Score: Portland 67, UC Davis 63
Location: Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)
Records: UC Davis 2-1 (0-0), Portland 3-0 (0-0)
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis dropped a tightly contested road matchup at Portland, 67-63, on Sunday afternoon at the Chiles Center. The Aggies led 32-31 at halftime and were within a single possession late before the Pilots used free throws to close it out. Four Aggies scored in double figures, led by Isaiah Chappell's 14 points and seven rebounds. UC Davis controlled the boards 40-37, including 15 offensive rebounds that turned into 15 second-chance points, while forcing 17 turnovers and posting 13 points off those takeaways.
COURT SIDE
- Isaiah Chappell paced UC Davis with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
- Connor Sevilla added 13 points on 4-for-4 from the line and grabbed four rebounds.
- Omer Suljanovic tallied 12 points and six rebounds.
- Niko Rocak provided 11 points, six rebounds, and a block.
- Brayden Fagbemi making his UC Davis debut, added a game-high seven assists to go along with six rebounds, and two steals.
- The Aggies outrebounded Portland 40-37, including a 15-12 edge on the offensive glass.
- UC Davis converted 13 points off 17 forced turnovers and got 19 points from its bench, led by Chappell's 14, while playing without Nils Cooper, who averaged 17.0 points per game through the team's first two wins.
- Back-and-forth all game, today featured eight ties and eight lead changes in a tightly contested battle.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Portland jumped out to a 5-0 start before UC Davis answered with a 15–3 run capped by a Suljanovic fastbreak layup to take a 15–8 lead.
- Back-to-back threes from Chappell and a transition layup by Suljanovic fueled the early Aggie momentum.
- The Aggies maintained their lead throughout the half, taking a 32-31 lead into the break.
- UC Davis opened the second half with a Suljanovic layup to push ahead 34-31 before both teams traded baskets for much of the frame.
- Chappell's three at the 4:55 mark capped a 6–0 Aggie run, giving UC Davis a 59–57 lead.
- Portland tied it at 59-59 moments later on a dunk from Timo George.
- Connor Sevilla knocked down two free throws at 2:18 to push UC Davis back in front, 61–59.
- The Pilots responded with a transition layup from Mikah Ballew to even the score at 61–61.
- With under a minute to play, Ballew buried a three to give Portland a 64–61 edge.
- UC Davis had looks late, including a three from Chappell that rimmed out, before Niko Rocak's tip-in with one second left pulled the Aggies within two.
- Portland would go on to hit two free throws at the buzzer to close out the 67–63 final.
UP NEXT
UC Davis returns home for the Causeway Cup, hosting Sacramento State on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. inside the University Credit Union Center.
