BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The UC Davis men's basketball team fell to the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners 75-56 on the road Saturday night at the Icardo Center.
Ty Johnson led the Aggies (16-12, 11-6) with 22 points. Johnson has now scored 20 or more points, 20 times in his career with 12 of those occurrences coming during the current 2023-24 season. Johnson's recent scoring stretch has seen him rise to sixth among the Big West scoring leaders as he is now averaging 17.3 points per game.
Despite this, the Aggies for the most part were held in check from the field tonight offensively, and instead found most of their success from the charity stripe. UC Davis finished 19-21 from the free throw line but were unable to make the most of that as Cal State Bakersfield turned in one of their team's best performances of the year. Led by four double figure scorers, the Roadrunners took control of the game during the middle of the second half and never looked back as they secured a 75-56 victory over the Aggies.
UC Davis will look to bounce back next week as the Aggies are prepare for their final home game of the season against Hawai'i. In what will be a pivotal Big West matchup for the Aggies, will also serve as a very special moment as UC Davis will honor the careers and contributions of five amazing seniors:
Elijah Pepper,
Ade Adebayo,
Kane Milling,
Niko Rocak and
Sam Manu. The group will be honored pre-game, along with engaging in a post-game ceremony that will see the players address the crowd and thank the Aggie fans for their support during their time at Davis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies faced a tough challenge from the start, as the Roadrunners took a 33-26 lead into the break. Even though UC Davis carried a better field goal percentage than the Roadrunners in the first half, Cal State Bakersfield cashed in on five triples and a handful of offensive rebounds during the first 20 minutes that provided the Roadrunners momentum early on.
The second half did not get any easier for UC Davis, as Cal State Bakersfield extended its lead to 42-32 early on. The Aggies showed some signs of life with a 6-0 run, cutting the gap to 42-38 with 14:25 left in the game. However, the Roadrunners answered with a 15-2 run of their own that spanned seven minutes, giving the Roadrunners complete control late.
This run would prove to be a fatal blow the Aggies chances in the second half as Cal State Bakersfield would hold on for the 75-56 win.
GAME NOTES
» Ty Johnson led the Aggies with a game-high 22 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high five rebounds from Ty Johnson.
» Kane Milling had two steals on the night.
» The Aggies finished 19-21 from the charity stripe.
» There were five lead changes tonight.
» The Aggies scored 12 points off turnovers.
