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DAVIS, Calif. – Before the game, a crowd of 2,117 helped the men's basketball program honor its five-member senior class in a pregame ceremony, and in the final minutes of Saturday's Big West Conference game from the Pavilion, everyone was treated to a 15-2 Aggie scoring surge, over a 2:18 timespan, to turn a 67-55 deficit into a 70-69 lead with eight seconds remaining. 

"Give Joe credit, he is not afraid of the moment and stepped up with that clutch three," said UC Davis head coach Jim Les. 

Of junior economics Joe Mooney's game-high 19 points, the most valuable ones were earned with eight seconds remaining when his three capped UC Davis' comeback. But a basket from UC Riverside's Callum McRae, with two seconds left to play, thwarted the Aggies' instant classic, in a game the Highlanders won by a 71-70 score.

UC Davis' attention will now shift to CSUN's game at UC Irvine. If the Matadors win their season finale, they will become the #6 seed at the upcoming Big West Tournament, which means the Aggies will occupy the #7 seed. If CSUN loses, UC Davis will become the #6 seed and the Matadors will fall to #7.

No matter what happens tonight, UC Davis will compete in Thursday's afternoon session at the Honda Center. The #2/#7 quarterfinal will tip-off at noon with the #3/#6 quarterfinal scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m.

Senior communication major TJ Shorts II ended his final game on Hamilton Court with 18 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals and senior economics major Garrison Goode enjoyed a perfect stat line by hitting all four shots from the floor, and both at the line to finish with 10 points. Senior psychology major AJ John ended his night with eight rebounds and four rebounds; senior communication major Siler Schneider posted seven points and seven rebounds; senior communication major Colin Russell earned his third career start against a Highlander team that earned a trip to the Honda Center with Saturday's result.

Mooney fueled UC Davis' thrilling comeback with back-to-back threes; one was earned behind the arc with the other recorded on a three-point play when he was fouled on a jumper, hit that shot and canned the following free throw to cut the Highlanders' 12-point lead in half in one minute.

Back-to-back layups from Shorts II extended the Aggies' run to 10-0 before free throws from Dikwymbo Martin ended UCR's near-two-minute scoring drought, and pushed its lead to 69-65 with 16 seconds still left to play.

UC Davis' clutch shooting pulled them within striking distance late in Saturday's game, but key plays on defense kept the Highlanders off the scoreboard throughout the Aggies' comeback.

The Aggies forced one turnover on a jump ball situation, thanks to a head-up play from Schneider and Mooney, when the latter drew a charge with 23.7 seconds left in the game, it set up a game-winning opportunity for UC Davis since the shot clock was off when it gained possession on that momentum-building defensive stop, down 69-67.

In addition to hitting the Aggies go-ahead basket with eight seconds remaining, Mooney also collected a career-high six assists. 
 

 
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.
 
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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.