DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball will play at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 18 at 7:00 p.m. PT before hosting UC Irvine for International Day on Jan. 20 at 2:00 p.m. PT. Both games will be aired on ESPN+ as the Aggies look to improve upon their two-game winning streak. This is the first week of league play in which the Aggies will split locations between the two games.

Winners of six of the last seven games, the Aggies are playing some of their best basketball of the season, sitting firmly in the hunt for a claim atop the Big West standings.

Thursday serves as an opportunity for the Aggies to pick up another road victory in Big West play. The Aggies are 1-1 so far during road conference games.

In the all-time series history with the Titans, UC Davis trails 19-26 with the Aggies winning the most recent matchup on Jan. 14, 2023 by a score of 83-79.

On Saturday, a rematch against UC Irvine looms as UC Davis looks to even up the season series. Earlier in the season, UC Davis was narrowly edged out by the Anteaters in overtime after staging a stunning comeback in the second half. The Aggies overcame a 16-point gap with a 19-0 run late, sparked by their defense that forced five turnovers during the stretch and the offensive trio of Ty Johnson, Elijah Pepper, and Leo DeBruhl, who all scored in double figures in the game.

In the all-time series between UC Davis and UC Irvine, the Aggies trail 18-30 with the most recent matchup being the aforementioned overtime game on Jan. 6, 2024 in which the Anteaters came out on top 74-71.

Jan. 18 vs. Cal State Fullerton | 7 p.m. Tip-off (Fullerton, Calif.) | ESPN+
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Jan. 20 vs. UC Irvine | 2 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPN+
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LAST TIME
The Aggies staged a thrilling comeback against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners this past Saturday, winning 78-71 in overtime to secure their sixth win in the last seven games thus improving to 5-1 in conference play. The game was a nail-biter from start to finish, with both teams trading leads throughout the night. Elijah Pepper delivered 18 points to go along with some clutch shooting, hitting the game-tying three-pointer in regulation and the game-sealing three-pointer in overtime.

Before that, the Aggies delivered a convincing win against then-undefeated CSUN, scoring a season-high in points to down the Matadors 95-75. Kane Milling poured in a career-high 27 points, while Pepper and Ty Johnson each put up 20 points.

AGGIES IN THE RANKINGS

• #22 in NCAA in Turnovers Forced Per Game.
• Pepper ranked #7 in NCAA in Points Per Game, #5 in Three-Pointers Per Game.
• Ty Johnson and Pepper entered the season as the top returning backcourt scoring duo in the country and both are top-10 in the Big West in scoring this season.
• Ranked #51 in three-point percentage defense in the NCAA while being second in the Big West.
• In Conference Only statistics, the Aggies rank:
  • #2 in scoring defense
  • #2 in margin
  • #1 in three-pointers made
  • #1 in opponent three-point defense
• Elijah Pepper also is averaging a conference leading 24.5 points per game through six Big West contests.
• Ty Johnson is top-10 in the conference in all assist categories.
• Niko Rocak ranks third in the conference in offensive rebounds per game.

ELIJAH PEPPER RECORD WATCH

• Pepper is now the all-time leading scorer in Aggie history with 1,969 points and counting.
• Pepper needs 31 points to reach the 2,000 point milestone.
• Now with the UC Davis record in hand, Pepper trails the all-time Big West career scoring record by 343 points, a record held by Lucious Harris (LBSU, 122 games - 1989-93).
• Pepper is also now UC Davis' holder for the all-time career steals record sitting atop the list with 191 in his career. He achieved the feat this two weeks ago when the Aggies took UC Riverside on Jan. 4.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Cal State Fullerton under the guidance of former Aggie Dedrique Taylor are 8-9 on the year with a 1-4 mark in conference play. Making the Big West Championship title game a season ago, the Titans are known for their ability to defend their home-court. The Titans are also known for their ability; much like the Aggies, to generate turnovers and get to the free-throw line. Led by Max Jones who ranks sixth in the conference in points per game, the Titans enter Thursday looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

UC Irvine enters the week as one of two teams to be undefeated so far during league play. Prior to the rematch with the Aggies, UC Irvine squares off against UC San Diego in a matchup between the two undefeated teams in the Big West. The Anteaters, led by Russ Turner, are one of the most balanced teams in th country, ranking in the top-40 of both field goal percentage offense, and defense. Pierre Crockrell II has been the engine all year long for the Anteaters ranking tops in the league in assists, and assists per game.

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