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NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Led by Elijah Pepper, who scored 12 of his game-high 18 points after halftime, four players finished in double figures and the Aggies enjoyed a complete team effort on both ends of the court to defeat CSUN, 75-63, in a game they led from start to finish.
 
In addition to scoring 14 points, Caleb Fuller collected six rebounds and was one of five players to finish with five or more rebounds in Saturday's Big West game at the Matadome. Cameron Ba set a pair of new career highs by collecting six boards and hitting four threes — he finished with 12 points — and Ezra Manjon completed the Aggies' list of double-digit scorers with 10.
 
Pepper matched a season high by posting nine rebounds; Christian Anigwe and B.J. Shaw finished with six and five boards respectively; Kennedy Koehler's well-rounded stat line was highlighted by his career-high 10.
 
Responsible for the team's first double-figure rebound total of the season, Koehler ended Saturday's series finale with eight points, a career-high six assists (nearly matching CSUN's total of nine), two blocks and a steal.
 
As a team, the Aggies outrebounded the Matadors 43-31 overall and 15-8 on the offensive glass.
 
Men's basketball will return to the Pavilion for its next pair of games, starting with Friday's matchup versus Long Beach State, at 4-6 overall and 1-3 in league play. CSUN will continue its season at 7-8 and 3-5.
 
UC Davis immediately rattled CSUN from the opening tip by scoring 16 of the game's first 17 points, and prevented the Matadors from recording their first basket for the first 7:19 of action.
 
Anigwe kicked-off the Aggies' early offensive outburst with a layup that took place 14 seconds into the game, followed by a pair of threes from Ba and two layups from Pepper, which forced CSUN to call an early timeout. That break in the action did not affect UC Davis' momentum since its lead quickly grew to 15, thanks to a jumper and layup from Kennedy Koehler once play resumed.
 
At the 12:41 mark, CSUN recorded its first basket of the afternoon after missing its first seven attempts, and was limited to 19 points in the first half — the lowest total of any half played this season (it averages 72.6 points per game this year).
 
Even though the Matadors made things interesting midway through the second half, thanks to a pair of small scoring runs that pulled them within seven points, UC Davis provided the perfect response with a three-point play from Fuller and threes from Ba and Pepper, all scored on consecutive possessions, to push their team's lead to 14 with 2:33 left to play.
 

 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, are enrolled in 71 of more than 100 academic programs at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
 
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
 
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.