UC DAVIS (14-11, 7-6 BIG WEST) VS. CSUN (6-19, 3-11 BIG WEST)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15 | 6 PM | UNIVERSITY CREDIT UNION CENTER
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Davis, Calif. — On Wednesday night, the UC Davis Men's Basketball Team (14-11, 7-6 Big West) will be taking on the CSUN Matadors (6-19, 3-11 Big West) with tip-off scheduled for 6 P.M. at the University Credit Union Center. 

The home game for the Aggies; who have played their last two contests on the road; will serve as a celebration of Black History Month. The games will be featuring the Coalition for the African Diaspora Student-Athletes (CADSA), African Continuum (a network of Diaspora-identified staff and faculty members), UC Davis Black Greek Letter Organizations, available to meet & greet game attendees, provide special performances, and more. All are welcome to join us in the celebration of Black History! 

Along with the recognition and celebration of Black History Month that will be displayed by Intercollegiate Athletics, the UC Davis Men's Basketball Staff will also be wearing special pins provided by The Rising Coaches DEI Alliance to highlight the fight for equality in the national spotlight. With sports being such a uniting factor among many people in the community, UC Davis Men's Basketball is bringing awareness to the ongoing fight for equality and inclusion. 

GAME NOTES
The Aggies enter Wednesday with two straight losses after tough road games between two heavyweights in the Big West with the latest loss being a 74-84 defeat against UC Santa Barbara.

While not the outcome Aggie fans and team members were looking for this past week, a shining star for UC Davis has been the recent play of Elijah Pepper. Leading the Big West in scoring with 21.3 points per game (currently the only 20+ PPG scorer in the Big West), Eli is also ranked 11th in the nation in scoring average. He has used five consecutive games of 28+ points on nearly 60% shooting from the field to fuel his recent tear. Pepper has done this all while leading the team in rebounds, and assists.

The Aggies have definitely formed an identity at this point in the season and teams have taken notice to their ability and willingness to get out in transition. Recording the 16th most fast break points in the country, while attempting the 10th most free throws per game, it shows the relentless effort made by Pepper and point guard Ty Johnson to create paint touches on a nightly basis. The Aggies are also one of the best rebounding teams in the country (41st in rebounding margin at +4.7) and play tough defense as they force 14.96 turnovers per game (47th in the country). Facing a tough test in CSUN who is a better team than their record suggests, the Aggies will need all parts of their identity to be clicking to get off the two-game losing streak.

The Matadors are led by Trent Johnson who is in his 19th year coaching, and 2nd year at the helm of CSUN. They enter this contest fresh off a 64-53 win against Cal Poly and are looking to make it their second straight win when they take on the Aggies. Carrying a record of 0-11 in road games, the Matadors have yet to win away from their friendly confines of Premier America Credit Union Arena. They have also yet to win two games in a row this season. 

Paced by Atin Wright and De'Sean Allen-Eikens, the Matadors figure to be without second leading scorer Dionte Bostick who has not appeared in a game since Jan. 26. Averaging the eighth most points per game in the Big West, Atin Wright is the focal point of a CSUN offense that ranks first in the conference in free throw percentage. They also turn the ball over less than any other team in the Big West, and this figures to be a clash of play styles as the Aggies lead the conference in turnovers forced per game.

UP NEXT
Following the game with CSUN, UC Davis will travel back down South and take on the UC Irvine Anteaters this Saturday at 1 P.M.