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BERKELEY, Calif. — UC Davis trailed by as many as 18 points in Tuesday night's road game at Cal, but thanks to a 13-0 scoring run in the second half, the Aggies erased that deficit and held their first lead of the night with 9:06 remaining.

Four lead changes and two tied scores took place until Cal's Paris Austin hit a three — his first of the season — with 97 seconds left to play to give the Golden Bears a six-point advantage.

After each team hit their respective free throws throughout the next 40 seconds, Elijah Pepper's left-angle three, hit with 15 seconds remaining, pulled UC Davis within one possession at 66-63. But Cal withstood the Aggies' late scoring surge by hitting its last three free throws to escape Haas Pavilion with a 72-66 win.

"We fell a little bit behind early, but we played with great effort and great energy tonight," said head coach Jim Les. "We brought what we did in practice to the game tonight.

"I saw some really good things on both ends of the floor tonight. Guys made plays, played with confidence and played within our system. When we took the fight to them, good things happened."

Ezra Manjon led all players with a season-high 21 points — his first 20-point performance as an Aggie — and six assists, one shy of his career high. Stefan Gonzalez' 15 points were all earned from three; his five field goals from distance matched his career high as that pair were the Aggies' leading scorers.

"How about that freshman point guard? Ezra is unique, explosive and wants to get better every night. He is a joy to coach, and he wants to be coached. He is not just scoring the ball; to finish with six assists and only one turnover at a Pac-12 venue is special," said Les.

Regarding Gonzalez' ability to score from distance, and score quickly, Les added, "He can get it going when he shoots like that, we see it all the time in practice."

After Manjon ended the first half with a buzzer-beater from three, Joe Mooney scored the first of his 11 points on the Aggies' inaugural possession of the second half.

Of UC Davis' 23 baskets, 11 were hit from behind the arc. In addition to Mooney, Gonzalez, Oliver Gehrke and Caleb Fuller all sank threes of their own to help the Aggies take their first lead of the night midway through the half.

From the opening tip until the final buzzer, UC Davis' defense frustrated Cal by forcing 15 turnovers throughout the evening. By comparison, the Aggies' ball protection was phenomenal since it only committed four miscues throughout the entire game and did not turn the ball over once in the second half.

"We just kept things simple," said Coach Les, regarding his team's zero turnovers in the second half. "We took the plays that presented themselves, and I thought that was key for us tonight."

In addition to his seven points, three rebounds and two steals, Pepper forced three Cal turnovers of his own by drawing charges in the first half. He was not the only who made key defensive plays in clutch situations since Gonzalez and Fuller also stood tall and drew charges of their own.

Said Les, "I thought Elijah, another freshman ... took three charges that were momentum killers that kept us around and allowed us to make a run in the second half."

UC Davis will face its second Pac-12 opponent in as many games when it heads to Salt Lake City to face Utah in Friday's 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT non-conference matchup. In addition to the Pac-12 Networks' nationally televised broadcast, Aggie basketball fans can follow the action from the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Sports 1140 KHTK. 

 
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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.