DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball hosts UC San Diego for a first place showdown at the University Credit Union Center at 2:00 p.m. (PT) on Saturday.

In a battle between two 7-1 squads, the Aggies will look to extend their win streak to five games coming off a Thursday bye day. Prior to their day off with no game Thursday, the Aggies pulled off another 2-0 week to propel themselves to first place in The Big West standings.
A big proponent to the Aggies strong play during Big West action is their stingy defense. In conference only stats, the Aggies rank first within the Big West in scoring margin at +10.9 points while also having the second ranked scoring defense, currently allowing only 63.5 points per game through eight conference games. A standout most notably from last week's play on the defensive side was Niko Rocak who broke UC Davis' all-time record for most blocks in a single game, recording six in the Aggies win over UC Irvine on Saturday.

On the flip side, the Aggies have been offensively charged by Elijah Pepper who leads The Big West in scoring, currently averaging 21.5 points per game, and 23.5 in conference games. Pepper is currently fifth in career points in the history of The Big West with 2,010 points. His running mate, Ty Johnson has been setting the pace for UC Davis, averaging the seventh most points during conference play at 16.0 points per game while also being second in assists at 5.1 per game.

Tomorrow's showdown will also see the Aggies participate in Coaches vs. Cancer Week. The nationwide event taking place from Jan. 22-28, 2024, unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer.

The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The program empowers basketball and other athletic coaches to raise awareness and funds for the American Cancer Society by leveraging community leadership.


Jan. 27 vs. UC San Diego | 2 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPN+
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LAST TIME
On Thursday, the Aggies came back from a double-digit second half deficit to come out on top with a 67-65 road victory at Cal State Fullerton. Pepper led the Aggies with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double for his first double-double of the season. On Saturday, the Aggies took command of first place in the standings with a 54-52 home win against UC Irvine. Ty Johnson paced the Aggies with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists and the game-winning shot, while Pepper surpassed the 2,000 career points milestone with 14 points.

AGGIES IN THE RANKINGS

• #18 in NCAA in Turnovers Forced Per Game.
• Pepper ranked #8 in NCAA in Points Per Game, #9 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 #34 in three-point percentage defense in the NCAA while being first in the Big West.
• In Conference Only statistics, the Aggies rank:
  • #2 in scoring defense
  • #1 in margin
  • #1 in opponent three-point defense
• Elijah Pepper also is averaging a conference leading 23.5 points per game through eight Big West contests.
• Ty Johnson is top-10 in the conference in all assist categories.
• Niko Rocak ranks first in the conference in blocks per game during conference play.

ELIJAH PEPPER RECORD WATCH

• Pepper is now the all-time leading scorer in Aggie history with 2,010 points and counting.
• He sits at fifth all time in the Big West's history of leading scorers and trails the Big West career scoring record by 302 points, a record held by Lucious Harris (LBSU, 122 games - 1989-93).
• He needs only two points, to overtake Stacey Augmon of UNLV for the fourth most career points in Big West history.
• Pepper is also now UC Davis' holder for the all-time career steals record sitting atop the list with 195 in his career. He achieved the feat this three weeks ago when the Aggies took UC Riverside on Jan. 4.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping the UC Davis Aggies to a perfect 2-0 record over the past week and reaching the 2,000 career-points scored mark, guard Elijah Pepper has been named The Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week.

This is Pepper's fourth career Player of the Week honor, and the first of the season.

Pepper averaged 20.5 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game this past week to help UC Davis take down Cal State Fullerton on the road, and put an end to UC Irvine's unbeaten streak in Big West play in front of a packed crowd at the University Credit Union Center.

Last Thursday, Pepper was a key contributor to the Aggies comeback victory down in Fullerton, leading a charge that at one point saw the Aggies trail by 11 points late into the second half. Against the Titans, Pepper scored 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He also added three steals to go along with a perfect 10-10 showing from the charity stripe. Pepper's play on both sides of the ball this week and throughout the season are a big reason for the Aggies top-ranked scoring margin within conference play.

Against UC Irvine Pepper poured in 14 points to go along with five rebounds to help UC Davis take sole possession of first place in The Big West standings, and snap UC Irvine's six-game win streak. Pepper also found himself making history yet again, breaking into the 2,000 career-points scored club. With his second field goal of the game against the Anteaters, Pepper became one of just seven players in Big West history to reach the milestone, while also being one of just six active players to be have recorded at least 2,000 career-points. Pepper currently has 2,010 career points, the fifth most in the history of The Big West.

Pepper put forth another pair of double figure scoring performances, extending his streak of scoring 10+ points to nine games and while also reaching double figures 17 times this season.

WILDCARD SELECTION
The Big West's final three men's basketball wildcard games for national TV have been announced by ESPN, and UC Davis is among the featured teams. The Aggies will take on UC Santa Barbara in a primetime showdown on ESPNU on Feb. 1.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT
UC San Diego is led by 11th year head coach Eric Olen and enter Saturday riding a two-game winning streak. The Tritons are one of the most efficient offenses in the Big West possessing the conference's second leading scorer, Bryce Pope. In UC San Diego's Thursday night thriller against UC Riverside, five different Tritons reached double figures.

The Tritons currently possess the second largest margin, only trailing the Aggies at +9.0, while also making the most three-pointers per game in the conference. It will be a clash of styles, as the Tritons take care of the ball better than anyone else within the Big West, surrendering the fewest turnovers during conference play while the Aggies are known for generating turnovers defensively.

The all-time series history between the two programs has the Aggies out in front with 22 wins compared with six losses. The Aggies have won the last four outings as well, most recently winning a season ago by the score of 76-66 at the University Credit Union Center on Feb. 20, 2023.

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