UC Davis men, women lose Big West title games
HENDERSON, Nev. - The UC Davis men and women played in their Big West Tournament championship games on Saturday with a chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
The men's team lost 74-70 to Long Beach State while the women's team lost to UC Irvine 53-39.
UC Davis vs. Long Beach State
Lassina Traore had a career-high 25 points, Marcus Tsohonis scored 25 and hit two clutch free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining to help No. 4 seed Long Beach State beat second-seeded UC Davis 74-70 on Saturday night in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament, sending coach Dan Monson to the NCAA Tournament in his final season with the Beach.
It was an improbable run for the Beach after the school announced on Monday it would part ways with Monson after 17 seasons.
Ty Johnson paced the Aggies (20-13) with 30 points, six rebounds and four assists. Elijah Pepper hit four 3-pointers and scored 21, adding nine rebounds and three assists.
Johnson had 11 points and Pepper scored 10 to guide UC Davis to a 32-27 advantage at halftime. Tsohonis had 15 points at the break to keep Long Beach State close.
Lussina Traore scored 19 in the second half. His rebound basket pulled Long Beach State even at 54-all and George followed with a 3-pointer to give the Beach a 57-54 lead with 7:29 remaining. It was their first lead since 15-12.
UC Davis closed to within a point twice and trailed 72-70 on an Ade Adebayo layup with 4 seconds to go, but Tsohonis was clutch at the line to wrap up the win.
UC Davis vs. UC Irvine
Deja Lee scored 21 points, Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba added 13 points and nine rebounds, and UC Irvine defeated UC Davis 53-39 on Saturday to win the Big West Conference Tournament.
The Anteaters (23-8) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995, their only previous appearance.
Evanne Turner scored 18 points - nearly half of her team's total - for UC Davis (20-14).
The Anteaters dominated the third quarter, their 23-4 advantage extending a two-point halftime lead to 45-23 entering the fourth. Lee scored 12 points in the third on 4-for-4 shooting, including two 3-pointers.
Johnson Sidi Baba, who sank of 11 of 12 from the line, made 5 of 6 free throws in a 1-minute stretch in the fourth quarter, giving UC Irvine a 53-29 lead with 3:41 remaining. Turner scored the next eight points for UC Davis and the Aggies scored the last 10 points of the game.