Teams: UC Davis vs. Long Beach State
Records: Aggies, 5-9 (0-1); 49ers, 7-7 (2-0)
Where: The Pavilion
When: Saturday at 7 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: KFSG (1690 AM)
Who to watch: He stands just 5-foot-10, but Ryan Silva came up big when the Aggies needed him.
A sophomore guard from Clayton, Calif., Silva netted a career-high 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting in a 84-81 UC Davis loss to Cal State Northridge.
The Matadors, who beat the Aggies by a combined 55 points in two games last season, were voted the preseason No. 1 team in the Big West Conference by unanimous decision.
Did you know? If you come to Saturday’s contest at the Pavilion, chances are you could walk away with more than you came with.
Aggie Pack will be giving away free lift tickets to Sugar Bowl, two season passes and snowboard jackets, boots and apparel, courtesy of GroundZero.
There will also be a body paint contest and a Greek competition in which the fraternity and sorority with the highest turnout win prizes. For more information, check out Aggie Pack’s website, aggiepack.com.
Preview: Home has been where the heart is for Long Beach State, as the 49ers are 6-1 at the Walter Pyramid versus a 1-6 mark on the road. The lone Long Beach State road win this season came at Idaho State on Nov. 25 in double overtime, 88-82.
The 49ers have started conference play on the right foot, knocking off Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara en route to a 2-0 record.
Long Beach State is led by preseason all-conference selection Donovan Morris. The senior guard is pacing the 49ers in scoring (16.1 points per game) and foul shooting (87.5 percent free throw rate).
UC Davis‘ starting backcourt also knows a thing or two about scoring.
Senior Vince Oliver and sophomore Mark Payne have combined for an average of 29.8 points in the Aggies past five games, meaning this contest has potential to become the latest high scoring affair on the UC Davis schedule.
The Aggies (72.2 points per game) and 49ers (71.3 points per game) rank third and fourth in the conference in scoring, respectively.
– Adam Loberstein
