Corvallis, Ore. — The UC Davis men's basketball team had a strong first half and got a 27-point showing from the bench, but fell 71-59 to the Oregon State Beavers on the road Thursday night at Gill Coliseum.
The Aggies (3-3) had two players score in double figures, led by Kane Milling, who had 11 points and three steals. Leo DeBruhl was the other Aggie eclipsing double-figures as the junior guard had the hot hand for UC Davis in the first half. Enjoying his trip back to the Northwest region, DeBruhl finished with 10 points off the bench tonight.
The UC Davis defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 22 Oregon State turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor. Elijah Pepper's five steals led the way individually for the Aggies.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After falling behind 26-22, UC Davis went on a 10-0 run with 3:08 left in the first half, to take a 32-26 lead. The Aggies limited the Beavers to no FGs during the final 8:22 in the first half and carried a 15-2 run into the halftime break to take a 32-27 advantage after the first 20 minutes. UC Davis did most of its first half damage in the restricted area, scoring 18 of its 32 points in the paint.
The Beavers came out in the second half and gave the Aggies a different defensive look and it fueled their comeback. The Beavers forced the Aggies into rushed offensive possessions and before you knew it, Oregon State proceeded to take a 54-43 lead. UC Davis would respond late with a 5-0 run, finished off by Ty Johnson's layup, to shrink the deficit to 54-48 with 5:55 to go in the contest bringing the Aggies right within striking distance.
Even with the deficit cut to just six points, the second half of play was characterized by points from the charity stripe as both teams were in the bonus halfway through the period, making it even more difficult for the Aggies to string together stops. Oregon State capitalized on this pouring in 16 points from the line in the second half.
The Beavers continued to use the momentum they had built up throughout the second half to neutralize the Aggies the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 71-59.
GAME NOTES
» The Aggies recorded an assist on 63 percent of their made field goals.
» The UC Davis bench made an impact by adding 27 points to its scoring output.
» The UC Davis defense forced 22 turnovers.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Kane Milling led the Aggies with 11 points.
» Francesco Borra led the Aggies with four rebounds.
