-34.

UC Davis is next in action Saturday night when it hosts Long Beach State at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Comcast SportsNet California and can also be heard on KFSG 1690-AM as well as at www.ucdavisaggies.com.