Duro Bjegovic had 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, but it was not enough to defeat the Aggies
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- UC Davis’ Ryan Sypkens scored a game-high 16 points and the Aggies used an 11-5 run over the final 3:55 of the contest to defeat Sacramento State, 61-54, in a non-conference men’s basketball game Tuesday evening at The Nest.
The Aggies raced out to a 12-3 advantage during the game’s first six minutes and wound up leading for nearly the entire game. A pair of free throws from Jackson Carbajal late in the first half gave Sacramento State a 26-25 halftime lead, but that was the only advantage the Hornets would enjoy all night. In fact, the Aggies began the second half on a 7-0 run and led the rest of the way.
After the run, UCD led by at least three points for nearly 14 minutes before a pair of free throws from Antoine Proctor cut the deficit to 50-49 with 3:55 remaining. However, UC Davis immediately responded with an 11-1 run to put the game away. The run began with Sypkens knocking down his career-high tying fourth three-pointer of the night and four different Aggies would eventually score points during the spurt.
By the time the run had ended, the Aggies took their largest lead of the night (61-50) with 1:32 remaining and the game was all but finished. Not helping matters was Sacramento State going over four minutes late in the second half without scoring a field goal until a putback from Zach Nelson ended the drought with 23 seconds remaining.
With the victory, UC Davis (2-4) picked up its first road win of the season, and snapped a two-game losing streak against Sacramento State. The Hornets dropped to 1-3 overall, and 1-2 on their home floor. Tonight marked the 106th meeting between the two teams in a series which dates back to 1948, and Sacramento State still owns a 63-43 all-time record.
Sacramento State posted season lows in points (54), assists (8), field goals made (18) and field goal percentage (.327). Conversely, UC Davis shot 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field, easily the highest percentage posted by a Sacramento State opponent this season. The Hornets did hold a 40-32 advantage in rebounds, and a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points, but it was not nearly enough against a UC Davis team that limited Sacramento State to zero fastbreak points (compared to 10 for the Aggies).
“UC Davis was sharp tonight and we were very undisciplined on defense,” Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz said. “Right now, we look like a team that is playing with seven new guys and we have to get better. We took two many chances on defense, and offensively, we did not move the ball well.”
Sypkens finished 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-6 from the beyond the arc, and his 16 points were three better than any other player on the floor. He was joined in double figures by Joe Harden (13 points, six rebounds) and Eddie Miller (12 points, eight rebounds). Point guard Mark Payne added five points, five assists and six rebounds, and Todd Lowenthal chipped in six points and five boards.
All three Sacramento State players that scored in double figures dropped in 10 points, comprised of senior Duro Bjegovic (10 points, game-high 11 rebounds), sophomore John Dickson (10 points, four rebounds) and junior Antoine Proctor (10 points, three rebounds). The double-double for Bjegovic was the second of his career, and the 11 rebounds were one shy of his career high.
Freshman Jackson Carbajal added seven points, five rebounds and a game-high three steals. Senior Sultan Toles-Bey, who entered the game as the Hornets leading scorer at 18.0 points per game, was limited to just four points on 1-of-12 shooting from the floor.
Sacramento State returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 27, when the team hosts Cal Poly at 7:05 p.m. The game against the Mustangs will end a stretch that will see the Hornets play four of their first five games at home.
