Box Score Dec. 2, 2009
Final Stats
DAVIS, Calif. - Mark Payne scored a game-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as Sacramento State held off UC Davis, 59-57, in a non-conference men's basketball game Wednesday night at The Pavilion. UC Davis (3-4) fell behind by as many as 10 points but had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds. Sacramento State improved to 4-4 on the year. It was the third straight game for the Aggies decided by two points or less.
John Dickson led the Hornets with 14 points before fouling out. Sultan Toles-Bay added 13, and Duro Bjegovic scored all 10 of his points in the first half. Joe Harden added 11 points for the Aggies before leaving the game with an injury midway through the second half.
UC Davis trailed 35-27 at the half before eventually taking a 43-42 lead with 14 minutes left in the game on a Payne layup. The lead would be short-lived as the Hornets went on an 11-5 burst to regain a 53-48 cushion. Sacramento State still led 57-52 with 3:52 remaining before a layup by Jelani Floyd and a free throw by Julian Welch made it 57-55. A jumper by Welch with 59 seconds left pulled the Aggies within 59-57.
The Hornet's Michael Selling missed a jumper in the next possession, and Floyd grabbed the rebound to set up a final Aggie possession. After a UC Davis timeout, Payne missed a jumper on the left side with eight seconds left. The Aggies had two more opportunities due to a pair of offensive rebounds by Ryan Howley, but both put-back chances misfired.
Sacramento State shot 53 percent for the game while holding UC Davis to 33 percent. The Aggies forced 23 turnovers while committing 18. UC Davis held a 34-28 edge on the boards, including a 15-1 advantage in offensive rebounds.
The first three possessions of the game resulted in three-pointers with treys by Payne and Ryan Sypkens putting the Aggies up 6-3. Sacramento State countered with a 7-0 run to take a 10-6 lead. With the Hornets leading 12-8, UC Davis ran off nine straight points. A layup by Howley capped off the burst to put the Aggies in front 17-12 at the 11:59 mark.
A short-range jumper by Welch kept the Aggies in front 19-16 with 9:47 remaining in the half. From that point, the Hornets controlled the remainder of the half. It started with a 13-0 run over the next five minutes to make it 29-19 with under five minutes remaining. A jumper by Payne at the 4:33 mark stopped the surge, and the lead wavered between eight and 10 points the rest of the half. Payne, who posted 13 first-half points, scored the final eight points of the period for UC Davis as Sacramento State led 35-27 at the break.
UC Davis was coming off a 60-58 victory at Ball State on Saturday after falling to North Dakota State, 63-62, four days before that.
UC Davis returns to action Saturday afternoon when it hosts Seattle at 1 p.m. It's the first game of a doubleheader with the women's team and is also part of "Pack the Pavilion" day at UC Davis. There is a canned food drive taking place on Saturday. Fans who donate a food item will receive a free ticket to a raffle. All proceeds will benefit the Yolo County Food Bank.
