IRVINE, Calif. — UC Davis' incredible comeback fell just short as the Aggies dropped Saturday's afternoon contest to the UC Irvine Anteaters 74-71.
After trailing 55-39 win the second half, the Aggies used a 19-0 run to take the lead and climb all the way back to force the game to overtime. The Aggies who predicate themselves on their defense, generated five Anteater turnovers within this run to bring the game back into contention.
Offensively, Ty Johnson, Elijah Pepper, and Leo DeBruhl combined to account for 18 of those points during the Aggies run as each of the three reached double-figure totals in the contest.
Pepper and Johnson dazzled in the scoresheet, turning in stellar, 20+ scoring performances to lead the Aggies (8-7, 3-1) in the contest.
Pepper remains to be the cream of the crop within the Big West, scoring 26 points to give him his 12th, 20 or more point output of the season.
Johnson finished with 20 while also adding five assists and four steals. DeBruhl also continued his strong play on the heels of his 14 point effort against UC Riverside and added 11 points, finishing 3-5 from behind the arc today against the Anteaters.
UC Davis' defense brought them back into the game during their late second half run and forced 22 UC Irvine turnovers for the entirety of the contest. The Aggies turned those takeaways into 19 points on the other end of the floor as Johnson's four steals led the way for UC Davis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After an early trading of buckets, the Aggies found themselves down 12-8. UC Davis would respond by going on a 9-0 run with 12:17 left in the first half to take a 17-12 lead. The first half would continue with a back and forth affair as the score would eventually settle at a 32-31 advantage for the Aggies. UC Davis made their damage from the three-point line in the period, knocking down five treys to account for 15 of its 32 points.
UC Irvine proceeded to take a 55-39 lead before UC Davis went on a 19-0 run to seize a 58-55 lead with 2:18 to go in the contest.
Things got real interesting after Pepper drilled a setback jumper with just under a minute remaining to bring the score to a 62-60 advantage in favor of the Aggies.
The Anteaters would fight back to even things up at 62-62 after capitalizing on a late turnover from the Aggies to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, UC Irvine jumped out to a four-point lead and would never look back as the Anteaters would ultimately hold on for the thrilling 74-71 finish to give the Aggies their first lost in Big West action.
GAME NOTES
»
Elijah Pepper,
Ty Johnson, and
Leo DeBruhl all reached double-figures.
» The UC Davis bench added 29 points to its scoring output.
» The Aggies dominated the turnover battle, forcing 22 UC Irvine giveaways while committing only 11.
»
Elijah Pepper had a game-high 26 points and
Ty Johnson added 20.
