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SAN FRANCISCO —  Joe Mooney scored nine straight late in the second half of Saturday's non-conference game at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, which pulled UC Davis within four points of San Francisco, but the Dons made their shots at the free throw line throughout the final two minutes — their final 14 points were earned at the stripe — to defeat the Aggies, 93-84.
 
Men's basketball will enter the holiday hiatus at 5-9, USF will continue its season at 10-3.
 
Mooney led a quartet of double-digit scorers by finishing with 22 points, a total that included 18 earned in the second half. Ezra Manjon ended his afternoon with 17 points; Elijah Pepper and Stefan Gonzalez added another 11 and 10 respectively.
 
Including Saturday's matchup, the third in a row for the Aggies against a West Coast Conference opponent, Mooney has scored double figures in each of his team's last seven games. Gonzalez posted 10 or more points in four of the Aggies last five.
 
Pepper led all Aggies with six rebounds; Gonzalez and Kennedy Koehler finished with five boards apiece.
 
UC Davis enjoyed a strong start by jumping out to a 16-6 lead through the first 9:30 of the game. However, San Francisco responded with a run of its own, and led 33-28 at the break.

"I loved the way we started the game — that was an emphasis — especially with the young guys who are making strides," said head coach Jim Les. 

"I am encouraged with this group, with two more non-conference games to play. I like where this group is heading; we are better than we were three weeks ago, and I think we are going to be a better team two or three weeks from now," Les added. 
 
Thanks to an unusual sequence of events early in the second half, which began with a foul called on UC Davis between San Francisco free throws, the Dons ended up leading by as many as 14 points with 12:45 remaining in the game.
 
UC Davis battled back by scoring 14 of the following 18 points, to pull within four points with 8:44 left to play. That run was fueled by a combination of four free throws and a layup from Damion Squire, a three from Gonzalez, another three a pair of free throws from Koehler, who finished with eight points.
 
San Francisco followed the Aggies' scoring outburst with a mini 8-4 run of its own until Mooney caught fire and generated a personal nine-point scoring run to pull UC Davis within four.
 
Also aiding the Aggies' second-half comeback was its success at the stripe. They connected on 22 of 24 attempts (.917) from the line for the game and hit all 21 shots taken throughout the second half.

"I told the guys in the locker room after the game to take a physical break, mental break, get their mind off basketball for a few days, enjoy their family, enjoy the blessings we have ... and prepare to get back to work when we return on the 26th. This break is well-deserved," said Les. 
 
A road-heavy, and challenging non-conference schedule will continue for UC Davis on Dec. 29 when it visits The Pit to face New Mexico. Tipoff is schedule for 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT.

"We didn't take it easy on these guys," said Coach Les regarding the non-conference schedule he and his staff created for this season's team. "We threw a tough schedule at them because we wanted to learn a lot about ourselves. I think we challenges this group, they continue to work hard and stay together, and we will continue to improve because everyone has the right attitude."
 
 
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.