Dec. 6, 2013
Game 10
Nevada Wolf Pack (3-5)
at
UC Davis Aggies (3-6)
Saturday, Dec. 7 - 7 p.m.
The Pavilion (5,670) - Davis, Calif.
Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM)
Video Stream
Internet Audio
In-game Twitter Updates
DAVIS, Calif. - The only home game out if its first four played this month, UC Davis will host Nevada for the first time in nearly nine years on Saturday, Dec. 7. This game will provide the Aggies with an opportunity to end its four-game slide in front of their home fans, the Wolf Pack arrive to Davis looking to end a three-game skid of their own.
Saturday's contest will also provide UC Davis with an opportunity to avenge its last-second loss suffered in Reno last season; Wolf Pack guard Deonte Burton negated the Aggies' late-game, go-ahead basket by making a last-second shot of his own to steal a would-be victory from UC Davis.
A WIN-WIN SITUATION
UC Davis men's basketball fans have an opportunity to purchase $5 general admission simply by participating in this season's Toys For Tots holiday drive. Anyone who donates a new and unwrapped toy on Saturday, Dec. 7, can watch the Aggies host Nevada at a discounted price.
WELCOME HOME
San Francisco Giants' in-game reporter Amy Gutierrez (a.k.a. Amy G. to Giants fans) and San Jose Mercury-News' sports feature writer Dan Brown will return to their alma mater on Saturday, Dec. 7, to sign copies of their respective books prior to that night's game versus Nevada.
Starting at 6 p.m. at The Pavilion, the pair will be available to sign copies of Brown's "100 Things 49ers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" and Gutierrez' children's book "Smarty Marty's Got Game." Saturday's meet and greet will also double as a homecoming for Gutierrez and Brown as each graduated from UC Davis before building their careers in the Bay Area.
A CLOSER LOOK AT NEVADA
Responsible for two wins in its first three games of the season, the Nevada Wolf Pack has only earned one victory in its following four matchups to enter Saturday's game with a 3-5 overall record. UC Davis is Nevada's penultimate opponents in its current four-game road trip, one that will end at Cal on Tuesday. Prior to visiting Davis, the Wolf Pack fell to UCLA and Missouri in Las Vegas last week.
UC Davis is very familiar with senior guard Deonte Burton, Nevada's leading scorer at 23.4 ppg, as he was the one that snatched a victory from the Aggies' with his last-second shot last year.
Nevada's road woes have carried over from last season; in 2012-13, the Wolf Pack was 2-12 in its 14 games played outside Reno, this year the team is 2-3 outside the Lawlor Events Center.
However, Nevada has come up big in clutch situations by making baskets when it truly matters - in the final moments of the game. Of the four Wolf Pack games decided by two points, the team has won three of those contests.
Series Record: Nevada Leads 77-24
Last UC Davis Win: 82-78 (H) (1/23/73)
Last Nevada Win: 84-83 (A) (11/25/12)
Current Streak: Nevada +12
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
UC Davis men's basketball would like to thank everyone who participated in the program's annual canned food drive which took place on the night of this years' cross-Causeway matchup on Nov. 26. All proceeds will benefit the Yolo Food Bank.
LISTEN LIVE TO UC DAVIS MEN'S BASKETBALL
For the third year, every UC Davis men's basketball game will air on KSAC (105.5 FM). Scott Marsh will call the action and begin his broadcast 30 minutes before tip-off with his pregame show. Fans can also listen to Marsh online for every men's basketball game this season through an internet broadcast available at ucdavisaggies.com.
GIVE ME MY STATS, STAT!
Find out what is happening during every UC Davis men's basketball game through live stats. Links for every men's basketball game are available by clicking "Gametracker" (home games) or "Live Stats" (road games) on the team's schedule page at ucdavisaggies.com. Due to the increased use of smartphones and tablet computers, Gametracker was redesigned this past summer and is now available for use on any tablet computer of mobile device.
SECURE YOUR SEATS
Season tickets, mini-plans and single-game tickets can be purchased through the "Tickets" link at ucdavisaggies.com, in person at the UC Davis Ticket Office, or by phone at (530) 752 AGS1.
IT'S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER
UC Davis men's basketball fans can follow their favorite team, and all other Aggie intercollegiate athletics programs on Twitter at the handle @UCDavisAggies. In-game updates are also available on the department's secondary Twitter handle, @UCDavisInGame.
WATCH THE AGGIES IN ACTION FOR FREE
Live streaming for all Aggie men's basketball Big West games are streamed for free at BigWest.TV. Basketball fans can also access the link needed to watch all UC Davis home games on BigWest.TV by accessing the link entitled "Live Stream Provided by BigWest.TV" on the sidebar of the men's basketball homepage on ucdavisaggies.com.
COLLEGE HOOPS DAILY RECOGNIZES RITCHART
Dominating performances throughout UC Davis' first eight games of the season helped Josh Ritchart earn a spot on College Hoops Daily's All-Big West Conference Team for the month of November.
Ritchart, who ended the month of November as the league's leader in three-point field goal percentage with his .560 clip, was also ranked No. 2 with a .647 field goal percentage, No. 3 in scoring with 17.8 points per game and No. 9 with 6.6 rebounds per game.
All four marks double as team-high figures.
Ritchart's presence was felt throughout all eight games that took place in November, not just the three scheduled in Portland; besides finishing with team-high scoring and rebounding totals on two occasions, he also led all Aggies in blocked shots in five games.
The award was the second received by Ritchart in November as the Big West Conference honored the senior guard/forward as its Men's Basketball Player of the Week after his dominating performance throughout the Aggies' schedule at the Portland State Tournament.
A JOSH-OF-ALL-TRADES
Josh Ritchart, who has shot 50 pct. or better from the floor in all nine games, ranks No. 2 in the Big West with a .632 field goal percentage. More impressively, almost one-third of his attempts have come from beyond the arc. Ritchart is the Big West leader in three-point field goal percentage (.563), and has hit eight of his last 15 from distance.
The senior guard/forward enters Saturday's home game against Nevada also ranked No. 2 in defensive rebounds per game (5.11), No. 3 in the Big West in scoring (17.3 ppg), tied for No. 4 in blocked shots (1.33 bpg), No. 6 in three-point field goals made per game (2.00) No. 10 in rebounding (6.6 rpg)
COMING TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU
After rolling out its mobile production facility at the women's soccer conference semifinals, the Big West Conference, in conjunction with ESPN, will broadcast a minimum of 13 men's basketball games on ESPN3 this season. The conference's inaugural game on ESPN3 will involve UC Davis when the team visits Cal State Northridge, on Jan. 9, in its Big West opener.
Through the Big West's new mobile production facility, each game will be produced by the Conference utilizing full ESPN production standards, including graphics, replay and on-air crew. It is the first fully operational mobile production unit of its kind that expands upon what ESPN Emerging Technology has already done at the institutional level. Depending on ESPNU's selection, ESPN3 will broadcast one game not selected by its sister station from the following matchups on March 6: UC Davis at UC Riverside, UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State at Cal State Northridge.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
In this year's Causeway matchup, UC Davis supporters at The Pavilion witnessed a rare historical moment when Sypkens connected on his first attempt from three at the 18:28 mark of the second half to record his 1,000th career point. The senior from Elk Grove is the first Aggie to join this exclusive, now 19-member club, since Mark Payne reached this milestone on Nov. 14, 2010.
RITCHART'S REIGN IN PORTLAND LEADS TO WEEKLY AWARD
The Big West Conference recognized UC Davis senior Josh Ritchart Monday afternoon as its Men's Basketball Player of the Week for helping the Aggies earn two victories at the Portland State Tournament.
The 6-foot-9 forward was virtually unstoppable when UC Davis faced SIUE in its tournament-opener last Friday, a game that saw Ritchart score a career-high 35 points on 12 of 14 shots, en route to an 80-75 victory. The native of Auburn, Calif., also collected 13 rebounds to post his team's first double-double of the year.
Less than 24 hours later, Ritchart narrowly missed a second-straight double-double when he finished with nine points and nine rebounds in UC Davis' 64-61 overtime win versus Loyola Chicago.
By ending his weekend against tournament host Portland State with 17 points and seven rebounds, Ritchart averaged 20.3 points and 9.7 rebounds for the week. Collectively, he shot 67.6 pct. (23 of 34) from the field and 44.4 pct. (4 of 9) from three.
UC DAVIS WELCOMES ISAIAH WALTON
UC Davis men's basketball opened the fall signing period in impressive fashion by signing Elyria High prospect Isaiah Walton to a National Letter of Intent as announced by head coach Jim Les on Nov. 13. Walton is the inaugural member of the Aggies' incoming class of 2014 and is scheduled to attend classes at UC Davis next fall.
Hailing from Oberlin, Ohio, the 6-foot-3 senior, lauded as one of the top guards in Ohio's Class of 2014 by numerous prep pundits, committed to the UC Davis shortly after his official visit.
As a junior, Walton averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals as Elyria's primary shooting guard. In addition to scoring a career-high 30 points against Parma High School during league competition last season, Walton also guided his Pioneers to an 18-6 record. By helping his team earn a berth in the Division I district semifinals, the Northeast Conference and Lorain County each named Walton to their respective all-league and all-county first teams.
Even though numerous east coast, Mid-American Conference and Horizon League schools also pursued Walton, the Aggies were his top choice since his initial conversations with the staff.
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?
Even a fire alarm could not deter future Aggie Isaiah Walton from scoring a team-high 24 points, including three baskets during a 10-0 fourth quarter scoring run, to lead Elyria High School to a 12-point victory over Midview High School. Delayed for more than 30 minutes, Walton helped his team open its season by scoring 20 of the game's first 29 points to give his team a wire-to-wire victory.
TWO SCHOOLS, 20 MILES, ONE RIVALRY
UC Davis and Sacramento State met for the 112th time when the teams faced one another in this year's Causeway Cup game. Outside of Sacramento State, UC Davis men's basketball competed against three teams on a more frequent basis-a list that includes former Div. II, California Collegiate Athletic Association members Chico State (178 games), San Francisco State (148 games) and Humboldt State (122 games).
HIS GRAND FINALE
Radio analyst Bill Herenda called his final UC Davis men's basketball games on Nov. 24 when UC Davis faced Portland State in a tournament hosted by the Vikings. Also found at UC Davis home football games as a sideline reporter, Herenda concluded his nine-year tenure with UC Davis and can be found at his current position as KFBK's (92.5FM/AM1530) morning sports reporter.
SECOND-HALF SURGE
In his third game in a UC Davis uniform, freshman guard Brynton Lemar is playing like a seasoned veteran as evidence by his play at Utah (11/15). By finishing with 14 points, Lemar led the team in scoring for the first time since joining the program. Of those 14 points, all but one were earned after halftime. Lemar also led the team with a season-high four steals.
Lemar is the second Aggie in the last two seasons to record four steals in a single game as teammate Corey Hawkins also accomplished this feat at Cal State Northridge on Jan. 17, 2013.
