UC Riverside
UC Davis
Highlanders Erase 12-Point Deficit But Can’t Hold On As Aggies Win 65-58
1/8/2009 4:50:14 PM | Men's Basketball
(Davis, CA) – A one-point lead on the road. 3:44 left on the game clock. Your best player and best free throw shooter at the line.
UC Riverside men’s basketball coach Jim Wooldridge would probably take that scenario any day of the week let alone while trying to end a 19-game conference road losing streak. But on Thursday evening on the campus of UC Davis it wasn’t enough.
The Highlanders (9-5, 2-1) had just finished erasing a 12-point second half Aggies (6-9, 1-1) lead after struggling offensively for most of the night. An old-fashioned three-point play by Aaron Scott gave UCR its first lead of the second half and a UC Davis turnover and subsequent foul put Kyle Austin at the line. That’s Kyle Austin of the 17.8 points per game scoring average and 92.0 percent free throw percentage on the year.
Following a media timeout, Austin walked to the charity stripe and missed back-to-back free throws for the first time this season. UC Davis made layups on three of their next four possessions while the Highlanders turned the ball over once and missed two shots including a dunk by Austin over their subsequent three trips down the floor giving the Aggies a seven point lead and the ballgame.
Neither team could generate much on the offensive end of the floor in the early going as the Aggies led 23-19 at the half matching their biggest lead of the period. The 19 points by UCR was the second fewest scored by the Highlanders in a half this season and well below the 42 and 32 points they scored in the first a week ago against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara respectively. UCR was 7-30 from the field (23.3%) in the first while UC Davis connected on just eight of 26 shots (30.8%).
The Aggies finally started making their shots in the second half, going on a 13-5 run in the first 4:32 to open up their largest lead of 12 points. Mark Payne and Joe Harden each had four points during the run. UC Davis still led by 10, 42-32, with13:38 left in the game when the Highlanders finally started to connect.
A 9-0 UC Riverside run cut the Aggies advantage to one, 42-41, and the Highlanders had themselves a ball game. They tied the score on four occasions before finally taking the lead 56-55 setting up the final 3:44 of play.
Austin led all scorers with 17 points including 13 after the break, but it came on 8 of 21 shooting from the field. The rest of the Highlanders didn’t fare any better as UCR shot 35.8 percent from the field for the game. Aaron Scott added 11 points for UC Riverside and Jesse LeBou scored 10.
The Aggies, on the other hand, made 45.8 percent of their shots on the evening including 63.6 percent after the break. Payne paced four UC Davis players in double figures with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
NOTES
Javon Borum, who broke his nose during UC Riverside’s 71-69 win over UC Santa Barbara, played the game with a clear face mask for protection.
Kyle Austin scored in double figures for the seventh straight time to start his Highlanders career. Austin also led UCR in scoring for the seventh straight game.
The loss by the Highlanders extended their road conference losing streak to 20 games.
The game was a home-coming for the Highlanders Konner Veteto and Aaron Scott. Veteto hails from nearby Auburn, CA and Aaron Scott is originally from Oakland, CA.
Rudy Meo saw his first action as a member of the Highlanders after missing the first 13 games of the year with a left knee injury.
