Score: Cal Poly 84, UC Davis 78
Location: Mott Athletics Center, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 9-7, 2-3 Big West | Cal Poly 7-11, 3-3 Big West
THE SHORT STORY: UC Davis fell 84-78 to Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon at the Mott Athletics Center.Â
COURT SIDE
- Nils Cooper filled the stat sheet with 18 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and five assists.
- Carl Daughtery Jr. matched Cooper with 18 points off the bench, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point range.
- Connor Sevilla reached double figures with 11 points.
- The Aggies connected on 11-of-28 (39.3%) three-point attempts.
- Cal Poly was led by Hamad Mousa, who finished with 24 points, going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.
- The Mustangs as a unit capitalized on opportunities at the charity stripe, shooting 92.9% (26-of-28) for the game.
- UC Davis recorded 17 assists on 25 made field goals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis opened the game using an early run to build a 13-4 advantage in the opening minutes.
- The Aggies' offense clicked throughout the first half, shooting 43.8% from the floor and 46.2% from beyond the arc.
- Defensively, they held the Mustangs in check, extending their lead to as many as 14 points at 36-22 with 4:11 remaining in the period before taking a 40-30 edge into the locker room.
- UC Davis briefly pushed the lead back to 12 at 46-34 on an Isaiah Chappell three-pointer with 16:15 to play, but shortly after, Cal Poly would respond.
- The Mustangs eventually took control by getting to the free-throw line frequently, converting 26-of-28 attempts for the game.
- Despite a late back and forth battle that saw the Aggies pull within one point with 1:23 remaining, Cal Poly sealed the contest by hitting five consecutive free throws in the closing seconds.
UP NEXT
UC Davis will return home on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. to host Cal State Fullerton.Â
