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DAVIS, Calif. —  By scoring six unanswered points late in Thursday's Big West Conference opener at The Pavilion, UC Davis pulled within three, with 42 seconds still remaining. By connecting on 6 of 8 free throws from that point of the game, until the final buzzer, UC Riverside survived that late Aggie run to secure a 65-59 victory in each team's Big West opener.
 
Aiding the Highlanders' result were a pair of deep desperation threes that beat the shot clock prior to UC Davis' scoring outburst, which pushed UCR's lead to nine with 1:12 remaining in the game.
 
Off on Saturday as the league's designated bye team, UC Davis will return to action next Thursday, Jan. 16, in ESPN3's 7 p.m. broadcast at Long Beach State. The Aggies will enter that game with a 6-11 overall and 0-1 Big West record; UC Riverside will return home for Saturday's game with records of 11-6 and 1-0.
 
Ezra Manjon led all players with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting, Elijah Pepper ended with a team-high six rebounds and 13 points — one shy of a career high — and Joe Mooney added another 12 points. Stefan Gonzalez, who entered the Aggies' inaugural league game of the year ranked No. 7 in the nation in three-point percentage, will remain among the nation's top shooters since he hit 3 of 5 attempts from behind the arc.
 
The Aggies' late scoring surge started with layups on back-to-back possessions from Pepper and Manjon, which chopped the Aggies' deficit to five with 53 seconds left to play. On the ensuing possession, Kennedy Koehler's stole UC Riverside's inbound pass and quickly dished to Mooney, who nailed a jumper in the paint to make it a one-possession game.
 
That sequence of events only took seven seconds and trimmed the Highlanders' lead to three at 59-56.
 
Now forced to stop the clock by fouling, the Aggies challenged UCR to make its free throws in order to hold onto its advantage. The Highlanders did, which is why they were able to secure the win.
 
"Thursday night's result was disappointing because of how we were trending and the way we played throughout the last few weeks," said UC Davis head coach Jim Les.
 
"In the first half, the three-point shot kept us in the game, but we took too many contested jump shots in the second half."
 
Eighteen of the Aggies' 29 points scored before halftime were earned from three.
 
Following Thursday's game at Long Beach State, UC Davis will wrap-up its inaugural Big West road trip on Jan. 18, at CSUN with another ESPN3 game. The Aggies' next home game is scheduled for Jan. 22 against Cal State Fullerton.
 
 
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.