Score: UC Davis 75, Nevada 71
Location: Reno, Nev. (Lawlor Events Center)
Records: UC Davis 4-1, Nevada 3-2
THE SHORT STORY: In what will be a Mountain West Conference meeting next season, UC Davis used a complete team effort to take control late and close out a 75-71 road win over Nevada on Tuesday night at Lawlor Events Center. UC Davis broke free behind a 9-0 run fueled by threes from Isaiah Chappell and Niko Rocak, while Nils Cooper powered the offense with a career-best 26 points. The Aggies hit 11 threes, forced 17 turnovers, and outscored the Wolf Pack 42-38 in the second half to finish the job.
COURT SIDE
- UC Davis had three players score in double figures.
- Nils Cooper delivered a game-high 26 points on 8-for-10 shooting and 3-for-4 from three, adding four assists and three steals.
- Cooper's all-around performance marked his best game in an Aggie uniform to date, and gives him 14 or more points in every game this season he has appeared in.
- Marcus Wilson posted 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, knocked down two threes, and recorded three steals.
- Connor Sevilla added 12 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line in crucial moments.
- Isaiah Chappell impacted the game on both ends, adding nine points and a team-high six rebounds.
- Niko Rocak hit the swing three during the late 9-0 run and chipped in five rebounds and two assists as he battled all-night with the Wolf Pack front court.
- UC Davis forced 17 Nevada turnovers, turned them into 28 points, and held the Wolf Pack to just 39.6 percent shooting on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Nevada opened with early scoring, but UC Davis countered with a Cooper triple to secure an early 8-5 edge.
- Cooper continued to fuel the early Aggie scoring, adding another three-pointer at 13:44 to regain an 11-10 lead as both teams traded early punches throughout the majority of the first half.
- A late 6-0 UC Davis run capped by an Omer Suljanovic finish pushed the Aggies ahead 33-27 before Nevada closed the gap.
- A Tayshawn Comer layup with four seconds left evened the score at 33-33 heading into halftime.
- Wilson started the second half with a fast-break layup, and the teams continued to battle much like they did in the first half.
- The game featured 17 ties and 12 lead changes as both teams kept trading answers on nearly every possession.
- A Nevada steal and finish by Corey Camper Jr. pushed the Wolf Pack ahead 53-49 at 13:04.
- UC Davis however stabilized behind a Brayden Fagbemi bucket, and another one from Cooper, converting the tying layup, to make it 53-53 with 11:38 remaining.
- Trailing 65-61, UC Davis flipped momentum with a 9-0 run fueled by Chappell threes at 5:27 and 2:35 and a Rocak three at 1:40 to take a 70-65 lead.
- Nevada cut it to one possession in the final minute, but Sevilla closed it out with four straight free throws to seal the 75-71 win.
UP NEXT
UC Davis travels to face Colorado on Friday, Nov. 21, in Boulder, Colorado. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. PT.
