Dec. 30, 2010

Final Stats

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Despite seven ties and 12 lead changes in the first half, the UC Davis men's basketball team did not lead in the second half, as Cal State Northridge pulled away for a 87-81 win Thursday, at The Matadome.

Cal State Northridge (4-9, 1-1) used a 15-7 run over a four minute stretch to take their biggest lead at 71-55 with 7:36 on the clock in the second half. UC Davis (6-8, 1-1) pulled within five with under two minutes to play, but the late burst proved to be too little too late, as the Matadors shot 9 of 10 from the line in the final 1:14.

The Aggies did not have an answer for Rashaun McLemore, who recorded a game high 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting. Lenny Daniel had a double double for the sixth time on the season, after 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Matadors got everything they wanted on offense, shooting 53 percent for the game, including 56 percent in the second half.

Ryan Sypkens set new career highs in points (19) and three point field goals made (5) while shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 7 from behind the arc. Mark Payne also filled up the stat sheet, posting 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting, to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

"We didn't have an answer for anything they did on the offensive end," said head coach Gary Stewart. "We just couldn't get stops. We tried a multitude of things, so credit Northridge. They did an excellent job of staying disciplined and aggressive."

The first half featured seven ties and 12 lead changes with each team shooting 50 percent or better from the field. After an 8-8 tie to start the game, UC Davis had a quick 5-0 burst to take a 13-8 advantage at the 14:23 mark.

Cal State Northridge responded with a 6-0 run of their own, capped off by a McLemore layup. Multiple lead changes ensued, with no team leading by more than five points for the rest of the first half.

Sypkens had three consecutive threes at one point, putting the Aggies on top 29-24 with 6:04 on the clock. UC Davis had a two point lead late in the half, thanks to an Alex Tiffin layup with 34 second remaining in the half. The Matadors took the lead into halftime however, after Cody Raymod's three put Cal State Northridge on top 42-21.

The Matadors started the second half with an 8-2 run, taking a 49-42 advantage after a Daniel three point play with 16:00 on the clock. Cal State Northridge pulled away to take a 16 points advantage, thanks to another Daniel layup at the 7:36 mark.

UC Davis had the lead down to five on multiple occasions in the final two minutes. A streaking Joe Harden layup brought the score to 78-73 with 1:07 left to play and a Ryan Howley three made the score 81-76 with just 36 second remaining. The late burst proved to be too little too late however, as the Matadors hit enough late free throws to hold on for the win.

"It's really disappointing that we averaged 84 points on the week and came away 1-1," said Stewart. "But that's basketball. We live and die with our effort on the defensive end. We'll deal with the emotion of the game and settle down, then we'll work on some things that we hope to get better at. Hopefully we can improve by the time we tip it up again on Thursday."

UC Davis returns home next week to play a pair of Big West games, starting with UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.