Score: UC Davis 65, Cal Poly 54
Location: San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 10-8 (4-3), Cal Poly 6-13 (0-7)
The short story: TY Johnson scored a game-high 21 points, and
Pablo Tamba added 18 points and seven rebounds as the Aggies defeated Cal Poly 65-54 on the road.
COURT SIDE
- The Aggies were led by Johnson who had a game-high 21 points along with two steals
- Johnson has reached double figures in six consecutive games and scored 20 or more in four of his last six games
- Tamba tied his career high with 18 points, while also adding seven rebounds and three steals
- Tamba finished the night going an efficient 8-of-9 from the field and currently ranks third in the conference in field-goal percentage
- Connor Sevilla contributed 14 points, recording his sixth straight game scoring in double figures
- Nils Cooper made multiple hustle plays all night, as the sophomore added three offensive rebounds, three steals and two dunks, one notably right before the half, giving the Aggies a five-point lead into the break
- UC Davis made a concerted effort on the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in eight second-chance points
- The Aggies forced 20 Cal Poly turnovers, converting them into 23 points
- Even with the trio of double figure scorers for the Aggies, it was the defense for UC Davis that was the difference maker, limiting Cal Poly to 34.7 percent shooting from the field
- The Aggies held Cal Poly to its lowest scoring total of the season, allowing just 54 points to a team that entered the night averaging 81.1 points per game
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After falling behind 6-2, UC Davis went on a 9-0 run to take an 11-6 lead
- The Aggies had a balanced scoring attack in the first half, with seven different players contributing to the scoring column
- UC Davis led for the majority of the half, but the hosts took a two-point lead with 2:49 remaining, making it 26-24 in favor of Cal Poly
- UC Davis quickly erased this deficit with a three-pointer from Johnson and a dunk from Cooper before the half, resulting in a 5-0 run that allowed the Aggies to enter halftime with a 31-26 advantage
- The Aggies capitalized on 10 Cal Poly turnovers for nine points in the first 20 minutes
- The second half began the same way the first half ended, with UC Davis continuing their run with a pair of layups from Tamba, giving UC Davis a nine-point lead at the 18:24 mark, making it 35-26
- Cal Poly's next chances to close the gap came at the 11:33 mark, reducing the deficit to four points, and again at the 4:04 mark, making it a six-point game
- However, a pair of free throws and a layup from Tamba shortly after extended the Aggies' lead to 10 points with just 2:24 remaining
- UC Davis continued to control the game in the final minutes, taking their largest lead with 51 seconds remaining, making it 65-52, and eventually concluding the game at 65-54
- With the win, UC Davis secured its 10th win of the season, improving its record in Big West play to 4-3
- UC Davis never trailed in the second half, outscoring Cal Poly 34-28
UP NEXT: UC Davis will continue their road trip on Saturday, Jan. 18 at UC Santa Barbara. Tip-off for that contest is slated for 1 p.m. PT.
