LONG BEACH, CA — The UC Davis men's basketball team controlled the action out on the perimeter, shooting a blistering 62.5 percent from three-point territory to take the 88-78 road victory on Saturday against Long Beach State.
Kane Milling was just three points shy off from his career-high as he paced the shooting barrage for the Aggies (19-12, 14-6), scoring 24 points on six-of-eight shooting from downtown. Milling's play also was helped by the contributions of
Ty Johnson (18 points, two steals) and
Elijah Pepper (17 points, four assists), who also reached double digits in scoring. This was the seventh such game of the season in which Milling, Johnson and Pepper all reached double-figure scoring marks.
The efficient play from the trio was key in UC Davis maintaining control of the game against the physicality of the Beach on the inside. Despite being out-rebounded 39-25, the Aggies were still able to hold the lead for the entire game.
With Milling being the main marksman tonight for UC Davis, it was a collective effort on both sides from the perimeter that decided the game tonight. In addition to draining 10 of their 16 attempts, on the flip side, UC Davis shut down Long Beach State's perimeter game, limiting them to just 18.8 percent on three-pointers for a total of three makes from downtown in the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Aggies (19-12, 14-6) broke away from a 33-33 deadlock with a 10-0 spurt in the final six minutes of the first half, capped by an
Elijah Pepper layup, to establish a 43-33 cushion. They saw their lead shrink slightly, but still held a seven-point edge at the break, 46-39.
The Aggies thrived from beyond the arc in the period, sinking seven of their 10 attempts for 21 of their 46 points.
UC Davis piled on more points in the second half, opening with a 7-0 run, sealed by an
Ade Adebayo bucket, to stretch the lead to 53-39 with 17:56 left in the game. The Beach made a late push, but were unable to ever tie it up or overtake the Aggie lead, giving way to a 88-78 finish in the regular season finale for the Aggies.
GAME NOTES
» The Aggies were incredible from long range, knocking down 10 of 16 three point attempts.
» UC Davis never trailed on the way to an 88-78 victory.
» UC Davis recorded 16 total assists in the game.
» UC Davis had a stellar day defensively, holding Long Beach State to 19 percent from three point land on 16 attempts.
» The UC Davis defense forced 13 turnovers.
»
Kane Milling led the Aggies with a game-high 24 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high five rebounds from
Kane Milling.
UP NEXT
UC Davis now awaits their matchup at the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Men's Basketball Championship. Entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed, UC Davis earned the right to two byes, and will play in the Semi-Finals on Friday, March 15 at 8:30 p.m. (PT). They will face the winners of game three, which will pit the No. 3 seed versus either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed.
