Box Score Nov. 24, 2009
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis nearly overcame an eight-point deficit with three minutes to go, but North Dakota State held on for a 63-62 victory over the host Aggies Tuesday night in a non-conference men's basketball game at The Pavilion. Dominic Calegari led all scorers with a season-high 23 points while Mark Payne added 15.
UC Davis (2-3) trailed 63-55 before going on a 7-0 run to close the game. A three-pointer by Ryan Howley with 48 seconds left cut the deficit to 63-62. The Aggies had two chances in the final 12 seconds to take the lead but turned the ball over each time.
Eric Carlson led North Dakota State (2-2) with 17 points, and Michael Tveidt added 16.
UC Davis raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first 2:40 of the game and led 17-2 by the 14:53 mark. Calegari scored 12 points during the stretch before the Bison countered with a run of their own.
After a three-point play by Payne put the Aggies up 24-9, North Dakota State went on a 15-0 run over the next four minutes and tied the game at 24-24 with 6:53 left in the half.
A 6-1 burst by the Aggies was capped off by a Julian Welch layup, and UC Davis led 30-25 with 4:26 left in the half. The Bison were unable to gain their first lead of the game by the time the half ended with the Aggies up 33-31.
Neither team led by more than five points through the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Bison didn't take their first lead until the 11:20 mark when Carlson made a layup to make it 44-43. It was part of a 14-4 run for NDSU that eventually gave it a 54-47 lead with 7:46 to play.
UC Davis countered with five straight points when Calegari made a layup and Jelani Floyd converted a steal into a fast-break dunk to cut the lead to 54-51.
The Bison pushed the margin back up to eight points after a Carlson jumper made it 63-55 with 3:30 remaining. That set the stage for the Aggie rally to close the game.
NDSU shot 59 percent for the game, including 65 percent in the second half. UC Davis finished at 43 percent for the night. The Aggies forced 19 turnovers while committing just 12.
Joe Harden posted nine points for UC Davis. Welch and Floyd each scored four. Harden led the Aggies with five rebounds. Payne dished out four assists to go along with three steals.
UC Davis played its second straight game without juniors Todd Lowenthal and Ryan Silva. Both did not dress due to injuries.
UC Davis is next in action Saturday when it faces Ball State in Muncie, Ind. The game tips at 10 a.m. PST and can be heard on KFSG 1690-AM as well as www.ucdavisaggies.com.
