Score: UC Davis 73, Long Beach State 84
Location: Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 9-8 (3-3), Long Beach State 7-10 (3-2)
The short story: TY Johnson scored a team-high 31 points, entering UC Davis' top 10 all-time career scoring list, but the Aggies struggled defensively as Long Beach State capitalized in the second half, outscoring UC Davis 52-42, and handing UC Davis their first home loss in Big West play.
COURT SIDE
- The Aggies were led by three double-figure scorers, highlighted by Johnson's outstanding performance of 31 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals
- Leo DeBruhl and Connor Sevilla each added 12 points
- Johnson did a lot of his damage tonight from the free-throw line, hitting 18 of 20 attempts, setting a new program record and breaking the previous mark of 17 set by Fowzi Abdelsamad
- Despite the loss, UC Davis made a concerted effort on the offensive glass with 17 offensive boards, leading to 11 second-chance points
- UC Davis also held the rebounding advantage, out-rebounding Long Beach State, 33-25
- Niko Rocak hauled in a game-high nine rebounds and recorded his third consecutive multi-block effort
- Johnson's 31-point performance placed him in UC Davis' top 10 all-time career scoring list, where he currently sits at 10th all-time with 1,376 points
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Sevilla started the game much like he finished the last one, hitting a three-pointer at the 16:40 mark to begin the scoring for the Aggies
- UC Davis used this momentum and jumped out to a 19-14 lead with a three-pointer from DeBruhl capping off their early run
- Johnson added another bucket at the buzzer to end the first half, but Long Beach State responded during the latter part of the half and took a 32-31 lead into the break
- Pablo Tamba gave UC Davis the lead to begin the second half, but Long Beach State hit back-to-back threes, a sign of things to come as The Beach made seven threes in the second half
- The Beach would extend their lead to double digits, making it 52-42 at the 11:37 mark
- UC Davis fought back with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 52-49, but Long Beach State held on and used their hot-shooting second half to outscore the Aggies and secure an 11-point win
- Long Beach State shot a blistering 64.7% from three-point range and 89.3% from the free-throw line to help clinch the win
UP NEXT: UC Davis will be back in action Thursday, traveling to Cal Poly on Jan. 16, before visiting UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 18.
