Leroy Yau

Men's Basketball 3/8/2023 9:43:00 AM JD Mico - Assistant Director, Athletics Communications

Aggies Set For Round One of Big West Championship

Davis, Calif. — The stage is set. After a regular season full of thrills, the sixth seeded UC Davis Men's Basketball Team is preparing for their first game at the Big West Championships against the third seeded UC Riverside Highlanders. Tip-off is scheduled to take place Thursday night at 8:30 P.M. in the Dollar Loan Center, located in Henderson, Nevada.

The Aggies are fresh off an instant classic, double-overtime victory over Long Beach State to secure themselves the No. 6 seed in the Big West Championships. Fighting tooth and nail the entire game with The Beach, the Aggies used some late game heroic's from Elijah Pepper who sent the game to extra time, twice after drilling a pair of free throws at the end of regulation, and delivering the game-tying layup at the end of the first overtime. Pepper would finish that night with a game-high 28 points while Ty Johnson put together an electric 22 points. Also contributing was Christian Anigwe who came through with 21 points on his Senior Day to give those in attendance a lasting image of his impact and career he's had at Bob Hamilton Court.

The Aggies enter tomorrow's game as one of most hard nosed teams in the Big West. Reflecting the attitude of their leader Coach Jim Les, UC Davis has thrived this season with electric offensive play, versatile rebounding, and scrappy defense. Clocking in as the third best team in the country in free throw makes, and attempts per game, UC Davis has made scoring with a stopped clock their friend all season. Playing at a torrid pace (53rd in PACE according to SRCBB), the Aggies apply relentless pressure on teams in transition and make it difficult for opposing teams front-courts to avoid fouling. Pairing these elite free throw numbers with the ninth most fastbreak points in the country, UC Davis can cause fits for any team on any given night with two of the best scorers in the conference in Pepper and Johnson. The Aggies don't just lean on this aspect of their game though, as UC Davis is also one of the best rebounding teams in the country and excel at hitting the offensive glass. Usually hearing the opposing bench echo the orders to "find a body" and "box out" UC Davis is a team known for creating second chance opportunities. And while the talk of the season has been about the scoring of this squad, UC Davis is one of the scrappiest defenses in the conference. Forcing a league-leading 14.81 turnovers per game, the Aggies fight every possession on defense and are a problem when the Big West's leader in steals Ty Johnson gets it going on that end.

SERIES RECAP
The Aggies last game against the Highlanders came on Feb. 9 with UC Riverside taking a 72-65 win over UC Davis. The Highlanders have won both of this season's matchups with the other game being a nail biter at the University Credit Union Center as the Highlanders escaped with a 74-72 win after a game-winning bucket from All-Big West First Team Selection, Zyon Pullin. This will be the 76th time the two will meet each other, with the Aggies holding the all-time series advantage, 38-37.

ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS
The Highlanders are maybe the most balanced team in the Big West, and are led by the 2023, Coach of the Year in Mike Magpayo. Possessing the aformentioned All-Big West First Team Selection Zyon Pullin, UC Riverside is also comprised of All-Big West Second Team Selection Flynn Cameron, Freshman of the Year Lachlan Olbrich, and Best 6th Player, Jamal Hartwell II. Not a one-trick pony, the Highlanders have beaten teams this year any way you can think of. Whether it is with their defense, clutch-time shooting, key offensive rebounding, or just letting their star players create magic the Highlanders have been one of the most impressive teams not only in the Big West, but in the country. A key for UC Davis will be to keep the Highlander pick and roll in check as Coach Magpayo has schemed out some of the best actions off these sets and is notorious for giving teams trouble with his utilization of the dunker spot.

BIG WEST AWARDS
As announced by Big West officials Monday afternoon, the UC Davis Men's Basketball Team saw three players receive honors for their play throughout the regular season. Headlining the trio of Aggies who were recognized, was the unsurprising inclusion of Elijah Pepper being an All First-Team selection.

Along with Pepper, the Aggies had two other players tabbed as Honorable Mentions by the Big West in the form of senior, Christian Anigwe, and first-year Aggie, Ty Johnson.

The native from Selah, Washington, Pepper has put together the best scoring season in UC Davis history. Breaking a 35 year old single season scoring record set by Randy DeBortoli.

Pepper was able to break the record with a torrid stretch of games that started on January 26 at CSU Bakersfield. Recording a season and career-high six three pointers against the Roadrunners to give him 28 points, Pepper would go on a seven game stretch of scoring 28+ points per game with the last four of that stretch, all being 30+ point outputs.

Pepper has been elite not only for UC Davis standards, but on a national scale as well. Pepper is tied for fourth in the country in points per game, averaging 22.5 on 45.1% from the field. Elijah has scored 30+ points, seven times on the year and has shared the wealth when needed with defenses keying in on him. Paired with his elite scoring prowess, Pepper led the Aggies in assists with 3.5 per game which ranks seventh in the conference. No slouch on the defensive end either, Pepper is third in the conference in steals per game, averaging 1.6 per game while also being a huge factor on the glass, averaging six rebounds per game, good for 11th in the Big West.

Receiving an Honorable Mention in his last season with the Aggies, Christian Anigwe has been the heart and soul of the UC Davis frontcourt this season. Averaging a league leading 1.4 blocks per game, along with career-highs in scoring, three point shooting, and assists, Christian has completely evolved his game in his senior campaign. Starting off the year with a 21 point game against Cal on the court his sister Kristine played college ball at, Christian showed off his ability to impact the game both offensively and defensively at a high-level when needed. Posting 12 multi-block games, a career-high five blocks twice in games against Pacific and UC Irvine, along with five 20+ point games, Anigwe has been as good as anybody in the Big West when healthy. Christian finished the regular season averaging 12.1 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks per game, and a 39.1% mark from three point range.

Also receiving an Honorable Mention was the lightning quick guard from Chicago, Ty Johnson. In his first year with the Aggies, Johnson took the reins of the offense and has provided UC Davis with one of the most impactful newcomers in the conference. Averaging a league leading 1.9 steals per game and ranking ninth in the conference in points per game (14.8 PPG), Johnson has used his athleticism and tools on both ends of the court to create an impact. Johnson has had many memorable games this season with one being his eight steal game in the Cream City Classic Tournament where he posted the second most steals for an Aggie in a single game. Johnson has welcomed the extra opportunities and challenges this year that come with a lead guard after averaging just 0.8 points in limited time at Loyola Chicago, he responded this season with a whopping 24, double-figure scoring games.

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