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LONG BEACH, Calif. —  Freshman Elijah Pepper scored a career-high 19 points in ESPN3's broadcast of Thursday's game at Long Beach State, but it was his rebound that prevented the Beach from tying the game or taking the lead with three seconds remaining, and ensuing free throw that led to an 85-82 win at the Walter Pyramid. UC Davis will now head to CSUN for Saturday's 3 p.m., also aired nationwide on ESPN3, with a 7-11 overall and 1-1 Big West record. Long Beach State will continue its inaugural Big West homestand at 6-13 and 1-2 respectively.
 
"I thought everybody had a better idea about what the intensity needed to win looked like," said Les, referring to last week's Big West opener vs. tonight's game against LBSU. "We were the aggressor to start the game, experienced a lull early in the second half when they were aggressive, but we brought that mentality back.
 
"I am unbelievably proud of these guys … they deserved the win," Les added.
 
Freshman Ezra Manjon also finished with 19 points; Joe Mooney added another 14 and five of Stefan Gonzalez' 13 points took place on a scoring run of his own, on consecutive possessions, which pushed the Aggies' lead to six at that point of the game.
 
Tied at 52 with 9:40 left in the game, Manjon hit back-to-back free throws to give his team a two-point advantage. After the Beach's Jordan Roberts hit one of two free throws on the next possession, Gonzalez showed why he entered Thursday's game ranked No. 4 in the nation from three.
 
After nailing a shot from distance right in front of his bench, he hit another jumper in a paint; those two shots quickly turned a one-point lead into a six-point advantage, and Long Beach struggled to recover from that sequence of events for most of the game.
 
Thanks to its suffocating defense — UC Davis forced 12 turnovers and turned those extra possessions into 20 points — combined with 11 points from Manjon and 10 from Mooney, the Aggies held a 45-32 lead at halftime.
 
By scoring 12 unanswered early in the second half, the Beach pulled within striking distance before the under-12 timeout took place. However, it was unable to take a lead at any point in the second half because it was the Aggies who made key stops on defense, and scored clutch baskets on the other end of the court to start the week with a win.
 
"The seniors stepped up — Matt Neufeld made big free throws — Steph [Gonzalez] had that five-point run, Joe had a great shot-fake pull-up jumper when we absolutely needed a basket, and the freshmen stepped up big time," said Les.

"We told the freshmen that when conference rolled around, we want them playing like sophomores. Tonight, they played like sophomores," he added.

Neufeld was responsible for seven of his team's 27 points scored at the stripe, and sank all four attempts in the second half. 
 
A link for Saturday's ESPN3 broadcast from the Matadome, as well as links or a live internet radio broadcast, live stats and in-game Twitter updates are available at Men's Basketball Gameday Central.
           
 
 
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.