Nov. 4, 2009
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Freshman Ryan Howley scored 16 points and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field to lead UC Davis past Cal State East Bay, 83-56, Wednesday night in an exhibition at The Pavilion. Howley was joined in double-figures by Julian Welch and Adam Malik. Welch finished with 14 points, and Malik tossed in 12. The contest was the lone exhibition for the Aggies prior to opening their regular season next Friday.
Cal State East Bay took and early 8-3 advantage in the game's first two minutes. The Aggies responded with a 7-2 run helped by a three-pointer by Todd Lowenthal that tied the game at 10-10 at the 15:34 mark. A trey by Howley with 13:44 left in the half gave the Aggies a 13-12 lead. It would be their first lead of the game and one they would not relinquish.
The lead slowly grew as the half continued. It hit double-figures when Ryan Sypkens converted a layup and a free throw with 3:22 remaining to make it 34-24. UC Davis closed the half on a 7-0 run. Howley started it with a three-pointer and ended it with a layup as the Aggies led 46-29 at the break. He scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half.
UC Davis built as much as a 29-point lead late in the second half before settling for the 83-56 victory. Welch scored 10 points in the second half.
"I thought we did some really good things. We were very unselfish, and we competed well," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart. "I thought our young guys stuck their noses in and got acclimated to the rigors of college basketball very quickly. We had some things we wanted to get accomplished, and we felt like they were diligently on those things. As with any team at this time of year, there are some things we certainly need to get better at and better in a hurry."
Mark Payne finished with nine points in 20 minutes of action. Joe Harden posted six points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds and four steals. Harden played 26 minutes while Howley's effort came in 22 minutes on the floor. Howley also went 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Malik and Welch each made two three-pointers while Ryan Silva and Sypkens had one each. Sypkens also dished out a game-high five assists
UC Davis shot 57 percent for the game, including a blistering 75 percent in the first half. The Aggies held the Pioneers to 33 percent on the night. Saeed Gatson led Cal State East Bay with 10 points.
The Aggies were without their full roster for the exhibition and only dressed nine. Senior Dominic Calegari and freshman Jacob Ranger both were out with injuries.
UC Davis returns to action Nov. 13 when it begins its regular season against Colorado State. It will be the first of three games in three days at the Basketball Travelers Tip-Off in Eugene, Ore.
