Feb. 5, 2009

Final Stats

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Vince Oliver scored a career-high 33 points as UC Davis defeated Big West Conference leading Long Beach State, 82-76, Thursday night at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. Oliver shot 9-for-16 from the field and 12-for-14 from the line as the Aggies won their third straight Big West road game. Joe Harden added 18 points, and Dominic Calegari finished with 10.

The win improved UC Davis to 10-12 overall and 5-4 in the Big West. LBSU fell to 11-10 and 6-3 in the conference. The victory also draws the Aggies within a game of Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge for the Big West lead. UC Davis is tied for fourth with Pacific and UC Irvine in a tight Big West race. Cal State Fullerton is in third-place at 6-4.

"From start to finish we didn't have some mental lapses that have plagued us in the past," said UC Davis head coach Gary Stewart. "We had a high level of concentration, and our aggression was outstanding. We were physical the entire night and had some huge, huge efforts."

Long Beach State controlled the early going as it jumped out to a 12-5 lead in the first six minutes. From that point, the Aggies controlled much of the remainder of the half. It started with a Kyle Brucculeri three-pointer that ignited a 16-1 run in less than five minutes. Harden scored six points during the stretch, and Oliver added four more to help give UC Davis a 21-13 lead at the 9:08 mark.

UC Davis led by as much as 29-19 with five minutes left in half before the 49ers closed within 31-30 at the break. UC Davis held Long Beach State to just 25 percent shooting in the first half.

The first 11 minutes of the second half were a seesaw affair that included 10 lead changes. The final lead change of the game came at the 9:15 mark on an Oliver jumper that put the Aggies up 53-51. The Aggies would never trail again and built a 62-55 lead with 6:41 to play on a pair of Todd Lowenthal free throws.

The 49ers tied the game at 66-66 with 3:13 remaining but the Aggies scored the next four points on buckets by Harden and Mark Payne. A three-point play at the other end pulled LBSU within 70-69 with 1:28 left.

In the Aggies' next possession, Oliver connected on a three-pointer from the right corner to give UC Davis a 73-69 lead with 1:01 left. The senior would score seven more points from the line to help preserve the victory.

"With this environment and the stakes coming in against a first-place team and on the heels of two setbacks, it speaks volumes about our kids' character and fortitude," said Stewart.

Oliver had 11 points at the half before scoring another 22 in the second half. His previous high was 30 points set as a sophomore on Jan. 18, 2007, at home against Cal State Northridge.

"You can't say enough about Vince. For forty minutes, there wasn't a better player on the floor," said Stewart.

UC Davis shot 46 percent from the field while holding Long Beach State to 39 percent. The Aggies committed just one turnover in the second half and a season-low seven for the game.

T.J. Robinson led Long Beach State with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

UC Davis is next in action Saturday when it closes out its road trip at UC Riverside.