UC Davis pulls off upset of Grand Canyon
Cal Poly goes toe to toe with Arizona State, while UCSB never leads in a disappointing home loss. UCSD begins its MTE in Daytona Beach this morning.
I was thinking the Big West would go 1-3 on the night. It just didn’t happen the way I thought it would. UC Davis and Cal Poly were both playing in the metro Phoenix area at the same time, giving the home teams fits. The Aggies held on for a win before a raucous Grand Canyon crowd, while the Mustangs ultimately came up a respectable four points short vs. an Arizona State team that had lost in single digits at Gonzaga. Speaking of the Zags, they lapped the Beach. The only home-standing Big West team of the night did not answer the bell. UC Santa Barbara was not ready for the speed and physicality of UTEP. The Gauchos were down 15 early before adjusting to the game’s tempo but were never able to catch the Miners. UC San Diego is in Daytona Beach for the Boardwalk Battle as the Tritons return to Ocean Center, the site of their first Division I postseason tournament.
UC Davis 75, Grand Canyon 68
PHOENIX — TY Johnson scored 21 points and had four steals to help the Aggies (3-2) end Grand Canyon’s 18-game home winning streak before 7,002 fans. UC Davis ended the 1st half on a 20-10 run to take a 46-35 lead into the locker room. UCD held the ‘Lopes (2-2) to 37.3% shooting from the field, including 16% from the 3-point line. Leo DeBruhl added 16 points and two steals, while Pablo Tamba contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks and Niko Rocak pulled down 13 rebounds. UCD forced 18 turnovers, leading to 22 points. UC Davis finishes off the MTE with a home game vs. Norfolk State next Monday.
Arizona State 93, Cal Poly 89
TEMPE, Ariz. — Graduate guard Jarred Hyder sank a career high seven 3-pointers to finish with a career high 27 points as the Mustangs (3-3) came up short. Senior guard Isaac Jessup finished with 17 points on 4 three-pointers while sophomore guard Kieran Elliott added 14 on a 6-for-7 shooting night. Cal Poly trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half but was able to cut the deficit to one point three times in the final six minutes. Poly shot 51.6% from the floor, connected on 13 three-pointers and turned the ball over just 12 times. CP moves on to Saturday’s road game at Saint Mary’s.
UTEP 79, UC Santa Barbara 76
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Kenny Pohto recorded his second straight double double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but the Gauchos (4-1) never led in their first loss of the season. UCSB fell behind 12-2 and trailed by as many as 15 points in the 1st half before cutting the deficit to 5 by the halftime buzzer. The Gauchos dropped back 12 points again in the 2nd half before rallying late, with the final margin the closest the game ever was. Head coach Joe Pasternack said, "as I told our team just now, this was totally on me. I thought we didn't have great practices the last two days to prepare us for a game like this, and we got what we deserved.” The Gauchos host Eastern Washington next Tuesday.
Gonzaga 84, Long Beach State 41
SPOKANE, Wash. — The Beach (1-4) fell behind #3 Gonzaga 23-4 in the first ten minutes and never recovered, shooting just 31.5% from the field and 10% (2 for 20) from long range. Devin Askew led Long Beach with 12 points but needed 18 shots to get there. Derrick Michael Xzavierro grabbed 11 rebounds for the Beach. LBSU returns to the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, hosting Fresno State.
Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024
10:00 AM PST: La Salle vs. UC San Diego
UC San Diego is now fully eligible for the Big West Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, but the Tritons did experience postseason play last year in the College Basketball Invitational. UCSD was seeded 2nd in the CBI but lost its 1st round matchup with Chicago State 77-75. That game took place at Daytona Beach’s Ocean Center. The Tritons return to the same venue to participate in the Boardwalk Battle, an 8-team, bracketed multi-team event (MTE). UCSD’s first round opponent is La Salle (4-0), looking for its first 5-0 start in 18 years. The Explorers are ranked 120 by KenPom and my own DC2 ranking system has La Salle at 24. The Explorers are powered by transfers Demetrius Lilley (Penn State), Corey McKeithan (Rider) and Jahlil White (Temple). James Madison, UIC, East Carolina, Jacksonville State, Toledo and Stetson are also involved in the Boardwalk Battle.
Stepping away from men’s basketball for a moment, two Big West schools are participating in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament. Big West Tournament champion UC Davis travels to West Coast Conference champion San Diego and UC Santa Barbara heads down to UCLA in first round matchups. Both matches start at 7:00 pm PST.