A MESSAGE FROM COACH LES This is a season for being thankful and for recognizing the people who are most important in your life. Our basketball team is always trying to acknowledge those who are helping to make us better. Whether we are able to help them in return, we say thank you, or even just give them a high-five, it is important to give back and be a good teammate. We are thankful for you being a part of the Aggie family and cheering us on during this season. There is a reason that we haven t lost in the Pavilion for almost two years, and that is because of the great support you give us every time we step on the court to play! Think of people in your life who have supported you and cheered you on when you are trying to reach a goal. There is a family member, a teacher, or even just a friend who has helped you somehow and now is a great time to let them know that you appreciate their help and support. Sometime this year we will be sending you some tickets to see one of our games. I hope we can count on you to cheer us on! AGGIES BEAT WASHINGTON STATE UC Davis hadn t beaten a PAC-12 team since 2005, but that didn t mean the Aggies walked into the arena on Saturday without confidence. Washington State had not lost a game and was receiving votes in the national polls but none of that mattered once the game started. The Aggies scored on the first possession and never looked back. They finished the first half on a 12-2 run and then, to seal the deal, they scored the firs six points of the second half. While the Cougars made a late run to try and get back into the game, UC Davis held on for a resounding 81-67 win. It was a full-team effort with guys coming off the bench and playing big. Like Rogers Printup s three 3-pointers and Delveion Jackson s four assists to help their teammates add on to the lead. China Monk had his fifth double-double of the season and point guard TJ Shorts scored 20 points while finishing with five rebounds, five steals, and five assists as well. No matter who stepped the floor they contributed to a big win against a very tough opponent in their own gym. It feels great to enter this environment and earn a solid road win against a tough team. We knew that attention to detail was the key to defeat Washington State. We accomplished that, executed our game plan and won the game," Shorts II said.
THE SEASON SO FAR A lot has been going on in the first few weeks of the season. While the Aggies spent most of it on the road, they were still able to put together some special performances. Read about all of them below: Aggies start the season off right Trailing 35-32 at halftime of Monday's 2017-18 season opener at Northern Colorado, UC Davis dominated every part of the game in the final 20 minutes to secure a 74-59 victory. Joe Mooney set a new career high by scoring 14 points on a perfect shooting night. Junior transfer TJ Shorts also had himself a great night in his first ever regular season game as an Aggie. Shorts finished with 13 points, four assists, and three steals. This was a tough, tough win. The best part is that we earned this win with eight new guys. Everyone contributed to this result against a tough team. This was truly a team win, said Moneke. Siler Schneider Hits Go-Ahead Basket at Pacific With 34 seconds remaining and the score tied at 58, Siler Schneider hit a tough 18-foot jump shot to give the Aggies the l e a d. S c h n e i d e r s s h o t helped assistant coach Jonathan Metzger-Jones get a win over the place where he played collegiate basketball. This great effort by the Aggies gave them the win with a final score of 62-58 and it was the first victory at Pacific since the 1939-40 season,chima Moneke posted a great game with his first season double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds. Shorts Shines & Moneke gets Second Double-double in a Row in Tough Aggie Loss It started out as a good night for the UC Davis men s basketball team as they took a lead into halftime. But things turned for the worse when Utah Valley was able to close the game with a 13-2 run to start the second half. The Aggies were down by as many as 9 points with 13 minutes left in the game. But they refused to give up and played hard in order to Reading Program
pull it together as a team and tie the game at 58; the last shot in this run was a Joe Mooney jumper. However, Utah Valley responded late and pulled out the win. Scoring Runs, Lock-Down Defense Leads to 64-47 Win in Rivalry Game At Golden 1 The Aggies played extremely well in their rivalry game at Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA s Sacramento Kings. The Aggies led by 16 after the first half thanks to their tough defense and solid offensive effort. Sac State tried to get back into the game in the early part of the second half, but with a 15-point scoring run over a 5 minute span UC Davis was able to hold on for a convincing win. This is the Aggies third straight win against the Hornets as part of the Causeway Cup. A lot of Aggie players stepped up big to help the team but the crowd favorite was none other than AJ John. His hustle and energy throughout the game energized a crowd of 2,200. He ended the game with 12 points and four rebounds, but it was his extra hustle to dive on the floor and chase after rebounds that stood out. Ags End Road Swing with Thrilling Nailbiter at Washington This was the first-ever matchup between UC Davis a n d Washington was close tied scores, Aggies almost of his and it one from the tip to the buzzer. This game featured 8 10 lead changes, and a stunning ending that saw the pull off the upset. Chima Moneke his 11th 20-point game career by finishing with an efficient 23 point game high. Schneider continued his three point success by going 3-5 from long range. Senior Arell Hennings, who grew up in Seattle, competed in front of a group of family and friends that took up three rows of seats behind the Aggies bench. I told everyone in the locker room (after the game), we can play with anyone when we play like this, said head coach Jim Les. Coach Les was proven correct just a week later when the team beat Washington State. And there will be plenty more chances for the team to prove how good they are against top-level opponents throughout the season!
HAWKINS JOINS NEW TEAM Corey Hawkins, one of the most talented players in program history to compete for UC Davis basketball, will continue his professional career with Vef Riga, a team in the Latvian Basketball League based in Riga, Latvia. Vef Riga won five of the last seven LBL titles and enters the 2017-18 season as defending champions. While at UC Davis, Hawkins led the Aggies to their first Big West Conference championship and Division I postseason appearance when they faced Stanford in the 2015 National Invitation Tournament. The program also experienced the biggest turnaround, from one season to the next, by finishing with a +16 win differential once the 2014-15 season concluded. Hawkins joins his new team after averaging 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for Talent Giants Antwerp in Belgium s EuroMillions Basketball League. CHIMA S BIG WEEK RECOGNIZED Chima Moneke had himself quite the first week for the start of the season. In three road games, the senior averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds. This is Chima s second career Player of the Week recognition as he leads the league in points and rebounds. His highest scoring night came in the season opener vs. Northern Colorado as he dropped 28 points. The senior forward followed that with consecutive doubledoubles vs. Pacific and Utah Valley. His performances so far are an example of why Chima was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the nation s top Division I mid-major player. Moneke is the second Aggie ever to be named a finalist; Corey Hawkins was the first, entering the 2014-15 season. Moneke s ability to make great plays helped the Aggies success last season, which included winning the Big West Tournament Championship and the school s first-ever victory and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Moneke led the Big West in rebounding with 9.5 per game last season. And that was just one of the nine categories that the Canberra, Australia native led the conference.
Mike TJ Jonah Chima KNOW YOUR AGGIE We all enjoyed Thanksgiving and all the good food. But what do the players like best? Try to match the player with their favorite feast treat. *Find the answers on the back page 1) Cornbread 2) Yams and Turkey 3) Potatoes with Gravy 4) Stuffing 5) Candy Yams with Marshmallows Colin
UPCOMING GAMES ARE A GOOD TEST As the basketball season continues into the holidays, the Aggies look to play some tough contests at home and on the road. First, its time for a second look at the University of the Pacific, assistant coach Jones alma mater, on Wednesday, December 6. The Aggies won the first matchup earlier in the season on Siler Schneider s game winning jump shot, and they will look to repeat the result at home in the Pavilion. Then it s time for an NAIA matchup against William Jessup, a tough team from just outside of Sacramento, at the Pavilion on Saturday, December 9. After that game the team takes a short break in order to study for, and take, their final exams. The Aggies will then play four games on the road as part of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. It begins with a trip to the West Bay at the University of San Francisco, a West Coast Conference team that has all of their starters back from last year and who has been playing well this season. Then UC Davis will square off vs. the University of Nevada, Reno on December, 19. The Wolfpack is currently just outside of the national top 25 poll and will be a great test on the road. The Aggies will cleave Reno and travel down to Las Vegas, where they will finish the Classic by playing two games in the Orlean s Casino Arena. The first game there will be versus Lamar on Friday, December 22. And depending on how they do in that game, UC Davis will play someone else in the final game of the tournament the next day before all the players get to go home for the holidays. The Aggies will return to Davis and prepare for their last game in December on Saturday, December 30. They will face the Holy Names University Hawks in the Pavilion. If you can't make it to the Pavilion to watch, that's ok. Because you can watch all of the home games this month online on Big West TV.
Upcoming Games This Month DECEMBER 2017 12/2 @ Washington State Pullman, WA 12:00pm PT 12/6 vs Pacific The Pavilion 7:00PM PT 12/9 vs William Jessup The Pavilion 2:00PM PT 12/15 @ U San Francisco San Francisco, CA 7:00pm PT 12/19 @ U Nevada, Reno Reno, NV 7:00pm PT 12/22 % vs Lamar Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Classic 2:30PM PT 12/23 % vs TBD Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Classic TBA 12/30 vs Holy Names The Pavilion 2:00PM PT Know Your Aggie Answers 1) TJ 2) Chima 3) Colin 4) Jonah 5) Mike