Their record improved to 8-5 overall, with the team earning their first conference win
By COLINA HARVEY— sports@theaggie.org
Over winter break, the UC Davis men’s basketball team played five games and won three of those matchups. Their record improved slightly to 8-5 overall. In the remainder of their games they will face Big West opponents, hoping to make a statement in the conference.
Since last season, some of the team’s key players have graduated, including TY Johnson, Leo DeBruhl and Pablo Tamba. Johnson was a crucial scorer for the Aggies, averaging an impressive 21.1 points per game in his senior season. Tamba and DeBruhl were also among the top scorers last season.
However, the Aggies also have strong returning players such as Connor Sevilla, a third-year managerial economics major, and Niko Rocak, a Master of Business Administration graduate student.
Sevilla is one of the team’s strongest three-point shooters, shooting 44.9% from behind the three-point line this season so far. Rocak led the team last season in rebounding, and is continuing to do so this season.
In their previous season, the Aggies were middle-of-the-pack, finishing with a 15-17 overall record and a 9-11 conference record. They ultimately lost to California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) in the first round of the Big West Championship.
On Dec. 13, the Aggies played the University of Oregon, which proved to be a tough matchup for Davis. The Aggies suffered a blowout loss to the Ducks, with a final score of 62-104. The Aggies were heavily outscored in the first half, going into halftime trailing by 36 points. Although Aggie shooting improved dramatically in the second half, they had dug too deep of a hole to make a comeback. Carl Daughtery Jr., a fourth-year communication major, was the Aggies’ high scorer with 15 points.
On Dec. 17, the Aggies took yet another loss against Seattle University (SU). However, instead of a blowout, this loss was a heartbreaker. In the first half, the SU Redhawks built up a lead that reached its peak at 14 points. The Aggies fought back and managed to tie it up at the half. The second half stayed very tight, with neither team’s lead exceeding four points. With less than a minute to go, the Aggies trailed by two points. Rocak was fouled, though he only netted one of his two free throws, leaving the Aggies down by one. A basket by the Redhawks then increased their lead to three. Nonetheless, with eight seconds left, the Aggies got lucky and Sevilla was fouled on a three-point attempt. He made all three free throws, tying up the game.
Although the Aggies tried to defend against the Redhawks for the last eight seconds, Marcus Wilson, a second-year human development major, fouled an SU player. Seattle was able to make one of their free throws and win the game. Despite the loss, the Aggies played well, with four players in double digits. Isaiah Chappell, a second-year economics major, led the scoring with 20 points, his career-high. Sevilla had 15, and went 4-6 from the three-point line. Brayden Fagbemi, a third-year human development major, also put up 15 points.
On Dec. 21, the Aggies ended a three game losing streak with a 93-83 win over Idaho State. Davis maintained a steady lead in the first half, leading by 15. Although the Aggies maintained their lead for the whole second half, there were points where Idaho made strong attempts at a comeback.
The Aggies prevailed due to a number of factors, including holding possession of the ball better than Idaho — recording six turnovers compared to Idaho’s 11. Additionally, many players on the Aggie team contributed to the scoring in this game; Sevilla led the team with 18 points, while Chappell, Rocak and Nils Cooper, a third-year communications major, all had 13 each.
On Dec. 28, the Aggies rounded out non-conference play with a blowout win over Pacific Union College (PUC). The PUC Pioneers struggled with shooting, committing lots of turnovers and allowing the Aggies to beat them 108-52. Cooper put up 19 points for the Aggies, and Jalen Stokes, a first-year undeclared major, put up 17, his career-high.
On New Year’s Day, the Aggies took on Cal State University, Northridge (CSUN) in their second conference matchup. The Aggies were seeking their first conference victory after losing to University of Hawai’i on Dec. 4. In the beginning of the game, the two teams traded leads, with the Aggies leading by five points at the half. They kept that lead and did not allow CSUN to lead in the second half. The Aggies shot better than CSUN on all fronts, securing a win for UC Davis at 80-89.
For the rest of the season, the Aggies will be playing Big West matchups, in hopes of making it to the Big West Championship and beyond.
Written by: Colina Harvey— sports@theaggie.org
