Score: Hawai'i 75, UC Davis 69
Location: Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu, HI
Records: UC Davis 5-3 (0-1), Hawai'i 7-2 (1-0)
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis dropped its Big West opener 75-69 at Hawai'i on Thursday night. The Aggies trailed 33-28 at halftime and stayed within one possession multiple times in the second half, but Hawai'i's free-throw efforts and timely perimeter shooting held the edge late.
Connor Sevilla led with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while
Nils Cooper added 14 and
Niko Rocak posted 13 points and eight rebounds. UC Davis forced 15 turnovers and scored 18 points off them, but Hawai'i scored its final nine points on free throws to protect its lead down the stretch.
COURT SIDE
- Connor Sevilla paced UC Davis with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting, all of which came in the second half, and added one three and one assist.
- Niko Rocak added 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting, went 6-for-6 at the line, and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
- Nils Cooper delivered 14 points on 7-for-13 shooting with five rebounds and two steals.
- Isaiah Chappell had 11 points, hit two threes, hauled in six rebounds, and recorded one block.
- Marcus Wilson added six points, five assists, and three rebounds.
- UC Davis scored 30 points in the paint, produced 18 points off turnovers, and got 16 bench points.
- UC Davis forced 15 turnovers on the night.
- Four Aggies reached double figures in scoring.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis opened the night with a dunk from Niko Rocak, assisted by Marcus Wilson, to take a 2-0 lead.
- Hawai'i responded with early threes from Dre Bullock and Hunter Erickson, building a 15-5 advantage at the 15:26 mark.
- UC Davis responded with a run of their own, highlighted by a Cooper steal and fast-break dunk during the stretch to cut it to 15-14 at the 12:50 mark.
- Isaiah Chappell added onto the the Aggie scoring by drilling a three at 11:32 to tie the game at 17-17.
- Hawai'i rebuilt a small lead late in the half, but Chappell knocked down two free throws with two seconds left to trim the deficit, sending UC Davis into halftime down 33-28.
- A 6-0 Rainbow Warrior burst early into the second half pushed it to 40-30 at 18:35, but UC Davis again chipped back.
- Sevilla scored on a jumper at 18:17 and added a free throw at 17:46 as the Aggies trimmed the lead.
- Chappell's three at 15:10 cut the gap to 44-40, but Hawai'i answered with a quick run to push it to 51-40.
- UC Davis responded with makes from Sevilla and Cooper to bring it back to 55-48, and later 60-52, keeping the margin within reach.
- Wilson and Chappell added points to narrow it to 64-59, and Rocak's putback and free throws brought the Aggies as close as 71-68 with just over a minute left.
- Hawai'i closed the game at the line, scoring their final nine points on free throws to hold on, 75-69.
UP NEXT
UC Davis will travel to Eugene to face Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 13, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
