The UC Davis Aggies suffer last-second defeat after a game-winning three-pointer
By THEO KAYSER — sports@theaggie.org
On Jan. 30, the UC Davis men’s basketball team visited one of their Big West Conference rivals, the UC Riverside Highlanders, for a late-season matchup. Coming off of three straight wins, the UC Davis Aggies looked to continue their streak with the season beginning to come to a close.
At the end of the game, the Aggies nearly accomplished their goal for victory — but it was thwarted after a last-second, game-winning three-pointer that secured UC Riverside’s victory, 60-58.
The early moments of the game were dominated by the Aggies, holding an 8-1 score within the first five minutes of the game, later turning it into 14 points in the first 20 minutes. UC Davis reached this lead after back-to-back possessions, which led to the game only staying in the painted area of the court for the first 20 minutes of the game.
The momentum quickly changed, as the Highlanders responded with a run of their own, surging ahead 20-16. The final minutes of the opening half saw the teams trading baskets, with the Aggies retaking the lead to close the half after a three-pointer by TY Johnson, a fourth-year communications major and guard.
The teams entered the break after trading possession for the last 20 minutes of the first half, the score being 26-24 in favor of UC Davis. Individually, Johnson played an impressive first half, accounting for over half of his team’s total points with 14 scored.
The second half began with UC Riverside immediately retaking the lead after a three-pointer by Highlander Kaleb Smith. This was the first of a series of three-pointers from Smith during the second half, as he went on to nail three more before the game concluded. Smith’s four-of-four shooting performance contributed to UC Riverside’s mark of 40% from beyond the arc throughout the night.
The following few minutes saw both teams continuing stride for stride with one another. With just under 12 minutes remaining, the Aggies tied the score at 40, after Connor Sevilla, a second-year undeclared major and guard, scored back-to-back three-pointers.
The remainder of the game followed a similar trend, with the lead never surpassing three points for either team. As four minutes remained, a mid-range jumper from Carl Daughtery Jr., a third-year human development major and guard, gave the Aggies a 56-55 lead. After that shot, both teams ran into a dry spell on offense, with the next three and a half minutes seeing both teams fail to score a single point.
This drought was broken after Johnson hit a mid-range jump shot with just 30 seconds remaining. This basket extended the lead for UC Davis to 58-55, giving the Aggies the upper hand with the game entering its final moments. On the following possession, Smith made two free throws to minimize the deficit back to one point.
With the game clock now at 16 seconds — below the shot clock timer of 30 seconds — the Aggies were faced with the opportunity to dribble the clock out and walk away with the win. In such situations, with a score as close as this, it is commonplace for the losing team to then intentionally foul to stop the clock and instead force their opponent to shoot free throws, before the ball then turns over.
However, instead of this predicted series of events unfolding, the Aggies turned the ball over just three seconds into their possession, giving the Highlanders 13 seconds to score and seal a comeback win. With four seconds remaining, UC Riverside player Nate Pickens hit a dagger three-pointer, giving the Highlanders a 60-58 lead, one which they would not forfeit.
In spite of the loss, the Aggies had several fantastic performances throughout the night. Johnson led the team in scoring, as has been the case throughout this season, with 20 points. Sevilla followed with a highly efficient 15 points, including an impressive three of five on three-pointers. Niko Rocak, a Master of Business Administration graduate student and forward, also finished with a near double-double, as his eight points were paired with 10 rebounds.
With the loss, the Aggies fell to 12-9 on the season. With just 10 games remaining, they will look to return to their winning momentum against the UC Irvine Anteaters on Feb. 1.
By (Theo Kayser) — sports@theaggie.org
