The men’s team pulled off a close victory at home while the women’s team lost at an away game
By LUCIENNE BROOKER — sports@theaggie.org
The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa has consistently been a tough opponent for the UC Davis Aggies in both men’s and women’s basketball. The women’s team last faced them in the 2024 Big West Conference semifinals, when the Aggies earned a close 51-48 win over the Rainbow Wahine team.
Coincidentally, the men’s basketball team had a similar scenario — they defeated the Rainbow Warriors in the 2024 Big West Conference semifinals with a three-point margin. Although neither team ended up winning the 2024 tournaments, both semi-final defeats of Hawai’i basketball teams were high points in the season. This time around, the men’s team narrowly defeated the Rainbow Warriors at home at the University Credit Union Center, but the women were unable to complete the doubleheader win.
Men’s basketball won its match 68-66 — a nerve-wracking night for Aggie fans as they watched their team battle to maintain their winning streak. TY Johnson, a fourth-year communications major and guard, led the charge with 23 points, including the match-winning basket. Pablo Tamba, a fourth-year communications major and forward/wing, also had a big night, scoring a career-high 19 points.
Despite a flurry of offensive activity, UC Davis was strong on the other side of the court as well, limiting their turnovers and preventing the University of Hawai’i from finding greater success with three-point shots.
The teams traded points throughout the game, with neither side able to establish an unbeatable lead. Although the Aggies were able to claim a narrow lead with a few minutes left, Hawai’i was not ready to be counted out and mounted its comeback, taking a one-point lead in the final seconds. However, Johnson was able to make a two-point basket and convert a free throw in the last 10 seconds to propel the Aggies to victory.
An hour later and 2,400 miles away, the UC Davis women’s basketball team took on the Rainbow Wahine in Hawai’i’s home stadium. In contrast to the men’s match, which was a flurry of scoring right from the beginning, the game began slowly. Both teams were more focused on defense, resulting in the first quarter being the lowest-scoring of the four.
The Aggies were outscored in all four quarters — which proved to be a deficit they could not overcome — and they ultimately lost 46-56. Tova Sabel, a fourth-year psychology major and guard, and Ryann Bennett, a first-year undeclared major and guard, were the only two players to hit the double digits, with 11 and 10 points respectively. Although the match ended relatively unevenly, there were plenty of positives for the Aggies, including forcing 20 turnovers and maintaining a close score for most of the game.
Midway through the regular season, both teams sit in the middle of the conference rankings with the potential to move up or down the rankings equally. The closing stretch of matches will be key if both teams want to replicate, and then surpass, their conference championship performances from last year.
The women’s team will be at home for their next stretch of games, allowing them to recover from their long trip to Hawai’i. Meanwhile, the men’s team will head out on the road for four consecutive games in Southern California. Both teams return to action on Jan. 30 against UC Riverside, and fans can catch the excitement on ESPN+.
By Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org
