Score: Cal St. Fullerton 93, UC Davis 92
Location: Titan Gym, Fullerton, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 16-11, 9-7 Big West | Cal St. Fullerton 14-14, 9-7 Big West

THE SHORT STORY: In a high-scoring battle that came down to the final possession, UC Davis was edged by Cal St. Fullerton 93-92 on a late three-pointer Thursday night at Titan Gym. Nils Cooper paced the UC Davis attack with a game-high 26 points and six assists.

COURT SIDE

• Nils Cooper delivered a strong performance, matching his career-high with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-13 from the field. He was also a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line and dished out 6 assists to go along with a team-high-tying 6 rebounds.
• Connor Sevilla knocked down a trio of three-pointers on his way to 13 points, while going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
• Brayden Fagbemi filled the stat sheet with 10 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds.
• Omer Suljanovic chipped in 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and pulled down a team-high 6 rebounds to match Cooper.
• Marcus Wilson dished out 6 assists while adding 9 points and 2 steals.
• As a team, the Aggies shared the ball exceptionally well, registering 23 total assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Aggies came out firing from the opening tip. Early back-to-back triples from Niko Rocak and Jalen Stokes quickly established a 6-0 lead and set the tone for the half.
• UC Davis caught fire from beyond the arc, converting 10 of their 19 three-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes. 
• Backed by strong ball movement that generated 15 first-half assists and a scoring burst from Cooper, the Aggies built a 50-36 advantage heading into the locker room.
• In the second half, Cal St. Fullerton utilized a strong interior presence, and transition scoring to chip away at the deficit. 
• Despite this, UC Davis battled to maintain its advantage by attacking the basket themselves and converting at the free-throw line, where they made 16 of 19 second-half attempts.
• While the back-and-forth action in the second half characterized much of the final 20 minutes, the game would ultimately come down to the final possession, where the Titans' Bailey Nunn hit a crucial three-pointer with 19 seconds remaining to secure the 93-92 victory for the hosts.

UP NEXT
UC Davis will stay on the road for their next contest, facing off against UC Riverside on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Riverside, Calif.