Men’s basketball
UC Davis defeated Notre Dame de Namur, 69-36, in an exhibition at the Pavilion on Friday. Joe Harden led the Aggies with a game-high 15 points and 12 rebounds. It was the sophomore’s second double-double in as many exhibitions as the Aggies closed out their preseason schedule.
Vince Oliver added 12 while Ryan Silva finished with 10.
UC Davis held NDNU to under 30 percent shooting for the game while forcing the Argonauts into 27 turnovers. UC Davis led 40-21 at the half and held NDNU to just 15 points in the second half.
Harden finished the first half with 12 points and seven boards. Oliver was also in double figures by the break with 10 first half points. The Aggies led 40-21 after the first 20 minutes.
In the second half, UC Davis held NDNU to just six field goals, including two in the first eight minutes. The Aggies steadily built their 19-point halftime advantage to the 33-point final margin.
UC Davis is next in action on Friday when it begins its regular season at Iowa State. The game is the first of three games as part of the World Vision Classic in Ames, Iowa.
Women’s basketball
Sophomore Paige Mintun scored a game-high 17 points, leading six Aggies in double figures, as the UC Davis women’s basketball team rolled to a 118-44 exhibition win over the Australian Showtime at the Pavilion on Thursday.
The Aggies, playing their first game since finishing 19-12 last year and advancing to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, also received 15 points from Haylee Donaghe and freshman Vicky Deely, 14 points from senior Genevieve Costello and 13 points from redshirt freshmen Lisa Peterson and Lauren Juric. Deely added 11 rebounds for a double-double.
The Aggies shot 58 percent from the field, including making 13 of 24 (54 percent) from beyond the three-point stripe.
Led by Deely’s 11 rebounds and 10 from freshman Kasey Riecks, UC Davis dominated with a 55-21 advantage on the boards. It added 30 assists – freshman Hana Asano had eight – while Mintun and Donaghe had four steals apiece.
UC Davis will play the second of two exhibition games when it hosts Sonoma State tonight at 7.
Wrestling
Seniors Marcos Orozco and Nexi Delgado recorded victories by fall, and sophomores Ricky Alcala, Barrett Abel and Brandon Low each claimed major decisions to lead UC Davis to a season-opening 39-6 rout of Embry-Riddle in a non-conference collegiate wrestling dual at The Activity Center in Prescott, Ariz. Friday night.
The Aggies won every contested bout, while the Eagles, a NAIA member, received six points on a forfeit at 197 pounds.
Redshirt freshman Joey Wilson won his collegiate debut, 8-5, and led the charge of three Aggie decisions in the final four matches.
UC Davis then traveled to Mesa, Ariz. on Saturday to face Arizona State.
The Sun Devils earned bonus wins at 125, 141 and 174 pounds and benefited from a forfeit at 197 en route to a 26-12 victory over the Aggies in a Pacific-10 Conference dual at Mesa High School. It was the conference opener for both teams.
UC Davis takes off next week to focus on training before welcoming Northwestern to the Pavilion for the home opener on Nov. 23 at 6 p.m.
Aggie Digest is compiled by the California Aggie sports staff with briefs from the UC Davis athletics website, ucdavisaggies.com.
