Score: UC Davis 59, UC Irvine 88
Location:Â Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 15-15 (9-10), UC Irvine 26-5 (16-3)
Â
The short story: UC Davis suffered an 88-59 defeat to UC Irvine on Thursday night at the University Credit Union Center.
Â
COURT SIDE
- TY Johnson led the Aggies with a team-high 24 points, marking his 43rd career game with 20 or more points and his 21st such performance this season
- Johnson also made history, becoming UC Davis' all-time leader in free throws made for both a single season and a career
- He surpassed Elijah Pepper's previous records, adding to his existing single-game free-throw record
- Johnson now has 175 free throws and counting this season, and 464 and counting for his career
- Nine different Aggies saw playing time in the contest
- For UC Irvine, Myles Che delivered a standout performance, scoring a career-high 31 points on an efficient 10-of-11 shooting from the field
- The Anteaters behind Che, shot and ultra-efficient 58.8% from the field as a team
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Irvine opened the game with a 6-0 run before UC Davis got on the board with a basket from Pablo Tamba at the 17:36 mark
- The Anteaters maintained their hot shooting throughout the first half, finishing 18-of-29 (62.1%) from the field and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc
- Che's numbers jumped off the stat sheet in the first half, scoring 16 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, helping UC Irvine take a commanding 47-25 lead into halftime
- The Anteaters extended their lead to 28 points early in the second half, but UC Davis fought back, cutting the deficit to 16 points at the 8:29 mark-their closest margin of the period
- Unable to overcome the early deficit, the Aggies were outscored 41-34 in the second half
- Despite the improved effort in the second half, UC Davis could not recover, ultimately falling 88-59
Â
UP NEXT: UC Davis returns to the national stage when they host UC San Diego on Saturday, March 8, at 8 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Â
