Aggies Suffer Heartbreaking Home Defeat Against Long Beach State in Big West Showdown

Score:  UC Davis 73, Long Beach State 84
Location: Davis, California.
Records:  UC Davis 9-8 (3-3), Long Beach State 7-10 (3-2)
 
The brief account: TY Johnson recorded a team-high of 31 points, entering UC Davis’ top 10 career scoring list; however, the Aggies faced defensive challenges as Long Beach State took advantage in the second half, outscoring UC Davis 52-42, and resulting in UC Davis’ first home defeat in Big West competition.
 
COURT SIDE

• The Aggies featured three double-digit scorers, highlighted by Johnson’s remarkable performance of 31 points, alongside six rebounds, four assists, and three steals
• Leo DeBruhl and Connor Sevilla each contributed 12 points
• Much of Johnson’s scoring came from the free-throw line, where he converted 18 of 20 attempts, establishing a new program record and surpassing the previous record of 17 held by Fowzi Abdelsamad
• Despite the defeat, UC Davis made a significant effort on the offensive boards with 17 offensive rebounds, translating to 11 second-chance points
• UC Davis also secured a rebounding edge, outrebounding Long Beach State by 33-25
• Niko Rocak gathered a game-high nine rebounds and achieved his third consecutive multi-block game
• Johnson’s performance of 31 points places him in UC Davis’ top 10 career scoring list, where he currently ranks 10th all-time with 1,376 points

 
HOW IT UNFOLDED

• Sevilla commenced the game similarly to how he concluded the previous one, sinking a three-pointer at the 16:40 mark to initiate the scoring for the Aggies
• Taking advantage of this momentum, UC Davis surged to a 19-14 lead, capped by a three-pointer from DeBruhl to finish their early run
• As the first half ended, Johnson scored another basket at the buzzer, but Long Beach State rallied in the latter half of the period to take a 32-31 lead into halftime
• Pablo Tamba put UC Davis ahead to start the second half, yet Long Beach State struck back with consecutive threes, foreshadowing a strong shooting performance as The Beach hit seven threes after the interval
• The Beach further widened their lead to double digits, achieving a score of 52-42 at the 11:37 mark
• UC Davis mounted a response with a 7-0 run to bring the margin to 52-49, but Long Beach State persevered and capitalized on their hot shooting in the second half to outscore the Aggies and confirm an 11-point victory
• Long Beach State demonstrated an impressive shooting performance from three-point range at 64.7% and an 89.3% success rate from the free-throw line, aiding in securing the win

 
UP NEXT: UC Davis will return to action on Thursday, setting off to Cal Poly on Jan. 16, followed by a visit to UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 18.
 
Read Full Article