DAVIS, Calif. — The passing of the torch. It finally happened. With his 21-point performance in the Aggies dominating win over UC Merced, Elijah Pepper is now the all-time leader in points for UC Davis men's basketball.
The previous record was held by Audwin Thomas (1975-79) for 44 years until Pepper drove it into the lane at the 7:15 mark, hanging through the air for a right-handed finish to etch his name into the record books.
With his basket prompting a UC Merced timeout, Pepper was immediately stormed by all of his teammates, coaches, and the legend himself: Audwin Thomas, as he celebrated in front of the energized crowd at the University Credit Union Center.
"I'm on top of the world," said Pepper after the game. "I'm so appreciative of all of my teammates. I had the chance to meet Audwin the other day, he's a great guy and I'm also just so appreciative of all of my coaches and everything they've done for me."
Over his five-year career with the Aggies, Pepper has scored a total of 1,822 points. The gap now between Pepper and Thomas' former record will only continue to grow as the season progresses with UC Davis still having the entire conference portion of their schedule remaining.
The record is yet another accolade to the resume of the most prolific scorer in UC Davis history.
After torching nylon all last season and setting the UC Davis single-season scoring record with 697 points, Pepper continues to be a beacon of sustained excellence, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
He now adds the title of "all-time leading scorer" to his laundry list of accolades that include:
- 2022-23 Colby E. 'Babe' Slater Award for Male Athlete of the Year at UC Davis
- 2022-23 NABC Division I All-District 9 First Team
- 2022-23 All-Big West Conference First Team
- 2021-22 All-Big West Conference Second Team
- 2020-21 All-Big West Conference Second Team
GAME RECAP
On the historic night for Pepper, the Aggies carried some additional momentum into their matchup against the visiting Bobcats of UC Merced.
Led by Pepper's game high 21 points, his 5-7 mark from three point land highlighted the best shooting night of the season for UC Davis, as the Aggies finished shooting 62.5 percent from deep.
Along with the all-time leading scorer, the Aggies had three players in total score in double figures as
Kane Milling added 15 points and
Ty Johnson followed right behind with 14 points.
UC Davis' defense held UC Merced to only 18.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc and 35 percent from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After jumping out to a 12-9 advantage, UC Davis went on a 19-0 run with 14:30 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Milling, to increase its lead to 31-9. The Aggies then added five points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 47-20 advantage. UC Davis relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 47 points.
Following intermission, UC Davis kept widening that lead, expanding it to 66-34 before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Pepper's record breaking layup, to grow the lead to 73-34 with 7:15 to go in the contest. The Bobcats were able to narrow the margin, but the Aggies stayed in complete control and came out on top with an 80-57 win on a historic night in Davis.
GAME NOTES
» The Aggies were incredible from long range, knocking down 15 of 24 three point attempts.
» The Aggies held the Bobcats to only 35 percent shooting from the field.
» UC Davis never trailed on the way to an 80-57 victory.
» UC Davis had a great day defensively, holding to 18 percent from beyond the arc on 22 attempts.
» UC Davis had a 44-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
»
Elijah Pepper led the Aggies with a game-high 21 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high seven rebounds from
Niko Rocak.
