UC Davis Outlasts CSUN, 63-56

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball took UC Davis to the limit for the second time in as many weeks, but the Aggies would hold on down the stretch for a 63-56 victory at The Matadome on Thursday evening. Reggie Theus Jr. led all scorers with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Tavrion Dawson collected his fourth double-double in five games, finishing with 10 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Terrell Gomez also collected his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 assists. CSUN trailed by a point with 3:27 left to play, however the Aggies would close on a 10-4 run to end the game.

"Holding teams under their average is a tribute to your defense," said head coach Reggie Theus. "We are in this game because of our defense. We take pride that we are in the top of the conference right now [in Big West play] with our defensive numbers. Offensively, when you look at the stat sheet everything is even except for the turnovers. Seventeen turnovers and we're down one with [three] minutes in the game. In the end, players make plays, and down the stretch, we didn't get to the rim and we didn't get good shots. The opportunities were there but there's nothing you could do when you turn the ball over."

The Matadors finished shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 80.0 percent (12-for-15) from the free throw line. In contrast, CSUN held UC Davis, the top shooting team in the league, to 40.7 percent shooting from the floor. The teams finished even in rebounding, 33-33, and both sides scored 30 points in the paint. In turnovers, the Aggies committed six for the night while the Matadors had 17.

The Aggies got off to the races quickly in the opening minutes of the game, taking a 9-2 lead at the 16:27 mark. The Matadors battled back to cut the deficit to 13-10 after back-to-back layups from Theus Jr. Moments later, Jalon Pipkins came off the bench and hit an off-balance shot despite a foul from Siler Schneider to bring CSUN within one.

It would be a defensive battle in the first half as the teams combined to score 51 points. After a jumper from AJ John, the scored remained 15-12 for nearly five minutes until Michael Onyebalu knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to six. UC Davis led by as many as eight in the half until the Matadors closed on an 8-2 run capped off by a driving layup from Pipkins.

Pipkins again brought CSUN within two (22-20) but the Matadors would hit a bump in the road in the final 3:38 of the half. The Aggies turned up their defense and forced the Matadors to commit five consecutive turnovers. UC Davis went on a 7-0 run to lead by nine before Micheal Warren ended the slide with two late free throws to cut the lead to 29-22 at the half.

The Matadors trailed 33-26 until Gomez ended the Matadors' drought from the field with a layup at the 16:13 mark of the second half. Theus Jr. carried the load offensively in the second half, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the period. In a key sequence, Theus scored seven-straight CSUN points, punctuated by a 3-pointer to bring CSUN within 45-39.

Joe Mooney gave the Aggies a 47-39 lead with 10:17 left to play but the Matadors would score six unanswered points to pull within two. Dawson scored consecutive hoops in the stretch including collecting an offensive rebound and put back at the 8:24 mark.

The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch as the Aggies built a 53-47 lead before CSUN roared back with five-straight points as Theus Jr. made a layup and Gomez knocked down a straight-away 3-pointer.

Gomez's trey brought the Matadors within 53-52 with 3:38 left to play, however the Matadors fouled near halfcourt resulting in two made free throws from TJ Shorts II. CSUN would commit two costly turnovers over its next three possessions, giving the Aggies an opportunity to capitalize. Hampered with foul trouble throughout the game, Chima Moneke scored back-to-back shots to push the lead to 59-52.

The Matadors would only make one field goal over the last 3:38 but that shot came with three seconds left to play from Theus Jr. The Aggies scored on six of their final seven possessions to hold off the Matadors.

Pipkins scored nine points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting, which is his best offensive output since scoring 10 points at Fresno State on Nov. 13. Gomez, who went 2-for-6 from the 3-point line, has hit at least one 3-pointer in 21 of 22 games this season.

For the Aggies, Schneider scored a team-high 15 points and collected eight rebounds.

CSUN will kick off a three-game road trip Saturday at UC Santa Barbara. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister will be on the call in an audio only broadcast on the CSUN Sports Network presented by Dignity Health.

UC Davis Outlasts CSUN, 63-56

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Team Stats

Reggie Theus Jr.

Terrell Gomez

Tavrion Dawson

Jalon Pipkins

Players Mentioned

Tavrion Dawson

Terrell Gomez

Jalon Pipkins

Reggie Theus Jr.

Micheal Warren