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SALT LAKE CITY -  UC Davis outscored Utah 46-37 in the second half, and pulled within four points heading into the final minutes of Friday's non-conference game at Utah, and remained within striking distance until the Utes connected on eight of nine free throws throughout the final 1:40 of the game to withstand UC Davis' second half charge and narrowly record a 77-73 victory.
 
Outside of those trips to the stripe, the Aggies' defense limited the Utes to a pair of field goals throughout the final five minutes of the game.
 
The Aggies were led by Joe Mooney, who scored all but two of his 19 points after halftime, and Elijah Pepper, who finished with a career-high 14 points.

Pepper also set new career highs by hitting four of his five baskets from three. 
 
UC Davis trailed by as many as 15 points until Ezra Manjon trimmed that deficit to 13 right before the break. In addition to collecting a career-high seven assists, Manjon scored double figures for the fifth game in a row by finishing with 11.
 
Thanks to Pepper's red-hot shooting in the opening minutes of the second half — he scored eight straight by nailing a pair of threes and hitting a jumper in the paint — the Aggies cut the Utes' game-high lead in half within a matter of minutes.
 
Moments before the under-16 timeout took place, UC Davis turned their deficit into a two-possession margin, and pulled within five at 45-40.
 
The Utes responded with a run of their own, which took place throughout the following three-plus minutes, and bumped their cushion back to double digits, and led by as many as 13 with 9:06 remaining.
 
A layup from Manjon and a three from Gonzalez sparked another Aggie scoring run. Following back-to-back jumpers from Matt Neufeld and a three-point play from Mooney, a crowd of 10,546 inside the Jon M. Huntsman center became restless because UC Davis turned another double-digit Utah lead into a two-possession game.
 
The Aggies pulled within four — the score was 66-62 at that point of the game — thanks to a Manjon free throw, but that was as close as they came to eliminating their deficit since Utah since it took full advantage of its trips to the free throw line throughout the final minutes of the game to escape with the win.
 
UC Davis will head to Flagstaff, Arizona, on Wednesday to face Northern Arizona with a 2-7 record; Utah will continue its season at 5-2.
 
That game against the Lumberjacks will cap a season-long eight-game road swing for the Aggies.
 
 
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.