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FULLERTON, Calif. — Leading by three with 1:11 left to play in Saturday's Big West Conference game at Titan Gym, Ezra Manjon hit a jumper to push the Aggies' lead to five, and UC Davis' defense forced a traveling call on the Titans' ensuing possession. Those two plays were the dagger that sealed a victory for the Ags because the No. 1 free throw shooting team in the league extended its cushion to eight,  in the waning moments of the game, before a Cal State Fullerton layup led to the final score — an 87-81 result in ESPN3's national broadcast.
 
UC Davis will now return to The Pavilion for its next two games, starting with Thursday night's 7 p.m. matchup against UC Santa Barbara, with a 10-15 overall and 4-5 league record. Cal State Fullerton falls to 9-16 and 4-6 with the loss.
 
Led by Caleb Fuller's career-high 23 points, on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor (another career high), 2 of 3 from three and 3 of 4 from the stripe, six Aggies posted double-digit point totals on the Titans' home court.
 
By canning four shots from three and a pair at the line, Stefan Gonzalez — the nation's third-ranked three-point shooter — ended his evening with 14 points. In addition to a team-high eight rebounds, Elijah Pepper added another 13; Manjon scored 11 and led all players with four assists.
 
Playing in front of a hometown crowd — he grew up in Orange, just down the road from Cal State Fullerton's campus — Rogers Printup nailed all three shots from three and hit one at the stripe to finish with 10 points. By canning 5 of 7 shots, Kennedy Koehler added another 10 points, four rebounds and two assists to the Aggies' team totals.
 
Of UC Davis's season-high 87 points, 34 were scored in the paint — two shy of a season high. However, its 43 bench points, compared to CSF's reserves, are the most scored against a Division I opponent this season.
 
Cal State Fullerton's lone lead of the night took place early when it scored the inaugural points of the game; after a three from Printup snapped a 7-7 tie, the Aggies held the lead for the final 35:17 of the contest.
 
The Titans did threaten late, but it was Manjon's jumper in the paint that extended the Aggies' advantage to a two-possession margin. That shot not only silenced the crowd inside Titan Gym, it ended CSF's comeback effort because UC Davis' defense, as it had for most of the night, controlled the rest of the game.
 
In addition to its 14:8 assist-to-turnover ratio, UC Davis shot a blistering 53 percent from the floor (17-for-32) and 67 percent from three (8-for-12) in the first half.
 
After two of Cal State Fullerton's top scorers, Jackson Rowe and Austen Awosika, each picked up their fourth foul midway through the second half, the Aggies continued to play aggressively on both ends of the court and were rewarded for their efforts. Not only did its defensive discipline force two of the Titans' top threats to the bench for an extended period of time, UC Davis entered the double bonus with 10:03 left in the game — an opportunity the league's top free-throw shooting team took full advantage of for the rest of the night.
 
 
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.