Dec. 28, 2010

Final Stats

FULLERTON, Calif. - The UC Davis men's basketball team had four players reach double figures, with Josh Ritchart and Eddie Miller each registering 20 points, en route to an 88-72 win over Cal State Fullerton Tuesday, at Titan Gym. Ritchart had 17 second half points, to help the Aggies take the win in the first Big West contest for both teams.

The UC Davis offense was firing on all cylinders in the second half, with 52 points that led to a season high 88 points as a team. The Aggies also poured in 13 threes on the game, nine of which came in the second half.

UC Davis (6-7, 1-0) shot 50 percent (30-60) for the game and 40 percent (13-32) from behind the arc. Cal State Fullerton (4-9, 0-1) climbed within one on multiple occasions in the second half, but never led in the game.

Ritchart's 20 points came on 6 of 11 shooting, with a 4 of 7 mark from long range and a team best seven rebounds. Miller had 20 points for the second consecutive game, after 7 of 15 shooting. Ryan Sypkens and Joe Harden also added 17 and 15 points, respectively.

"We got in a good rhythm and the ball naturally flowed to the open person," said head coach Gary Stewart. "We feel like we've built a team where anyone who gets open and squares their shoulders can knock down shots."

The game started with a 12-12 tie in the first nine minutes, followed by a 14-2 run by UC Davis that put the Aggies on top 27-14 with 5:18 on the clock. The Titans finally got their offense going in the final minutes of the first half, outscoring UC Davis 13-10 over a five minute stretch.

The Aggies took a 36-27 advantage at the intermission, after holding Cal State Fullerton to just 35 percent shooting in the opening frame. Sypkens had a game high 10 points at halftime on 4 of 8 shooting.

The Titans opened up the second half with a 12-4 run, cutting the gap to one with a 40-39 score at the 15:29 mark. UC Davis responded with an 11-2 run of their own, going up 51-41 thanks to a Ryan Howley jumper with 12:13 on the clock.

After trading baskets, the Aggies started to heat up from long range. Ritchart hit back-to-back triples, as part of four consecutive threes made for UC Davis. A Ritchart layup gave the Aggies their biggest lead yet, with a 65-48 score at the 8:07 mark.

Cal State Fullerton climbed within five with just under five minutes to play, but UC Davis scored 13 unanswered points from there, to put the game out of reach. The biggest lead of the game for the Aggies came with an 81-63 score, after a Sypkens mid-ranged jumper. UC Davis led by double digits the rest of the way, en route to the final 88-72 score.

"As we have practiced together and gotten more continuity, we have significantly improved our ability to pass the ball," said Stewart. "We've gotten more opportunities because of that and we were able to capitalize on that tonight."

UC Davis will be back in action on Thursday, continuing with Big West competition vs. Cal State Northridge in a 7:05 p.m. tip.