Game 21

UC Davis Aggies (16-4, 6-1 BWC)
at
UC Irvine (13-8, 6-1 BWC)

Thursday, Feb. 5 - 7 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

Video Stream: ESPN3 - Scott Marsh (PBP), Richie Schueler (Analyst), Sanaz Tavassol (Sideline)
Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM)
Internet Audio
Live Stats
In-game Twitter Updates

Game 22

UC Davis Aggies
at
CSUN Matadors (6-17, 2-6 BWC)

Saturday, Feb. 7 - 7:30 p.m.
The Matadome (1,600) - Northridge, Calif.

TV: FOX College Sports Pacific (N. California)/FOX Prime Ticket (S. California) - Kevin Barnett (PBP), Corey Maggette (Analyst), Rahshaun Haylock (Sideline)
Video Stream
Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM) - Scott Marsh (PBP)
Internet Audio
Live Stats
In-game Twitter Updates

Game Notes NOTE: To watch Saturday's game online through FOX's video stream, one must subscribe to the network's regional cable/satellite sports package. You will be required to sign-in before accessing FOX's video content.

DAVIS, Calif. - Two national audiences will have the opportunity to watch one of the top shooting teams in the country compete in both games scheduled this week when UC Davis visits UC Irvine on Thursday and CSUN on Saturday. ESPN3 will carry Thursday's first-place battle between the Big West's top teams, starting at 7 p.m.; Northern California basketball fans can watch the Aggies face the Matadors in this season's series finale on Fox College Sports Pacific. Southern California supporters will have the ability to watch Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game on FOX Prime Ticket.

UC Irvine, a team that has won more than half of its games on its home court (7 of 13), will face the only team in the Big West Conference with a winning road record as six of the Aggies' 16 victories have been collected outside of Davis.

An Aggie victory, on ESPN3, will snap a seven-game slide against the Anteaters - a block of results that also includes two OT games in Irvine.

Thursday's game will also feature two of the league's top shooting teams. UC Davis leads all conference schools with its .502 field goal percentage and .454 mark from three. UC Irvine ranks second with its respective .484 and .417 percentages.

Series Record: UC Irvine leads 20-12
Last UC Davis Win: 108-107 (2OT); 1/29/11 in Davis
Last UC Irvine Win: 74-46; 3/8/14 in Irvine
Series Streak: UC Irvine +7

UC Davis opened Big West play on Jan. 7 by hosting CSUN, and will start the second round of league games by facing the Matadors, on their home floor, Saturday night. CSUN will travel to Cal State Fullerton Thursday night before hosting UC Davis in a key matchup of its own that has postseason implications.

Entering this week, CSUN and Cal State Fullerton sit in seventh and eighth place respectively; a win will bolster one team's chances of making the tournament entering the second round of league competition.

UC Davis has downed the Matadors in the last two games and five of the last six head-to-head matchups.

CSUN is led by senior guard Stephan Hicks, the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,815 points scored throughout his four years as a Matador. He is also averaging 16.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this season.

Another Matador to keep an eye on is senior forward Stephan Maxwell as he is averaging 15.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg and is second in the league with nine double-doubles.

Series Record: CSUN leads 19-13
Last UC Davis Win: 71-61; 1/7/15 in Davis
Last CSUN Win: 89-77; 1/9/14 in Northridge
Series Streak: UC Davis +2

BACK WHERE WE BELONG
For the second straight game, and the fourth time this season, UC Davis will compete in front of a national audience when ESPN3 airs Thursday's 7 p.m. game at the Bren Events Center.

Scott Marsh, the voice of UC Davis men's basketball, will call the action courtside with Richie Schueler providing additional analysis. Sanaz Tavassol is your sideline reporter for Thursday's matchup involving two of the Big West's three first-place teams.

Two days later, the Aggies will travel to the Valley to face CSUN in the final regular season matchup between the two. Kevin Barnett (play-by-play) and Corey Maggettee (analyst) are your broadcasters for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. conference contest from the Matadome, Rahshaun Haylock will provide additional sideline commentary that night.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
For the fifth consecutive week, UC Davis is the No. 1 team in the country (out of 345 Div. I teams) with its three-point percentage. The Aggies sport a .454 percentage from the behind the arc; UC Irvine, the Big West's second-ranked team, is shooting .417.

BETTER THAN 50/50 ODDS? I'LL TAKE THAT
UC Davis is also ranked No. 4 in the nation, and No. 1 in the Big West, with its .502 field goal percentage. The Aggies are the only Division I team in the country to hold a top-five three-point and field goal percentage.

HE'S NUMBER ONE! HE'S NUMBER ONE!
For the first time in the program's Division I history, a UC Davis player leads all players in the nation from behind the arc with his three-point percentage. Corey Hawkins is that individual, and for the second straight week, holds a NCAA-high .526 figure.

CAREER WIN NO. 200 IS WITHIN REACH
Entering Thursday's game, Jim Les has won 198 games throughout his 13-year career as a head coach at Bradley and UC Davis.

SIX SHOOTER
Senior guard Corey Hawkins is ranked No. 6 among all Division I players in the nation with his 21.3 points per game average.

HE'S DEFINITELY ON THE LIST
Corey Hawkins is on Lou Henson Mid-Major Watch List - an award that is presented to the best mid-major player in the nation. Including his NCAA-high .526 percentage from three, the senior guard also holds another six top-100 individual NCAA rankings. Hawkins' 21.3 points per game scoring average is the best in the Big West Conference and the sixth-highest among all Division I players; UC Davis' first-ever Big West scoring champion is also ranked No. 9 nationally by averaging 3.21 three-point field goals per game.

CLIMBING THE MID-MAJOR LADDER
For the fifth week, UC Davis earned a top 25 ranking when CollegeInsider.com released its mid-major poll Monday evening. In its latest listing, the Aggies are ranked No. 14 - this highest ranking in school history.

On Nov. 24, UC Davis made its inaugural Division I appearance on CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll when the Aggies received one vote. Five weeks later, UC Davis earned its first-ever, D-I national ranking when the media outlet listed the Aggies as the No. 25 mid-major team in the nation in its Dec. 22 poll.

TOP 25 TALENT
Just a handful of days after grabbing the nation's attention after scoring 28 points and collecting 10 rebounds in Jan. 10's ESPNU home game against Long Beach State, Corey Hawkins was named one of the nation's best college basketball players by ESPN. The senior guard was ranked No. 25 in college basketball pundit John Gasaway's annual hype-free, performance-based listing of the top 25 players in the country.

DON'T LEAVE EARLY
UC Davis erased its largest lead en route to a victory when the Aggies come-from-behind effort against Cal Poly (1/31), on ESPNU, ended with a three-point win. That result marked the second time in as many opportunities that ESPNU aired a UC Davis OT comeback in front of a nationally televised audience.

On Jan. 10, the Aggies climbed out of an 11-point hole to defeat Long Beach State by six.

FORTY MINUTES ARE NOT ENOUGH
Three of UC Davis' last seven head-to-head matchups against UC Irvine have needed overtime to determine a victor.

CLUTCH WHEN IT COUNTS THE MOST
Including its matchup from last season against CSUN (2/6/14), UC Davis has won its last four OT games. Coincidentally, all four games took place inside the Pavilion.

LET'S SEE HOW THE AGGIES FARE IN OT
UC Davis has competed in eight overtime games throughout the Jim Les era and has won five of those matchups - all at home.

Including the three earned this year, men's hoops defeated Loyola Chicago at the Portland State Tournament (11/23/14) and CSUN (2/6/14), at home, last season.

The Aggies have only dropped one OT contest on Hamilton Court, which took place on Dec. 7, 2013, when Nevada visited Davis. The other two losses took place in last season's triple-overtime thriller at San José State 11 days after falling to the Wolf Pack, and on Dec. 29, 2012, when the Aggies traveled to UC Irvine.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Coming off of a 9-22 season, UC Davis has set a Division I record for most victories (16) and is on pace for a 20-win campaign. Should the Aggies accomplish that, they would become only the third team in Big West history to win single- digit games one year and 20 the next. Fresno State (7-20 in 1976-77, 21-6 in 1977-78) and Utah State (4-23 in 1981-82, 20-9 in 1982-83) are the others.

HAWKINS JOINS ELITE LIST
By scoring 22 points vs. Cal Poly (1/31), senior guard Corey Hawkins became the fourth player in the program's 104-year history to score 1,500 points as an Aggie.

THEY SHINED THE BRIGHTEST WHEN THE RED LIGHT WAS LIT
When UC Davis made its inaugural appearance on ESPNU on Jan. 10, vs. Long Beach State, Corey Hawkins collected the second double-double of his career by posting a team-high 28 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in the Aggies' come-from-behind victory.

Hawkins also scored 12 second-half points, and seven of the Aggies' 14 points in OT to snap his team's 11-game losing streak against the 49ers. The senior guard scored nine of UC Davis' final 12 points in regulation to force overtime; in the extra session, it was his three with 1:35 remaining that extended the Aggies' lead to a two-possession advantage.

Three weeks later when Cal Poly, and ESPNU visited the Pavilion once again, it was Avery Johnson and Josh Ritchart that scored clutch baskets to record another thrilling come-from-behind win.

Of his season-high 24 points, it was Ritchart's three - one of a season-high six scored throughout the evening - with 55 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. During the extra session, Johnson's three, his second of the game gave UC Davis the lead for good.

Johnson also scored the Aggies' final three points in the line to preserve his team's advantage throughout the final minutes of that game.

WE MUST PROTECT OUR HOUSE
By defeating UCSB on Jan. 29, UC Davis remained unbeaten at home this season and set a new Division I school record by collecting its ninth home victory. The previous mark of eight wins was originally set by the 2007-08 and 2009-10 teams.

Two days later, the Aggies extended their record by topping Cal Poly in overtime.

CATCH US IF YOU CAN
The Aggies' victory over UCSB also set a new program record for the most D-I wins in a season. UC Davis now has 15 victories to its credit and will strengthen its position with every subsequent win. Coach Les' 2012-13 squad set the previous record with its 14 victories.

A HAT TRICK OF A DIFFERENT KIND
UCSB saw firsthand how talented Corey Hawkins is when the senior guard finished with a game-high 28 points, team-high six rebounds and game-high three assists. That marked the third time this year that Hawkins led the Aggies in all three major categories. He finished with 28/10/3 against Long Beach State (1/10) when ESPNU first visited the Pavilion this season, and 29/6/6 when the Aggies visited Washington State (12/28).

GET READY TO ADD ANOTHER NEW SCHOOL RECORD TO THIS YEAR'S LIST
Now that this year's team now holds the records for the most overall and home wins in a season, another two program marks are in the Aggies' sights.

The 2012-13 roster set new program highs by earning six road and nine league victories. The Aggies' next opportunity to collect their seventh road victory will take place on Feb. 5 at UC Irvine.

A FIVE-TOOL PLAYER IN BASKETBALL?
As the numbers indicate, that's the best way to describe Corey Hawkins since the senior guard can defend, score, protect the ball, create open looks for teammates and force turnovers. Hawkins' NCAA and Big West rankings include (through games played on Feb. 1):

NCAA
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 1/.526
Points Per Game - 6/21.3
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 9/3.21
Total Three-Point Field Goals - 29/61
Total Points - 30/404
Total Field Goals Made - 54/130
Field Goal Percentage - 67/.512

Big West Conference
Points per Game - 1/21.3
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 1/.526
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 1/3.21 per gm.
Assists Per Game - 4/3.79 per gm.
Field Goal Percentage - 4/.512
Free Throw Percentage - 5/.806
Defensive Rebounds - 6/4.58 per gm.
Steals - 6/1.47 per gm.
Assist-To-Turnover Ratio - 7/1.29
Rebounding - 12/5.4 per gm.

ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
UC Davis enters this week's games atop the Big West standings in first place and is one of two league teams with an undefeated home record. The Aggies are currently 10-0; Long Beach State (7-0) is the other.

Unlike the 49ers, the Aggies are the only conference team to sport a winning road record as well with their 6-4 mark. UC Irvine is the closest team to sport a plus-.500 road mark with its 4-6 mark.

ENJOYING THE VIEW
UC Davis leads all league teams in five statistical categories with its field goal percentage (.502), three-point field goal percentage (.454), rebounding defense (31.3 rpg) and three-point field goals made goal (9.05/gm.).

Senior guard Corey Hawkins holds the highest scoring average (21.3 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (.526) and three-point field goals made per game (3.21) among all Big West players.

#AGGIEPRIDE LEADS TO ESPNU'S RETURN
On Jan. 10, when ESPNU broadcasted UC Davis' home game against Long Beach State, 5,089 fans displayed their Aggie Pride - which is why the network is returned to the Pavilion on Jan. 31 to air the Aggies' league game against Cal Poly.

Against the Mustangs, 5,317 packed the Pavilion to watch the Aggies record another comeback victory in overtime.

This marks the first time in program history that UC Davis will host two nationally televised games in the same season.

Those attendance figures are the third- and second-highest in school history since the Pavilion's capacity was reduced and the arena was reconfigured to meet all national standards in 2009.

GIVE HIM AN INCH, YOU'RE GIVING HIS TEAM THREE POINTS
Even with opposing teams designing game plans to contain him, Corey Hawkins still finds ways to create solid looks from three. The senior guard has connected on 58 of 110 shots from distance and is the No. 1 player in the nation with his .526 percentage.

KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL
Is the best piece of advice for all Aggie players on the court whenever senior guard Corey Hawkins or sophomore guard Darius Graham possess the ball. The pair lead the team with 72 and 71 assists respectively; combined, they are responsible for 49 percent of the team's total.

THE DEFINITION OF CONSISTENCY
UC Davis has shot 50 percent or better in 13 of its 20 games this season, and no worse than 44 percent in any game. The Aggies are connecting at an impressive conference-high .502 percent from the field.

YOU CAN'T STOP THEM ALL
UC Davis leads all Big West teams by averaging 9.05 three-point field goals per game, holds the highest success rate from distance with its .502 three-point percentage, and sports four of the league's top 10 shooters from behind the arc in seniors Corey Hawkins, Avery Johnson, Tyler Les and Josh Ritchart.

Hawkins leads all league players with his .526 three-point percentage; Ritchart is No. 4 and is shooting .447 from three; Les is ranked No. 5 with his .438 clip; Johnson completes the list with his .435 mark. Coincidentally, all four ranked players are redshirt seniors.

THE ENTIRE COURT IS WITHIN THEIR RANGE
Seniors Corey Hawkins and Josh Ritchart also hold top-10 field goal percentages. The former is ranked No. 4 among all Big West players with his .512 figure, the latter is No. 5 and shooting .509 from the floor.

IMAGINE IF HE PLAYED ALL FOUR YEARS IN DAVIS
Currently in his third, and final season at UC Davis, Corey Hawkins continues to stamp his name throughout the team's records book. The senior guard is now ranked No. 4 in school history with 1,512 points and is 11 shy of third place, which is currently held by Vince Oliver (2005-09) and his 1,523-point total.