Score: UC Davis 66, UC Irvine 73
Location: Irvine, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 12-10 (6-5), UC Irvine 20-3 (10-1)
The short story: UC Davis delivered a gritty first-half performance, leading by a point at the break, but the first-placed UC Irvine Anteaters pulled away late to seal the deal Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
COURT SIDE
- TY Johnson tied for a game-high with 21 points, while also adding six rebounds and five assists
- Niko Rocak stuffed the stat sheet for the second straight contest of the road trip with another near double-double, posting nine points, nine rebounds, four assists, four blocks, and two steals
- Rocak anchored an Aggie defense that forced 15 turnovers and blocked six shots in the game
- UC Davis showed a lot of heart against one of the top-ranked defensive rebounding teams in the country by cleaning up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards
- Connor Sevilla hit three three-pointers (3-6 3P) for 11 points, extending his streak of games with multiple threes to three
- The Aggies as a unit shot well from three-point range, knocking down eight of their 18 long-range attempts
- Carl Daughtery Jr. added nine points on an efficient 4-6 showing from the field
- UC Davis had 16 assists on 23 made field goals, led by Johnson with five assists
- On the opposite end, Bent Leuchten led the Anteaters with a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double
- UC Irvine also made the most of their attempts from the free throw line, going 18-20
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis opened the game with a 7-0 run, but was immediately met with an equal response from UC Irvine, tying it at 7-7 at the 16:25 mark
- UC Davis erupted with another scoring run, a 10-0 run— their largest of the game—midway through the first half, capped by a Johnson jumper to take a 29-22 lead
- The Aggies capitalized on 10 Anteater turnovers, converting them into 12 points, and led 34-33 at halftime behind 44.8% field goal shooting
- Despite the Aggies' lead at halftime, the Anteaters began chipping away and answered with their largest run of the game, scoring eight unanswered points spanning from the end of the first half, extending into the second to take a 35-34 lead at the start of the second half at the 19:25 mark
- The offenses for both sides came alive to start the second half, with Connor Sevilla leaving his imprint on the game after he hit his third three of the game at the 14:01 mark to make it 48-44, bringing the Aggies within four
- UC Irvine would however grow their lead further after this point, making it 52-44 at the 13:25 mark
- The Anteaters' offensive efficiency was key as they shot 52% from the field, 50% from three, and 90% from the line in the second half to find their rhythm
- This allowed the lead for the Anteaters to eventually grow to 73-60 with 2:31 remaining
- UC Davis fought back with a 6-0 surge late to trim the deficit to 73-66 with 1:19 left, but it was too late as the Anteaters held on to this final score, securing their league-leading 20th win of the year.
UP NEXT: UC Davis will stay on the road next week, visiting Long Beach State on Thursday, Feb. 6 and then Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Feb. 8 to close out the four-game road stand.
