NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — In a thrilling game that went down to the wire, Ty Johnson knocked down a pair of crucial free throws with six seconds left to give the UC Davis men's basketball team a 66-65 win over the CSUN Matadors on the road Thursday.
The Aggies (16-11, 11-5) clinched a spot in the Big West Championships with the victory, which saw three of their players reach double digits in scoring. Johnson led the way with 24 points, five assists and three steals, Leo DeBruhl tied for a career-high with 14 points off the bench, while Kane Milling chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds.
Johnson has been on a tear lately. After recording his 10th, 20+ point game of the season last week against UC Riverside, he continued to stay red hot down in The Valley. With his game-high 24 points tonight, he has now up to 11 games with 20 or more points, and has gone 13 consecutive games scoring in double figures, with over half of those games being 20-plus performances.
Johnson got some help through the trio
Niko Rocak,
Pablo Tamba and the aforementioned Milling who were all forces on the glass tonight, grabbing six of the Aggies' 10 offensive rebounds tonight, which they converted into seven second-chance points. In a game decided by single digits, the Aggies ability to generate second-chance opportunities was instrumental in their victory.
UC Davis also capitalized on the Matadors' 15 turnovers, scoring 13 points off them.
Elijah Pepper was defensive force for the Aggies, racking up seven steals in the game. He came close to matching his running mate's Johnson's feat of eight steals in a single game, which is the highest mark in UC Davis' Division I history. Johnson achieved that record last season against Milwaukee.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies started the game strong, opening up a 10-1 lead after a 5-0 run capped by a Johnson three-pointer with 16:13 left in the first half. However, the Matadors fought back and took a 29-26 lead into the break.
UC Davis responded to this deficit by coming out of the locker room clicking on all cylinders, going on a 7-0 run to regain the lead at 33-29 with 17:32 remaining in the game. The lead changed hands several times in a tense second half, but the Aggies never trailed by more than four points. With the game tied at 64-64, Johnson made the decisive set of free throws to put UC Davis ahead for good. The Matadors had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but missed the mark.
The Aggies' bench played a key role in the win, contributing 13 of the team's 40 points in the second half. UC Davis improved to 11-5 in the Big West after tonight's victory, as the Aggies were able to secure a berth to the Big West Championship in process.
GAME NOTES
» Ty Johnson's free throws with 6 seconds left sealed the deal for UC Davis.
» UC Davis found success from three point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The UC Davis bench came alive by adding 21 points to its scoring output.
» Elijah Pepper swiped seven steals for the Aggies in the game, just one shy of the Division I steals record for most in a game held by Ty Johnson.
» The UC Davis defense forced 15 turnovers.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Ty Johnson led the Aggies with a game-high 24 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high six rebounds from Kane Milling.
