Men’s basketball holiday recap

TIFFANY CHOI / AGGIE

Athletics action from Nov. 29 to Jan. 2

Men’s Basketball (5-8)

UC Davis vs. Sacramento State (W, 66-61)

Sacramento State took an early lead two minutes in, and except for a tie late in the game the Aggies remained in front. UC Davis was able to close out the game with a win thanks to junior center Neal Monson’s three out of four free throws in the final 49 seconds of play.

UC Davis at Saint Mary’s (L,81-67)

Senior forward Josh Fox posted a career high of 19 points during the game at Saint Mary’s on Dec. 4. The Aggies went on a 9-3 run to get within five points of Saint Mary’s lead. However, the Gaels fired back with an 18-5 run, sinking six free throws in the final minute to secure their victory and remain undefeated this season.

UC Davis at San Diego (L, 61-55)

In a historic away game, UC Davis faced University of San Diego for the first time since 1978. These teams had never faced off in Division I programs before, and the Aggies ended up falling to the Toreros. Junior guard Lawrence White accomplished two of his season-high four steals in the final moments of the game, but his work could not pierce the Toreros’ defense.

UC Davis vs. Air Force (L, 67-60)

Junior guard Darius Graham led the Aggie offensive, netting 16 points, five assists and four steals while hosting Air Force on Dec. 19. Despite Graham’s valiant efforts, Air Force’s Hayden Graham and Trevor Lyons helped Air Force fly away with the victory, bringing in 20 and 14 points respectively.

UC Davis vs. Idaho (L, 68-51)

In their final game of 2015, the Aggies hosted the Idaho Vandals. True to their historic namesake, the Vandals got in an early lead over the Aggies of 18 points. Once destabilized, the Aggies were never able to come back and lost the game. This loss fell on the back of the Aggies’ season low of 51 points.

UC Davis at Seattle University (L, 80-75 OT)

While in Seattle, the Redhawks trailed the Aggies by two points with five minutes of regulation play. Manroop Clair hit three 3-pointers to put them up 68-65 with 46 seconds left on the clock, but the Aggies were not going to let this stop them. Six seconds after Clair’s 3-pointers, freshman guard Siler Schneider sunk his own 3-pointer to force overtime.

Fox led the Aggies with 18 points, and the Redhawks outscored the Aggies seven to 12 in overtime, taking the victory.

UC Davis at Boise State (L, 64-56)

An injury before the game against Boise State caused Fox to sit out, and early foul trouble for Monson put UC Davis in a tough place. However, Schneider’s career high 21 points and Monson’s contribution gave the Aggies a lead in the first half.

The Broncos woke up in the second half, going on a 10-0 run. This 48-46 deficit into 56-48 lead gave Boise the fuel they needed, and the Aggies never recovered.

UC Davis vs. Holy Names (W, 74-49)

The Aggies broke their losing streak in a big way while hosting Holy Names this past weekend. Both Monson and White had career highs of 20 and 14 points respectively, while Schneider posted 18. The Aggies were up by 23 at the end of the half, and held a minimum of 18 points as a buffer between them and the Hawks to secure their victory.

The UC Davis men’s basketball team will be traveling to UC Irvine for their next game on Jan. 7.

Written by Aaron Sellers – sports@theaggie.org