Score: UC Davis 85, UC Santa Barbara 75
Location: University Credit Union Center, Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 14-9, 7-5 Big West | UC Santa Barbara 15-8, 8-4 Big West
THE SHORT STORY: Behind a career-high 24 points from Marcus Wilson, UC Davis secured an 85-75 victory over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night. The win marked the Aggies' sixth consecutive victory over the Gauchos. UC Davis relied on efficient ball movement and clutch free-throw shooting—hitting 23-of-26 from the line—to outpace their conference rivals
and move to 7-5 in Big West play.
COURT SIDE
- Marcus Wilson led the way with a career-high 24 points, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe while adding 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
- Isaiah Chappell provided a spark off the bench, tallying 11 points.
- Carl Daughtery Jr. with his second straight start, chipped in 11 points and grabbed 2 steals, helping set the defensive tone.
- UC Davis' defense as a whole was opportunistic, forcing 13 turnovers and converting them into 20 points on the other end, recording seven total steals as well.
- Niko Rocak anchored the paint against his former college with 10 points and a dominant 4 block effort.
- Brayden Fagbemi orchestrated the offense with 8 points and a team-high 7 assists while coming away with 3 steals.
- The Aggies continued to display excellent ball movement, racking up 18 assists on 26 made field goals. This was the fourth time in the last five games in which the Aggies have recorded 18 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After falling behind 11-8, UC Davis ignited a 10-0 run midway through the period, capped by an Isaiah Chappell three-pointer, to seize an 18-11 advantage.
- The Aggies shooting in the opening frame was key, knocking down six three-pointers to account for nearly half their points, taking a 40-32 lead into the locker room.
- In the second half, UC Santa Barbara attempted to chip away at the deficit, but the Aggies remained composed. Leading by just three, UC Davis engineered a decisive 6-0 run, punctuated by a Marcus Wilson layup, to push the margin to 69-60 with 7:41 remaining.
- From there, the Aggies controlled the tempo, and came up clutch when needed, hitting all 15 attempts from the line in the half to keep the Gauchos at bay and secure the 10-point victory.
UP NEXT
UC Davis remains at the University Credit Union Center to host Cal Poly on Saturday, Feb. 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
