Nov. 15, 2009

Final Stats

EUGENE, Ore. - Joe Harden scored a career-high 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds as UC Davis defeated Winston Salem-State, 99-79, Sunday afternoon at the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tourney in Eugene, Ore. Mark Payne added 21 points for UC Davis, and Ryan Howley finished with 11.

The win was the first of the year for UC Davis (1-2) while Winston-Salem State dropped to 0-3. The game featured a combined 62 fouls, 41 turnovers and 83 free throw attempts. It also featured the Aggies seeing a 20-point lead evaporate before building the same lead again.

Harden was named to the All-Tournament team for his efforts. The junior finished the three-game set averaging 17.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. He was one of six players named to the All-Tourney Team.

UC Davis had to fight off a furious first-half rally by Winston-Salem State. The Aggies jumped out to a dominating start, outscoring the Rams 20-0 in less than seven minutes. WSSU then countered with seven three-pointers in the final 13 minutes and ultimately led UC Davis, 42-21, at the break. Harden had 15 points by halftime to help the Aggie effort.

The extremes of the first half turned into Aggie control throughout the second half. UC Davis opened the half on a 9-1 run with five of the points coming from Harden. That put the Aggies up 50-43 at the 17:23 mark. WSSU stayed close after a three-pointer by Andrew Jackson made it 63-57 with 14:28 remaining.

UC Davis countered with an 11-3 run over the next 3:18 and had a 74-60 cushion with just under nine minutes remaining. From that point, the Aggies would lead by 12 or more points the rest of the way. The largest lead was 21 points in the final minute.

UC Davis shot 59 percent from the field compared to 46 percent for Winston-Salem State. The Aggies had a large advantage at the foul line, shooting 35-for-49 from the stripe. The Rams went 21-for-34.

Harden, alone, made 11 of his 13 free throw attempts to tie a career-high in free throws made. The junior finished the three-game tournament with two double-doubles.

"Joe was sensational. He was a man among boys," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart. "A couple of times down there we left him alone with three guys to get the rebound, and he did. Offensively, he was aggressive. He took the ball to the basket. He was really assertive with his cuts and made some good decisions."

All 11 of Howley's points came in the second half. Jelani Floyd and Adam Malik each added nine. Dominic Calegari finished with eight points.

UC Davis returns to action Wednesday night when it hosts UC Santa Cruz in its home opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. at The Pavilion.