Rocak’s late triple lifts UC Davis basketball in thriller against UC Riverside

UC Davis basketball secured a 75-74 win against UC Riverside in a thrilling matchup on Thursday night on the Aggies' home floor.

BY UC DAVIS ATHLETICS

Feb 14, 2025, 8:09 AM

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(UC Davis Athletics)

The following is courtesy of UC Davis Athletics

Score: UC Davis basketball 75, UC Riverside 74
Location: Davis, Calif.
Records: UC Davis 15-10 (9-5), UC Riverside 16-10 (9-5)

The short story: With 27 seconds left, Niko Rocak’s clutch three-pointer sealed UC Davis basketball’s thrilling Big West victory over UC Riverside. The win gives UC Davis three straight, and improves the Aggies record in Big West action to 9-5.

THE GAME WINNER 💥 https://t.co/WM09GIPW1Y pic.twitter.com/QLanUE0bxj

— UC Davis Men’s Basketball (@ucdavismbb) February 14, 2025

COURT SIDE

TY Johnson erupted for a game-high 23 points, while adding five rebounds and four assists
Johnson with the effort, now has recorded nine straight games with 20 or more points
Pablo Tamba joined Johnson in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds
Building off his double-double last week, Leo DeBruhl paced the Aggies again with his presence on both sides of the court with a near double-double this time: Nine points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and a steal
Niko Rocak delivered the dagger with his late three-pointer, finishing the night with nine points, seven rebounds, and a block
Nils Cooper notably got the last stop for the Aggies to seal the win, stopping Big West Player of the Year candidate Barrington Hargress as the time expired
Offensively, Cooper was effective throughout the game with his cutting, ripping down three dunks and finishing with nine points and five rebounds
Carl Daughtery Jr. provided a spark off the bench with his ability to generate free throw attempts, finishing with nine points
UC Davis held the Highlanders to 36% shooting from three-point range (9-25)
The Aggies dominated the boards, outrebounding UC Riverside 43-31, led by DeBruhl’s career-high 13 rebounds
There were a total of 17 lead changes in the contest

HOW IT HAPPENED

UC Riverside started strong, with Kaleb Smith hitting an early three-pointer to give the Highlanders a 3-0 lead
UC Riverside maintained its momentum with an early uncontested fast-break layup by Barrington Hargress to extend the lead to 8-3
After falling behind 10-6, UC Davis went on a 7-0 run with 15:38 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Tamba to take a 13-10 lead
UC Riverside continued to control the first half, eventually going on a 12-1 run to take a 39-29 lead at the 2:30 mark
However, UC Davis stormed back to close the half, rallying behind a 9-2 run capped off by a buzzer-beater from Daughtery Jr., making it a one-possession game with UC Riverside leading 43-40 heading into the break
The second half was a defensive battle until the final minutes, when UC Riverside’s Kaleb Smith got hot, hitting a pair of clutch three-pointers to tie the game at 70-70 with just over three minutes remaining
In the closing moments, the Highlanders extended their run to a 10-0 surge, giving UC Riverside a 74-70 lead with just 1:27 remaining
UC Davis responded with a jumper from Johnson to cut the Aggies’ deficit to two, then got a crucial stop on the opposite end to regain possession with 45 seconds left
On the ensuing play, with 27 seconds remaining, Rocak delivered the game-winning three-pointer, assisted by Johnson, to give UC Davis a 75-74 lead
UC Riverside had one final opportunity, but Hargress missed a jumper with Cooper in coverage, and UC Davis secured the rebound to seal the 75-74 victory

UP NEXT: UC Davis basketball will be back on the road Saturday, traveling to UC San Diego for their first matchup this season against the Tritons. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT in La Jolla.

More UC Davis basketball coverage from Sactown Sports

UC Davis basketball will enter a crucial portion of its regular season schedule in the coming days as it prepares to face UC Riverside and UC San Diego this week in Big West conference play.

Aggies head coach Jim Les joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Wednesday to discuss his team’s two-game winning streak, preview this week’s matchups, discuss his “one day at a time” approach for his players, and much more.