Score: UC Davis 76, Cal Poly 86
Location: Henderson, Nev.
Records: UC Davis 15-17 (9-11), Cal Poly 15-18 (8-12)

The short story: Pablo Tamba poured in a career-high 25 points, but the Aggies season came to a close in the first round of the Big West Championship, dropping Wednesday night's contest to Cal Poly 86-76 at Lee's Family Forum.
 
COURT SIDE

• The Aggies had three players score in double figures, led by Tamba, who poured in a game-high 25 points on an efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field
• Tamba's 25 points surpasses his recent career-high of 19 points, a mark he set in UC Davis' Jan. 23 game at Hawai'i
• TY Johnson added a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists in his final game as an Aggie
• Johnson finishes his Aggie career with 1,694 points as an Aggie, tied for third most all-time with Corey Hawkins
• UC Davis as a team finished the night with 19 assists
• Leo DeBruhl rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points, including three three-pointers, and contributed two blocks on the defensive end
• For Cal Poly, four double figure scorers led the Mustang charge with Owen Koonce scoring a team-high 18 points with six assists on 7-13 shooting from the field

HOW IT HAPPENED

• UC Davis started strong, building an early lead and maintaining control for much of the first half
• After jumping out to a 32-30 advantage, the Aggies went on a 7-0 run with 4:39 left to extend their lead to 39-30
• The biggest Aggie lead of the game however came with 2:44 left in the half, with a Johnson pull-up jumper giving UC Davis the 43-33 lead
• UC Davis continued to execute efficiently, shooting an impressive 65.2% from the field and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line in the first half
• The bench also provided a significant boost, contributing 12 points to help the Aggies take a 47-38 lead into halftime
• In the second half, UC Davis started strong, going on a 5-0 run early in the period, highlighted by a DeBruhl three-pointer, to push the advantage to 52-43 with 18:20 remaining
• A few minutes would pass and that's when the Mustangs would get into their groove, responding with a 14-2 run to take a 59-56 lead, their first of the game with 12:34 on the clock
• Cal Poly continued to build momentum, eventually expanding their run to 21-2 to take a commanding 66-56 lead
• The Aggies would cut into the deficit and make it a seven-point ball game with 8:11 on the game clock, but Cal Poly again responded with an offensive run, growing their lead to 14 points with 6:04 remaining, and eventually carrying an 11-point lead at the final media timeout of the game with 3:54 left
• Despite the Aggies' strong start, Cal Poly's relentless second-half surge proved too much to overcome with Cal Poly ultimately securing the 86-76 win over UC Davis

 
WHAT COACH LES HAD TO SAY
"The coaching staff, we just talked to them about the immense gratitude that we have for the time, effort and blood, sweat, and tears that they put into this program since they've been here. ... Even though their playing days with UC Davis on their chest are over, being Aggies... that's a lifetime of relationships. That's a lifetime of this coaching staff, our program, and our university continuing to have a relationship and being a resource for these young men as they go out into the real world and accomplish the next step in their life."


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