Follow UC Davis: Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook
 
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!  
  
DAVIS, Calif. – Junior economics major Joe Mooney led all Aggies with 24 points on 8 of 11 shooting overall, and a blistering 5 of 7 from three, junior communication major Stefan Gonzalez set three career highs by finishing with 15 points, a team-high eight rebounds and canning five shots from three, and a complete team effort from UC Davis led to a 76-59 victory, its fourth in a row, 10th at home versus the Matadors and 11th straight against CSUN overall. 

Since league play began, the Aggies hosted only two games at home; they will equal that total Saturday night when Long Beach State visits the Pavilion for a 7 p.m. matchup. With Thursday's result, the first home game in nearly a month (Jan. 19), UC Davis improves to 9-14 overall and 5-4 against Big West teams. 

CSUN, the third straight Aggie opponent held under 60 points, will continue its season at 10-15 and 4-5, and has not earned a win inside the Pavilion since March 5, 2009.

"Everyone is playing really hard on the defensive end of the floor and bought in. We are receiving contributions from a lot of different places and this team is playing hard," said head coach Jim Les. "And they are playing together.

"Holding three teams in a row under 60 points in our league, which has some really good offensive players, is a unique feat."

Due to four early turnovers from the Aggies throughout the first 2:26 of the game, CSUN jumped out to an early 7-2 lead. However, that was the team's lone highlight because shortly thereafter, UC Davis' 17-4 scoring surge gave it the lead for good.

After those first couple minutes, the Aggies' ball control was phenomenal as they only committed five miscues for the rest of the evening. By comparison, CSUN turned the ball over 11 times, which led to 17 points for UC Davis.

In addition to protecting the ball, UC Davis' ball movement led to a season-high 20 assists out of the team's 20 baskets. Senior communication major TJ Shorts II's game-high six assists was more than half earned by the entire CSUN team, which finished with 11. 

As has been the case all season long for the Matadors, Terrell Gomez and Lamine Diane led the team in scoring and finished with 24 and 20 respectively. But the Aggies made that duo truly work for every point scored by forcing them to take 13 and 19 shots, and forced CSUN to shoot .396 (21-for-53) from the floor by frustrating the entire team with its suffocating defense.

Were it not for a pair of CSUN free throws made with 44 seconds remaining, the Aggies would have held the Matadors to a season-low point total. 

In addition to shooting .482 overall (27-for-56), the Aggies nearly connected on half of its shots from three. By making a season-high 12 of their 25 shots from distance, they nearly matched their season-high percentage originally set at Indiana (.500/10-for-20) and duplicated at UC Riverside (9-for-18) jut a couple weeks ago.

UC Davis also took full advantage of their trips to the free throw line by hitting 10 of 11 shots (.909); CSUN was not as fortunate since it only made 10 of 16 (.625).
The paint was dominated by the Aggies on both ends of the court since they outscored the Matadors down low by a 26-24 margin, and outrebounded their opponents 36-29 overall, 30-24 on the defensive glass and 6-5 on offense.  
 
 
 
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.