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UC Davis basketball fans enjoyed two perfect home records in the last four seasons, and watched the Aggies win three Big West titles throughout that same timespan. Create a home court advantage like no other, purchase your tickets for a men's basketball home game today!  
 
Shorts II and Schneider Postgame Interview  
 
DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis started Saturday's non-conference game at the Pavilion with an 18-3 scoring run, prevented Holy Names from recording a field goal in the last 7:37 of the first half and limited the Hawks to only eight points, all scored at the line throughout that timespan. And even though four lead changes took place early, once the Aggies built their inaugural scoring run, and followed that with another 12-0 outburst minutes later, they never looked back and cruised to a 90-60 victory in their final Big West tune-up.  
 
By making 21 of 28 shots (.750) in the first half, UC Davis set itself up to break a single-game program record for the highest field goal percentage in its Division I era. And by connecting on 13 of its 24 field goal attempts throughout the second half, the Aggies did just that by finishing with a .654 overall percentage.
 
The Aggies' shooting on Saturday topped the previous percentage of .641, set on December 15, 2008, at The Citadel.
 
Thanks to its stellar shooting and suffocating defense — it forced 15 turnovers, scored 22 points off those miscues and held Holy Names to .333 shooting overall (18-for-54) — UC Davis will enter Thursday's 7 p.m. Big West opener at UC Irvine, the first of back-to-back ESPN3 broadcasts, with a 4-10 overall record.

"We know who we are and what it takes to become successful, and it all starts on the defensive end of the floor. Tonight was a great example, we forced 10 turnovers in the first half, shots were contested and there were five guys working in sync with each other," said head coach Jim Les.
 
"When that happens, it creates really good offense because we scored 17 points off those 10 turnovers."
 
Senior communication major Siler Schneider nailed 8 of 10 shots from the floor to finish with a team-high 18 points, and was one of four Aggies to finish in double figures.
 
Senior communication major TJ Shorts II was the definition of efficient Saturday night by scoring on all six of his shots from the floor to finish with 13 points. Freshman Damion Squire set two new career highs by scoring eight of his 12 points at the free throw line; senior economics major Garrison Goode posted a perfect stat line by finishing 4-for-4 overall, and hit both shots at the stripe to chip in another 10 points.
 
In addition to adding another eight points to the Aggies' total, junior communication major Stefan Gonzalez finished with a team-high six rebounds.
 
From the opening tip, the Aggies were aggressive on both ends of the court, especially on offense since they scored 62 points in the paint — which equaled 70 percent of the team's total — in their final non-conference game of the season.
 
"We have a lot of confidence entering league play," said Schneider. "We have been practicing really well, clicking, and ready to start the new year on a positive note."
 
"There are three seasons within each season: non-conference, conference and playoffs," said Shorts II. "Entering conference, we are 0-0 and every other team is the same as us."
 
In addition to broadcasting Thursday's 7 p.m. Big West opener at UC Irvine, ESPN3 will also air Saturday's 4 p.m. game, at Long Beach State, for a national audience.
 
Once it returns home after its inaugural set of Big West games, UC Davis will host UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 17) and Cal Poly (Jan. 19) the following week in the team's first league home games.
 
 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis.
 
Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
 
CREATE A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE LIKE NO OTHER
UC Davis basketball fans have watched the Aggies win three championships and enjoy two undefeated seasons inside the Pavilion in the last four years. Don't miss out on another historic season, click here to purchase your season tickets today!
 
TOGETHER, WE CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
Directly impact the lives of potential, and current UC Davis basketball student-athletes, by joining the Aggie Round Table.
 
With support from this select group of insiders, the men's basketball program can expand its recruiting efforts to find prospects who will thrive at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation, compete at a championship level and represent the University in a first-class manner as one of its ambassadors. 
 
Contact Liz Martin (Assistant Athletics Director, Leadership Giving & Alumni Engagement) at (530) 574-8623 or emartin@ucdavis.edu to find out how you can join this exclusive club!
 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley.
 
The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.