Logan, Utah - UC Davis withstood a back and forth battle down the stretch with the Utah State Aggies Tuesday night, holding serve down the stretch to win 72-69 in the season opener. 

Sophomore Elijah Pepper led the Aggies with 16 points, two rebounds, five assists, three steals and a huge three with 14 seconds to go that gave UC Davis a four point lead. Junior Christian Anigwe added 14 points and six rebounds, sophomore Ezra Manjon scored six of his 12 points in the final two minutes while pulling down eight rebounds, and sophomore Kane Milling went 3-5 from deep to score 11 in his Aggie debut. Junior Caleb Fuller led the Aggies with nine rebounds and hit two free throws inside the final 90 seconds that helped clinch the game. 

After going up 47-38 on a three by freshman Caleb McGill with 16:35 to go in the second half, Utah State came back to lead 56-57 with 7:08 before the experience up and down the UC Davis roster took over. 

The Aggies responded with a jumper by Pepper with 6:18 to go for a 58-57 lead UC Davis did not relinquish. 

Three free throws by Anigwe made it a 5-0 run for a 61-57 lead with 3:28 to play before Utah State came back to tie the game at 61 with 2:23 left. Working just inside the three-point line on the left elbow, Manjon drilled a stepback jumper to put UC Davis up 63-61 with 1:58 remaining. 

Caleb Fuller sank two free throws to make it a 65-61 game approaching one minute remaining that started a chain of Aggie answers to Utah State buckets. 

With 50 seconds remaining, Manjon made another stepback jumper, this time from just beyond the free throw line to answer a Utah State three and put the Aggies up 67-64. After a Utah State lay-up, this time it was Pepper sinking a three for a 70-66 lead with 14 seconds to go that all but iced the game. Utah State pulled within one on a three with five seconds left but Manjon sank both free throws with .9 seconds on the clock to hand the Aggies the win in the first meeting between these teams since 2014. 

UC Davis won in a season opener for the first time since the 2017-18 season and did it against a Utah State team coming off a 20-9 season a year ago. 

It was no matter for the Aggies as UC Davis battled back from a deficit that grew to 12 in the first half to lead 40-35 at the half. A 15-0 run over a nearly four minute span gave the Aggies a 20-17 lead with 9:08 left in the half. After Utah State eked out another slim lead, the Aggies answered with an 8-2 run that included threes from Pepper and Milling to lead 33-30 with 2:54 until the half. The Aggies outscored Utah State 5-1 over the final minute of the first, punctuated by Milling's third three of the half with seven seconds left.

In a game that was tied six times and featured seven lead changes, the Aggie bench outscored their Utah State counterparts 20-10 and UC Davis went 20-27 from the line to Utah State's 17-28 night at the charity stripe. 

A team short on age but long on experience, three of the Aggies' top five scorers were underclassmen.

UC Davis return to Davis for a date with Eastern Washington on Friday that will serve as the Aggies' home opener. Tip for that game is 2 p.m.