Score: UC Davis 64, UC Santa Barbara 60
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 11-8 (5-3), UC Santa Barbara 12-6 (4-3)
The short story: TY Johnson scored a game-high 35 points, and
Niko Rocak added a double-double as the Aggies completed their road trip with a season sweep of Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, improving to 5-3 in Big West play.
COURT SIDE
- Johnson commanded the offense, scoring 35 points on 12-23 shooting from the field and a perfect 9-9 from the free-throw line with only one turnover
- He also added two steals to his efforts
- Johnson recorded his fourth 30+ point game this season and the ninth of his career
- The 35-point output for Johnson tied his career-high, a mark he set earlier this year against Washington
- Rocak notched his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds
- Leo DeBruhl contributed eight points and four assists
- The UC Davis defense for the second straight game was the difference maker, forcing 13 UC Santa Barbara turnovers and converting them into 18 points
- The Aggies also limited the Gauchos to just 37.3 percent shooting from the field
- UC Davis' defense especially in the first half was as good as it has been all season, allowing only 17 points, the fewest total the Aggies had surrendered in a half this season
- UC Davis made the most of their possessions in the first half, only turning it over once and scoring on over half of their possessions
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis took control after a brief 11-8 deficit, going on an 8-0 run to take a 16-11 lead with 11:58 left in the first half
- The Aggies increased their lead with a 7-0 stretch and entered halftime with a 29-17 advantage
- UC Davis' defense stood strong in the first 20 minutes, allowing just 17 points in the first half as UC Santa Barbara shot 25.9% from the field (7-of-27), including 1-of-8 from three, and committed nine turnovers
- Most of the Aggies first-half damage came in the paint, scoring 16 of their 29 points inside
- UC Davis started strong again in the second half, pushing the lead to 37-19 with an 8-0 run at 18:20
- UC Santa Barbara responded with a run of their own, cutting the deficit to 39-30 with 13:49 left
- The Gauchos continued to fight back, narrowing the gap to just five points with 11:33 left after a fast-break layup
- UC Davis answered with one of many key buckets by Johnson to keep the lead at six points with 9:05 remaining
- Santa Barbara would also respond with key shots of their own, cutting the lead to 49-48 with 6:24 left after a three-pointer
- With the score going back in forth during the closing minutes, UC Davis would hold a 57-54 lead with 3:08 remaining
- In the end though, it was Johnson who made his presence felt, scoring the final seven points for the Aggies, including the game-securing free throws to lift UC Davis to a 64-60 win
UP NEXT: UC Davis will return home on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. PT hosting Hawai'i looking to make it three straight wins.
