Score: UC Davis 64, Cal State Bakersfield 75
Location: Bakersfield, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 8-6 (2-1), Cal State Bakersfield 7-8 (1-2)
The short story: Despite a strong defensive showing that limited the hosts to just 36.7 percent shooting from the field, UC Davis resumed Big West action with their first conference play loss, falling on the road to Cal State Bakersfield.
COURT SIDE
- TY Johnson who entered the night as the 18th leading scorer in the nation, paced the Aggies with 26 points and eight rebounds
- Johnson's scoring output marked his 30th career 20-point game of his career, and eighth this season
- Connor Sevilla contributed 10 points with five rebounds, and was one of two Aggies on the night to record a steal, alongside Leo DeBruhl
- Niko Rocak added eight points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds
- UC Davis' defense was a key part in keeping the Aggies in the game throughout, holding Cal State Bakersfield to 36.7% shooting and limiting Corey Stephenson to just 5-of-17 from the field
- Even with the stingy defense, the Roadrunners were fueled by five different double figure scorers, with CJ Hardy scoring a team-high 20 points
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After falling behind 4-0, UC Davis went on a 7-0 run, capped by a Ty Johnson bucket, to take a 7-4 lead
- UC Davis continued to build on this momentum and had their best success in the middle portion of the first half, taking their largest lead of the game at the 7:32 mark, with a 20-14 advantage
- Despite their efforts, UC Davis entered halftime trailing 30-27 due to a 16-7 run from the Roadrunners, finished with a buzzer-beater to end the half
- UC Davis responded with the opening score of the second half, bringing the score within one, but the Roadrunners maintained their lead for the rest of the game
- Cal State Bakersfield extended their lead to 55-47, making it difficult for UC Davis to create offense, resulting in the Aggies having only five assists on the night
- UC Davis continued to fight back, with Bakersfield maintaining a closely contested lead. A 5-0 run by UC Davis closed the gap to 55-52 with 4:38 remaining
- The Roadrunners outscored the Aggies down the stretch, resulting in a final score of 75-64
UP NEXT: UC Davis stays on the road this weekend and has an opportunity to bounce back against CSUN when they face off against the Matadors this Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. PT.
