Score: UC Davis 68, Hawai'i 66
Location: Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 12-8 (6-3), Hawai'i 12-7 (4-4)
The short story: In a thriller, UC Davis clinched its third straight win to improve to 6-3 in Big West play. Showcasing one of their finest defensive efforts of the season, the Aggies were also bolstered by three players scoring in double figures, including a career night from
Pablo Tamba, and the game-winning basket from
TY Johnson, who poured in a game-high 23 points.
COURT SIDE
- Johnson led with 23 points, along with four assists and three steals
- Johnson's three steals were a game-high and played a significant role in forcing 13 turnovers by the opposition, helping the Aggies win the turnover battle
- In addition to Johnson's offensive output, Tamba, the conference's leader in field goal percentage, added a career-high 19 points in an efficient manner, going 9-12 from the field
- Connor Sevilla splashed in with 11 points, including three crucial three-pointers
- The Aggies committed only five turnovers on the night and controlled the pace of the game throughout
- Taking care of the ball, coupled with a 44.8 percent shooting performance, helped UC Davis improve to 11-1 in games where they shoot over 40 percent from the field
- On the other end, UC Davis' defense held Hawaii to just 35.8 percent shooting from the field
- UC Davis also limited the Rainbow Warriors to their lowest scoring half of the season, allowing just 23 points in the first half
- This is the third consecutive game in which UC Davis has held their opponent to their lowest scoring half of the season, following similar performances against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week
- For the Rainbow Warriors, they were led by the bench production of Harry Rouhliadeff who finished with 21 points, and seven rebounds
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half began with a flurry of buckets as the Aggies made their first five field goals of the game with the Rainbow Warriors keeping up pace right alongside
- The Aggies biggest lead of the half was six points, carrying a 13-7 lead at the 14:24 mark
- Offenses on both sides however would cool down after the strong starts, with the score ending after 20 minutes at 25-23 in favor of the Aggies after a buzzer-beater finish from Leo DeBruhl
- After the break, both teams' offenses came alive with the Aggies surging ahead first to a 38-30 lead at the 16:18 mark
- Hawai'i would respond with a 17-5 run of their own, taking a 47-43 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining
- UC Davis took what seemed to be a commanding 57-53 lead with under six minutes left, but the Rainbow Warriors continued to answer back, this time with a three-pointer at the 2:22 mark, tying the score at 63-63
- Hawaii carried this momentum and made it 66-65 with a free throw to take the narrow lead with just 52 seconds left
- Needing a bucket, the Aggies called on Johnson to make a play at the end, with the Chicago native nailing the go-ahead jumper on the next possession, followed by a crucial steal and drawing a foul on Hawaii's ensuing possession
- Johnson would go on and hit one of two free throws and with just 7.5 seconds left, the Aggies held firm during the final moments to secure the home win after Hawai'i missed two clean opportunities late to tie it
UP NEXT: UC Davis will get their first bye of the conference season and won't be in action till a week from today, where they begin a two-game road trip against UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 30 before taking on UC Irvine on Saturday, Feb. 1 to begin the month.
