Recovery Mode
UCSD and Cal State Fullerton each get off the deck and rally for victories. UCSB, missing its point guard and others, can't stop UC Davis. UCI cruises and CSUN escapes.
UC Davis 85, UC Santa Barbara 75: DAVIS — Marcus Wilson scored a career-high 24 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and handed out 6 assists to carry the Aggies (14-9, 7-5) past the depleted Gauchos (15-8, 8-4). UCSB, playing without Miro Little, Marvin McGhee IV and Koat Keat Tong, led 56-54 with 12:02 remaining. UC Davis rallied by making 8 of its final 11 shots from the field and all 12 free throw attempts, scoring 12 points off of Santa Barbara turnovers in the final 11 minutes. CJ Shaw scored 18 points for UCSB, which saw its 6-game winning streak end. NEXT UP: UC Davis hosts Cal Poly and UCSB hosts UC Irvine, both on Saturday.
UC Irvine 78, CSU Bakersfield 62: IRVINE — Freshman guard Tama Isaac recorded his second career double-double as the 1st-place Anteaters (16-7, 9-2) coasted past the last-place Roadrunners (8-16, 2-10). Isaac scored 14 points and recorded 13 assists, the most for UCI since Pierre Crockrell II tallied 16 three years ago. Kyle Evans added 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting, 7 rebounds and 4 more blocks, giving him a nation-leading 79 and the 8th highest total in Big West history. Ronald Jessamy and Dailin Smith scored 18 points apiece for Bakersfield, which has lost 7 in a row. NEXT UP: UC Irvine visits UC Santa Barbara and CSUB heads over to Cal State Fullerton.
CSUN 97, Cal Poly 96: SAN LUIS OBISPO — Joshua O’Garro made a reaching left-handed layup with 2.7 seconds left to lift the Matadors (14-10, 7-5) over the Mustangs (9-15, 5-7) in the highest scoring game of the conference season. Cal Poly, which trailed by as many as 16 points, took its only lead of the 2nd half via 2 Peter Bandelj free throws with 10 seconds left. CSUN’s Josiah Davis raced down court and dropped the ball back to a trailing O’Garro for the game-winning basket. Larry Hughes II led Northridge with 32 points while Hamad Mousa posted 33 for Cal Poly. NEXT UP: CSUN returns home to play UC Riverside and Cal Poly hits the road to UC Davis, both on Saturday.
UC San Diego 77, Long Beach State 74: LA JOLLA — The Tritons (16-8, 6-6) shrugged off an early 13-0 hole to edge past the Beach (8-16, 4-8). Bol Dengdit scored 18 points, chased down 12 rebounds and had a huge block with 16 seconds left to preserve the win and end UCSD’s 3-game losing streak. Jaden Vance added 17 points and Alex Chaikin registered 16 for the Tritons, who ended a 4-game home losing slide. Shaquil Bender scored 22 points for Long Beach State, which has lost 5 straight games. NEXT UP: UCSD flies out to Hawai’i on Saturday, while LBSU hosts Cal State Fullerton next Thursday.
Cal State Fullerton 78, UC Riverside 72: FULLERTON — The Titans (11-13, 6-6) recovered from a 15-0 deficit to defeat the Highlanders (8-16, 3-9). Joshua Ward scored 18 points, corralled 9 rebounds and had 3 steals for Fullerton, which held a 1-point halftime lead despite Riverside’s early spurt. Andrew Henderson scored 19 points and Marqui Worthy Jr. added 18 for UCR, which has lost 10 of its last 12 games. NEXT UP: CSUF hosts CSU Bakersfield and UCR travels to CSUN, both on Saturday.