Davis, Calif. — On a night that saw Elijah Pepper get honored for breaking the all-time single season scoring record for UC Davis Men's Basketball, Pepper once again led the Aggies tonight with a game-high 30 points but it was not enough as the visiting Gauchos edged out UC Davis, 89-86. Playing in front of more than 2,000 fans in attendance, UC Davis went back and forth with UC Santa Barbara for 40 straight minutes as the game was characterized by a continuous shift of momentum.
With neither team possessing control early on, the Aggies entered half-time with a narrow 37-36 lead. A key to the early lead for UC Davis was limiting Big West Player of the Year candidate Ajay Mitchell to zero points in the first half, while the Aggies were paced by Pepper and his 13 first half points.
While UC Davis keyed in and gave Mitchell trouble early on, great players usually find a way to impact the game and he was ultimately the deciding factor tonight for UC Santa Barbara, pouring in a team-high 20 points, all of which came during the second half.
Putting together a huge 15-0 run early on in the second half that seemed to raise the entire energy in the gym, the Aggies got hit with a 16-5 run from UC Santa Barbara.
The Aggies (17-13, 10-8) had three players score in double figures, led by Pepper, who had 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. With 30 points tonight, Pepper now has 1,552 total points in his career and is fourth all-time in career scoring, passing Aggie great, Vince Oliver tonight. With the way Pepper has been playing of late, he has a very good chance of moving up on the list yet again, as he trails the third ranked Preston Neumayr by 26 points.
Even with this decently balanced scoring output from UC Davis, the Gauchos responded with a balanced rotation of their own tonight as six Gauchos reached double figures. UC Santa Barbara saw huge baskets from Cole Anderson and Calvin Wishart in the first half while Miles Norris who was at one point -12 in box plus/minus, pour in a huge 13 second half points, with none being more important than a late shot clock inbound lob to stretch the Gaucho lead to three late.
Among other Aggie double figure scorers, Ty Johnson added 13 points, six assists and three steals. Ade Adebayo who was all over the court tonight contributing in all departments, contributed one of his best offensive games of the season, helping out with 10 points off of the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After playing to a 4-4 tie, UC Davis went on a 7-0 run with 14:45 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Pepper, to take an 11-4 lead. The Aggies then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 37-36 advantage. UC Davis got out and ran in the period, scoring nine points on the break.
UCSB proceeded to take a 40-37 lead before UC Davis went on a 13-0 run to seize a 50-40 lead with 14:02 to go in the contest. UCSB re-asserted control, outscoring the Aggies 49-36 the rest of the way to hand UC Davis the 89-86 loss. UC Davis got a boost from its bench in the final 20, as the non-starters accounted for 18 of its 49 total points with seven of those points coming by way of Robby Beasley III who appeared in his first game since Jan. 26. With the return of Beasley III, Sione Lose, and Christian Anigwe, it is imperative that they get back into game rhythm and fully healthy right before the start of the Big West Championships.
GAME NOTES
» UC Davis took advantage of great ball movement in Thursday's game, piling up 15 assists on 26 made field goals.
» Pepper led the Aggies with a game-high 30 points.
» UC Davis got a game-high seven rebounds from Pepper.
» The game saw each team pull down 28 rebounds.
» Posting seven steals as a team, Ty Johnson led UC Davis with three as he continues to add onto his league leading total.
» Francesco Borra recorded the only block for UC Davis tonight.
» Leo Debruhl made just his second start this season tonight.
» Robby Beasley III went a perfect 2-2 from the field in his first game since Jan. 26.
» UC Davis finished the night 28-32 from the charity stripe.
» Known for their efficiency and ability to grind out games, UC Santa Barbara finished the game shooting 55.4% from the field.
UP NEXT
Getting into the homestretch, the Aggies will cap off their regular season with maybe the most important game of the year Saturday afternoon when they host Long Beach State. With the game determining the fate of both squads, it will be the determinant on whether the Aggies are the sixth or seventh seed in the Big West Championships. The six seed holds so much value in the long haul because it means that team gets to avoid playing in the opening set of games at the Championships on March 7.
Also important, it will be the final home game for the ever so vital senior class of Patrick Lambey and Christian Anigwe who will be honored pregame for all they have contributed to UC Davis Men's Basketball. Tip-off Saturday will be at 1 P.M. with the pregame ceremony set to take place prior to tip. The game will be aired on Spectrum Sports, alongside the normally scheduled ESPN+ stream.
