March 1, 2011

Complete Game Notes

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UC DAVIS MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES
UC Davis (9-19, 3-11)
vs.
Cal State Northridge (12-16, 8-6)

Thursday, March 3, 2011
7:00 p.m. (PST) - Davis, Calif.
The Pavilion (7,100)
KFSG (1690 AM)

OPENING TIPS
- UC Davis is coming off an 85-81 loss to UC Riverside on Saturday. The Aggies have lost six consecutive conference games.
- Eddie Miller scored a career high for the second consecutive game, pouring in 35 points against the Highlanders on 13-21 shooting.
- Mark Payne added 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the losing effort.
- Joe Harden left the game in the first half after a leg injury. Harden played just 7 minutes at UC Riverside.
- UC Davis went 1-7 in the month of February and 0-5 in conference play. The Aggies finished with a 3-11 record on the road after two losses last weekend.
- The Aggies can still finish as high as seventh place in conference play, earning a trip to the Big West Tournament. UC Davis must win both of its remaining games and have Cal State Fullerton lose two games to earn a spot in the conference tourney.
- Cal State Northridge enters Thursday's game with a 12-16 overall record and an 8-6 mark in conference play.
- The Matadors won in the first meeting of the season, handing the Aggies their first Big West loss with an 87-81 score.
- Cal State Northridge and five other Big West teams have clinched a spot into the tourney.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Thursday's game will mark the 23nd all-time meeting between UC Davis and Cal State Northridge with the Matadors holding a 15-7 advantage. Cal State Northridge won in the first meeting of the season, 87-81.

HEAD COACHES
Gary Stewart is in his 18th year as a head coach and his 8th season with the Aggies. He currently owns a 226-255 overall record and a 84-136 mark on the sidelines with UC Davis. Stewart was with the Aggies during all four years of the transition to Division I and is set to lead the program into their fourth year as a D1 member.

Bobby Braswell holds a 228-218 record in fifteen plus seasons with Cal State Northridge in his only stint as a head coach. Prior to coming to Northridge Braswell served as the top assistant at the University of Oregon for four seasons (1992-93 to 1995-96). Prior to his arrival at Oregon, Braswell spent three seasons as an assistant at Long Beach State (1989-90 to 1991-92). Braswell got his start in the high school ranks before earning his first coaching stint at the collegiate level as an assistant at Long Beach.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE SCOUTING REPORT
The Matadors enter Thursday's contest with a 12-16 overall record and an 8-6 mark in conference play, having recently taken a 68-60 win over UC Santa Barbara in their only game last week. Cal State Northridge has won its last two games and seven of its last 10. The Matadors are 4-9 on the road this season but have a 3-3 mark in conference play on the road. Lenny Daniel leads Cal State Northridge in scoring and rebounds, averaging 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounding per game. Freshman Rashaun McLemore is also averaging double figures with 14.8 points per game. The Matadors are averaging over 16 turnovers per game.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Thursday's contest will air on KFSG (1690 AM) with Scott Marsh on play-by-play. Bill Herenda will provide analysis for the game. The broadcast will be simulcast on ucdavisaggies.com through Game Central by Stretch Internet. The game will be streamed live and available to watch at bigwest.org. Live stat are available via ucdavisaggies.com.

LAST TIME OUT
Eddie Miller had a career-high 35 points and scored 26 second-half points but UC Davis dropped another close road game, as UC Riverside held on for an 85-81 roller coaster win. UC Davis came all the way back from an 18 point deficit in the second half and took a three-point lead late in the game before UC Riverside outscored the Aggies 12-5 in the final two minutes of the game. Miller's game high 35 came on 13 of 21 shooting, including a 5 of 10 mark from three point range. Mark Payne filled up the stat sheet with 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Todd Lowenthal added eight assists and five rebounds while Tyler Les scored nine points off the bench. Kevin Bradshaw led the way for the Highlanders, scoring 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting. Phil Martin tallied 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting, to go along with five rebounds and two assists. BJ Shearry also recorded a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

MILLER TIME
Eddie Miller had back-to-back career highs on the road at UC Irvine and UC Riverside. Against the Anteaters he tallied 26 points on 11 of 21 shooting in a double overtime loss. Miller had the game tying three at the end of the first overtime to force a second extra period. He followed that effort with a new career best 35 points on 13 of 21 shooting at UC Riverside. Miller stepped up once Joe Harden left the game with an injury, scoring 26 points in the second half. For the season he is averaging better than 12 points per game and has scored in double figures in 17 games.

BIG WEST RACE
Six of the eight teams heading to the Big West Conference Tournament have already clinched a spot in the postseason. UC Davis is looking to beat out UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton to get one of the final two spots. The Aggies can still finish as high as seventh place in the Big West standings. If UC Davis has a win on Thursday along with a Cal State Fullerton loss, they can clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Titans in the final regular season game. In a potential three-way tie scenario, UC Davis, UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton would each have five wins in conference play. The Aggies would then have a 3-1 record against the three teams tied, earning the No. 7 seed in the Big West tourney.

DIALING UP THE DEFENSE
UC Davis has struggled on defense at times this season, but a recent change in defensive scheme started to pay dividends at Seattle. The Aggies trailed by five at halftime but held the Redhawks to 27 percent shooting in the second half. Seattle also shot 21 percent from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes. In the last three minutes of the game, UC Davis held Seattle to one point and 0 for 6 shooting, while forcing two turnovers. Mike Kurtz provided a big lift off the bench with multiple defensive stops, including two blocks in the final two minutes.

CAREER NUMBERS
Seniors Joe Harden and Mark Payne continue to rack up some all-time great numbers in an Aggie uniform. By the end of the season, both players could be in the career top 10 in both points and rebounds. Payne currently sits in 8th place in scoring and 11th in rebounding. Payne needs 19 rebounds to crack the top 10 in rebounding. Harden has already entered into the top 10 in rebounding, currently sitting in 8th place. He also entered the top 10 in scoring with 19 points against Hawai'i on Feb. 19. There are only three other players in UC Davis history that are in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding. Payne also is near the top in several other categories, including assists and steals. Payne will finish as the only player in school history to tally 1,000 career points and 400 career assists. He also has surpassed the 500-mark milestone in rebounding.

EVERYTHING BUT A W
The Aggies had a four game losing streak after a 70-66 loss to Pacific on Feb. 12. Dealing with a losing streak is tough for any team, but even coach Stewart admitted that you have to be encouraged by the effort that UC Davis gave against the Tigers. "I'm really proud of our kids in terms of their resiliency," said Stewart. "Tonight was so disappointing but in some ways it has to be encouraging. There are a lot of areas that if you make one or two plays, maybe the outcome is different. We still have time to get back and sure some things up." Despite the loss, the Aggies played well enough to win but couldn't hang on in the end. UC Davis shot better from the field than Pacific, made more threes, had more assists, had more steals and had less turnovers. It was just the third time this season that the Aggies have had less than 10 turnovers. UC Davis was also 10 of 15 (67%) from three, the highest shooting percentage from long range on the season.

PLAYING AT FULL STRENGTH
With only 11 active players on the roster, injuries have been a struggle for UC Davis all season. The Feb. 10 loss to Long Beach State was no different, with Ryan Silva missing the game with a shoulder injury. Joe Harden attempted to play, but managed just 10 minutes after re-injuring a broken nose. The Aggies have had seven games where multiple players have missed the game or left early due to injury. UC Davis is 3-9 this season when one or more players are not available due to injury and 5-6 when at full strength.

OVERTIME AGAIN
UC Davis got caught up in another barn burner, playing in their second overtime game in the past three contests. The Aggies moved to 1-1 in overtime games however, with a 93-86 loss at UC Santa Barbara. The last time UC Davis played in multiple overtime games in a season was the 2005-06 season, when the Aggies had four overtime contests. UC Davis went 1-3 in overtime games that season, losing all three conference games that had extra periods.

PAYNE'S 30-PLUS GAMES
Senior Mark Payne has been on fire after returning from an ankle injury that had him sidelined for three games. Since returning to the starting lineup, Payne has scored in double figures in four straight games, averaged 23.8 points per game and had two games with over 30 points. His previous career high was 28 points back on 12/30/09 against Whittier college. Payne has now set new career highs in two of the last three games, with 32 points against UC Irvine and 33 points at UC Santa Barbara.

SAME STORY AT CAL POLY
The Aggies had a tough shooting night in the second matchup against Cal Poly, shooting 36 percent from the floor and 14 percent from behind the arc. The Mustangs came into the game ranked third in the nation in three point field goal defense. Despite the struggles from the field, UC Davis was able to keep the game close thanks to an 82 percent (22-27) effort from the foul line. Cal Poly shot just 47 percent (19-40) from the line and failed to take control until late in the contest. The Aggies did manage to outrebound the Mustangs, holding a 36-33 advantage on the boards. It was just the third time on the season that UC Davis has outrebounded their opponent, but the first time they lost after winning the rebounding battle.

OVERTIME STAT STUFFER
Saturday's OT win over UC Irvine was the first double overtime game for UC Davis since a 92-88 win over Cal State Northridge in 2007. It was also the first time the Aggies have scored 100 points, since a 105-100 double overtime win at UC San Diego in 2003. The last time UC Davis scored 100 points on their home court was a 102-71 win over Chico State in 1998. The extra 10 minutes of play in this season's double overtime game led to an overload of statistical highs for the Aggies. In combination between all players, UC Davis had 10 career highs and 17 season highs set in the win against UC Irvine. Notable career highs included Todd Lowenthal in assists (7), Mark Payne in points (32) and FGs made (10), Ryan Howley in 3-pt. FGs made (2), Ryan Sypkens in FGs made (6) and Eddie Miller in points (25), rebounds (8), assists (5), 3-pt. FGs made (4) and FTs made (5).

BOUNCING BACK IN A BIG WAY
UC Davis had a 63 point turnaround in the span of two games. The Aggies lost 87-54 to Pacific and followed the performance with a 82-52 rout of UC Irvine. The games marked the greatest margin of defeat and victory for UC Davis on the season. They were also the only two games of the season to be decided by 30 points or more. The Aggies played well in their only home televised game of the season, with the Jan. 27 contest airing on Comcast Sports Net California.

MID-SEASON SLUMP
After starting the conference season with a win at Cal State Fullerton, UC Davis dropped five consecutive conference games. The losing streak was capped off by the worst loss of the season, a 33-point defeat at home to Pacific. While the stats don't tell the whole story, there have been statistical trends in the past few losses. In three consecutive losses, the Aggies scored under 60 points. UC Davis is 0-4 this season when scoring less than 60 points. The Aggies were also outrebounded in the five straight losses. In fact, in all 12 losses this season, UC Davis has been outrebounded by its opponent. The Aggies have been starting off slow in recent games. In all five of the most recent losses, UC Davis has not led at halftime. The Aggies are 2-9 this season when trailing at halftime. UC Davis has also been struggling with injuries this season, with a combined 18 games missed by all players.

LATE GAME SITUATIONS AT LONG BEACH
The second half of the nationally televised game at Long Beach State turned out to be a roller-coaster, with UC Davis cutting a 15-point deficit down to just two late in the game. In a controversial finish, the Aggies had a chance to tie the game in the final possession, after an intentional foul was called on Long Beach State's Casper Ware. UC Davis managed just one of two free throws and their three point attempt fell short, as the 49ers managed to hang on for the win.

SHOOTING WOES VS. THE MUSTANGS
UC Davis had their worst shooting night of the season in a loss vs. Cal Poly, posting season lows in points (43), shooting percentage (31.4%), field goals made (16) and three point field goals made (3). Only three players registered multiple field goals in the game; Eddie Miller, Joe Harden and Ryan Howley. The rest of the team shot a combined 2-22 for the game. The Mustangs didn't shoot the ball much better, posting at a 32.7 percent clip for the game. However, Cal Poly had the advantage in rebounds (42-36), assists (10-6), steals (8-4) and turnovers (12-16). The Mustangs also managed to score 18 points off turnovers and 12 second chance points.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
Despite the offensive struggles in the five game losing streak, UC Davis still led the Big West in three point FGs made per game with 7.47 per contest. Prior to the Long Beach game, the Aggies also led the conference in field goal percentage and assists. UC Davis has also spent time on the leaderboard as second in free throw percentage third in three point FG percentage. At the time, Ryan Sypkens led the conference in three point FG percentage (.448), with the next closest player shooting 41 percent. Eddie Miller also ranked ninth in overall field goal percentage, shooting 47 percent.

THREE POINT THREATS
UC Davis has proved that they can consistently knock down the long ball this season. They currently lead the Big West in three point FGs made per game, connecting on 7.87 per contest as a team. In a stretch of seven games from Dec. 4 - Jan 6, the Aggies hit eight or more threes in each game. UC Davis reached double figures in three point FGs made for the second time this season, when they poured in 13 triples in a win at Cal State Fullerton. The Aggies have six players that have recorded multiple threes in at least two games this season. Even more impressive is that the list of six players (Eddie Miller, Ryan Sypkens, Josh Ritchart, Ryan Howley, Ryan Silva, Tyler Les) does not include the top two scoring threats for UC Davis (Joe Harden and Mark Payne).

BACK-TO-BACK FOR SYPKENS
Ryan Sypkens responded well to being placed back in the starting lineup for conference play, posting career highs in back-to-back games. Sypkens shot 6 of 12 for a career high 17 points in a win over Cal State Fullerton, while adding five assists and three rebounds. He followed that performance with a new career high 19 points vs. Cal State Northridge, shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 7 from behind the arc. The five three point FGs made also set a new career high, while five rebounds in the game tied a career best.

MULTIPLE SEASON BESTS VS. THE MATADORS
UC Davis set multiple team and individual season highs in a win at Cal State Fullerton. The Aggies poured in a season high 88 points, while connecting on 13 threes. It was the second time this season that UC Davis had 10 or more threes in a game, after hitting on 15 triples against Notre Dame de Namur. The Aggies also had a season high with 30 field goals made as a team, shooting 50 percent for the game. Eddie Miller matched a career best for the third time on the season with 20 points. Josh Ritchart also reached 20 points for the second time on the season. Ryan Sypkens tallied a career high 17 points, to go along with 5 assists.

MILLER MATCHES A CAREER BEST
In his first season with the Aggies, junior transfer Eddie Miller has registered 20 points in multiple games this season. His first 20-point performance came in a win vs. Seattle back on Nov. 27. Miller also led UC Davis to a win over Southern Utah with 20 more points, after shooting 9 of 14 from the floor.

SYPKENS' HOT SHOOTING FROM THREE
Sophomore guard Ryan Sypkens came off the bench to net 16 points vs. Southern Utah, shooting an efficient 6 of 7 from the floor and 4 of 4 from behind the arc. The game marked the second time this season that Sypkens has tallied 16 points off the bench, while connecting on four threes. He also poured in 16 points in a win at Sacramento State, shooting 6 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 6 from long range. Sypkens leads the team in three point field goals made on the season.

BATTLING WITH THE BISON
For the past two seasons, UC Davis has had some memorable matchups vs. the North Dakota State Bison, in the only two meetings in school history. While the Bison have come away with both wins, the combined margin of victory was six over the two games. In the first ever meeting, NDSU took a 63-62 win on the Aggies' home court, back on Nov. 29, 2009. This season, UC Davis came up just short again, taking the game down to the wire before a 76-71 defeat.

TESTING THE PAC-10
Despite two losses vs. Pac-10 teams this season, UC Davis had potential for upsets against Cal and UCLA earlier this season. The Aggies dropped a 74-62 decision at Cal and lost 72-67 at UCLA. In the second half vs. the Golden Bears, UC Davis had just a six point deficit and trailed by only four late in the game vs. the Bruins. The Aggies have also had some strong individual performances in both games. Joe Harden had a career high 27 points against Cal, while Josh Ritchart poured in career high 23 points at UCLA.

RITCHART RISING
Josh Ritchart had one of the more impressive performances of the season for UC Davis, when he scored 23 points off the bench at UCLA on Dec. 13. After going a perfect 3 for 3 in the first half, 16 of Ritchart's 23 points came in the second half, including four threes. He had a stretch late in the game where he hit three consecutive threes, to pull the Aggies within six, the smallest deficit of the second half.

ON TOP OF ASSISTS
UC Davis had a season high 20 assists in their win vs. Notre Dame de Namur, while also recording a season low 10 turnovers. In the Week 5 Big West Conference Report, the Aggies climbed to the top of the leaderboard in team assists, with 15.1 per game. The next closest league foe is Long Beach State, with 14.1 game. Senior Mark Payne is a big reason why UC Davis is finding ways to effectively share the ball. Payne moved into sole possession of second place for career assists at UC Davis after the win vs. the Argonauts, with a total of 383 assists.

LES IS MORE
Freshman Tyler Les sparked an onslaught of threes vs. Notre Dame de Namur, coming off the bench to hit a team best four triples, while UC Davis hit 15 from long range for the game. The 15 three point field goals set a new program record for threes made in regulation, surpassing the previous mark of 14. Eddie Miller and Ryan Sypkens also had three threes apiece, while the Aggies shot 15-30 as a team.

CHECK THAT... (PART II)
Another stat correction this season ended up providing another noteworthy accomplishment. In the Nov. 27 game vs. Seattle, freshman Mike Kurtz was originally credited with four blocks. It was later revealed that Kurtz should have had five blocks. The five blocks for Kurtz ties a single game UC Davis record. Kurts now shares the record with Jason Cox (vs. St. Rose (N.Y.), 3/19/98) and Randy DeBortoli (vs. Cal State Hayward, 2/6/88).

LOWENTHAL IN THE NCAA RANKS
With the first NCAA statistical rankings posted on Monday, Nov. 29th, Todd Lowenthal was the only player for the Aggies that received an individual ranking in the top 100. At the time, Lowenthal led the team in assists and steals and was among the nation's best with 2.3 steals per game (57th) and a 2.36 assist to turnover ratio (85th). The next highest ranking for UC Davis was Mark Payne, who was shooting 82.2 percent from the free-throw line (182nd). As a team, the Aggies were ranked 93rd in free-throw percentage, shooting 71.1 percent.

Q&A WITH STEWART AND PAYNE
In the Nov. 29, 2010 issue of ESPN the Magazine, there is an article on page 64 about "hybrid players." Senior guard Mark Payne (6-8, 215 lbs.) was originally interviewed to be included in the article, with head coach Gary Stewart also commenting on Payne's status as a hybrid player. The Payne section was eventually left out of the final article, but the Q&A session with Payne and Stewart is available online to read. Visit ucdavisaggies.com and check out the "around the web" section to access a link to the conversations.

UC RIVERSIDE HOME GAME TO BE TELEVISED
UC Davis has picked up a televised game this season at home vs. UC Riverside on January 27th, with a tip time set for 7 p.m. The recently added game will air on Comcast California. The Aggies play in four televised games this season, but the Jan. 27th tilt will be the only home contest televised for UC Davis.

CAUSEWAY CUP CONTINUES
UC Davis jumped ahead in the Causeway Cup standings after a dramatic 17-16 win in the football Causeway Classic on Saturday, Nov. 20. The Causeway Cup awards points to either UC Davis or Sacramento State. Each of the schools' 18 common teams usually compete against each other at least once during the year. The winner is given the pre-determined amount of points of either five or 10. If the two schools meet just once in a season, then all the points will go to the winning team. But if the teams play each other two times or more, the points are divided by how many meetings occur. A men's basketball win just three days after football gave the Aggies a commanding 37.5 - 15.0 lead in the 2010-11 Causeway Cup standings. The winner of the cup must score more than 50 points out of a possible 100. Last year, UC Davis took a 55.83 - 44.17 victory over Sacramento State.

CHECK THAT...
After checking the stats from previous games, an interesting correction has been made to the first game of the season vs. Florida Atlantic. In that game, Mark Payne was originally credited with 13 free throws on 13 attempts. After the error was revealed, Payne was 14 of 14 at the line vs. FAU. Not only did the correction give Payne a 20-10 game, but the 14 free throws made ties a career high for the senior guard.

AGGIES INK JT ADENRELE
The UC Davis men's basketball team announced Wednesday, Nov. 17 that JT Adenrele from Oakmont High School in Roseville, has signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Aggies next fall. Adenrele, a 6-foot-6 220-pound forward, helped lead Oakmont to an impressive 25-8 overall record during the 2009-10 season. They also finished second place in their division with a 9-3 record and advanced to the section semifinals under head coach Rick Campbell. Adenrele averaged 11.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game at Oakmont as a junior. For his play in the 2009-10 season, he was awarded SFL League Honorable Mention. Adenrele also played AAU during the off season from spring through summer, under coach Ernest Taubodo with the E-Times Hoops Academy.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Joe Harden and Mark Payne have both put together double-doubles this season. Throughout the season, all double-doubles by the Aggies will be monitored on a game-by-game basis.

Joe Harden Mark Payne
UC Santa Cruz 11-17 - 16 pts./11 rebs. Florida Atlantic 11-12 - 20 pts./11 rebs.
Wisc.-Milwaukee 11-14 - 21 pts./11 rebs.
Cal Poly 2-3 - 16 pts./10 rebs.

1000 POINT WATCH
Seniors Joe Harden and Mark Payne entered the season just shy of the 1000-point plateau, with each player starting the year with over 900 points. Payne reached the career milestone on Nov. 14 vs. Wisc.-Milwaukee, scoring 17 points in the game and becoming the 17th member of the UC Davis 1000-point club. Harden Scored his 1000th on Nov. 27 vs. Seattle, scoring 16 points in the game. The progress of the overall career standings for both players will be monitored on a game-by-game basis.

5. Pete Buchwald, 1084-88 - 1,405
6. Ryan Moore, 2001-05 - 1,358
7. John Frost, 1965-68 - 1,346
8. Mark Payne, 2007-present - 1,341 career points
9. Dominic Callori, 1999-2003 - 1,339
10. Joe Harden, 2008-present - 1,326 career points
11. Jason Cox, 1996-2000 - 1,292 career points
12. Dominic Calegari, 2006-10 - 1,271 career points

NO PAYNE NO GAIN
Despite missing eight games due to injury last season, senior guard Mark Payne was the Big West active career leader in three separate categories entering the 2010-11 season, including points (964), assists (352) and steals (149).

In the UC Davis record books, Payne is also in the top ten in career assists and steals and climbing the leader board. His progress will be monitored on a game-by-game basis.

CAREER ASSISTS CAREER STEALS
1. Angelo Rivers, 1982-86 467 1. Dante Ross, 1996-99 186
2. Mark Payne, 2007-Present 438 2. Angelo Rivers, 1983-86 180
3. Dante Ross, 1996-99 380 3. Mark Payne, 2007-Present 174
4. Chris Familetti, 1988-89, '90-92 172

HARDEN'S PRESEASON PLAUDIT
Senior guard Joe Harden was named to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team, voted on by a panel of media members. Harden has been selected to the Big West All-Conference Second Team the past two seasons. Last season, he was also named to the 2010 Big West All Tournament Team and he was named the 2009-10 Best Hustle Player in the Big West. Entering the 2010-11 season, Harden was third in active career leaders in points (908) and rebounds (445).