Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Tyler Les and Avery Johnson combined for nine three-pointers and UC Davis had a dozen treys overall as the Aggies opened Big West Conference action on Wednesday night with a 71-61 men's basketball win over CSUN before 1,935 fans at The Pavilion.

The Aggies, whose .480 percentage from three-point territory was better than the NCAA Div. I-best mark of .432 they entered the game with, improved to 11-3 overall while remaining unbeaten at home this season. UC Davis is 7-0 on Hamilton Court for its inaugural time as a Division I program and the first since the 2003-04 season.

"One thing that concerned me, and I addressed it with the team, is that all the buzz around campus is focused on Saturday. We could not overlook this team, everyone had a businesslike approach tonight and took care of business. That is a reflection of how mature this team is," said head coach Jim Les following the game.

UC Davis has dominated CSUN in recent years; Wednesday's win is the Aggies' fifth in the last six head-to-head matchups.

Since joining the Big West before the start of the 2007-08 season, the Aggies have hosted three conference home openers and left the Pavilion with a victory on each occasion.

In its inaugural season as a conference member, UC Davis defeated UC Riverside in the program's inaugural league game. Two years later, the Aggies defeated Cal State Fullerton, also by a four-point margin.

Les was 5 for 10 from three-point territory and scored a team-high 15 points while Johnson, whose four threes are a career-high, scored 14. Corey Hawkins and Josh Fox each had 11 points while Neal Monson had a career-best 10 rebounds. Hawkins also pitched-in a team-high seven assists.

UC Davis was 12 for 25 from beyond the arc overall.

Including Wednesday's effort, Johnson has now knocked in 11 of his 14 threes throughout the last four games. The Long Beach native scored 18 from distance last year.

As a team, the Aggies' bench outscored the Matadors' reserves by a 32-13 margin.

Stephen Maxwell led the Matadors - coached by former NBA player and Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus - with 18 points. Stephen Hicks added 15. Hicks' three-pointer with 5:11 left in the first half gave the Matadors their final lead at 27-25. But Hawkins, however, responded with a trey of his own as the Aggies outscored CSUN 19-4 to take a 44-31 halftime lead after Les' buzzer-beating trey.

UC Davis led by as many as much as 64-45 in the second half before CSUN rallied to get within seven points in the final minute. With the Matadors forced to foul, Hawkins nailed his team's first free throw, in its second attempt of the evening, with less that a minute remaining in the game. By hitting five of their final six shots at the stripe, the Aggies kept CSUN at bay, collected their 11th win of the year and began shifting their attention towards this weekend's nationally televised game against Long Beach State.

"Now we can start talking about Saturday," added J. Les.

"There is excellence all over this campus, and all throughout this community. What a great way to showcase everything than to have ESPNU come in and talk about out basketball program - these guys are working their tail off, this university, and community on a national stage.

"It's taken us four years, but I think this program has reached a level where we can compete against a team that has traditionally been one of the best teams in the league, in our building, in front of our great fans."

The Aggies will return to action on Saturday when they host the 49ers, tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.

UC DAVIS 71, CSUN 61

CSUN (4-12, 0-1 BWC)

Maxwell, Stephen 7-15 4-10 18; Hicks, Stephan 4-10 7-9 15; Parks, Aaron 4-10 1-2 11; Elliott, Devonte 5-9 0-0 10; Drew, Landon 1-5 0-0 3; Webb, Taelin 1-2 0-0 2; Hale-Edmerson, Tre 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-53 12-21 61.

UC DAVIS (11-3, 1-0 BWC)

Les, Tyler 5-11 0-1 15; Johnson, Avery 4-6 2-2 14; Fox, Josh 5-5 1-2 11; Hawkins, Corey 4-11 2-2 11; Ritchart, Josh 4-6 0-0 9; Monson, Neal 3-4 0-0 6; Graham, Darius 1-3 0-0 3; Adenrele, J.T. 1-3 0-0 2; Lemar, Brynton 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 27-53 5-7 71.

CSUN............................ 31 30 - 61
UC Davis...................... 44 27 - 71

3-point goals--CSUN 3-10 (Parks, Aaron 2-5; Drew, Landon 1-4; Webb, Taelin (0-1), UC Davis 12-25 (Les, Tyler 5-10; Johnson, Avery 4-5; Ritchart, Josh 1-3; Hawkins, Corey 1-2; Graham, Darius 1-2; Lemar, Brynton 0-3). Fouled out--CSUN-None, UC Davis-Monson, Neal. Rebounds--CSUN 32 (Maxwell, Stephen 11), UC Davis 32 (Monson, Neal 10). Assists--CSUN 14 (Drew, Landon 7), UC Davis 18 (Hawkins, Corey 7). Total fouls--CSUN 15, UC Davis 18. Technical fouls--CSUN-None, UC Davis-None. A-1935