Hornet defense does in Aggie men, 61-51

By Bob Dunning

SACRAMENTO – Defense still wins Division-I college basketball games as the UC Davis men found out in painful fashion in a 61-51 loss to Sacramento State on Wednesday night before 4,774 fans at the Golden 1 Center.

The loss drops the Aggies to 2-4 in the young campaign, while the defensive-minded Hornets moved to 3-0.

“Give credit to Sac State,” said Aggie head coach Jim Les. “I thought they played very well and very physical. They took it to us with their defensive pressure and we didn’t handle it well at times. They deserved to win.”

Sacramento State coach Brian Katz agreed with Les’ assessment.

“Right now we’re defending at an elite level,” Katz noted. “That’s why we’re 3-0. I’m very happy with our effort, and if we continue to play defense like that, we’re going to be a very good basketball team.”


“They made some of our young guys feel the pressure and even though I thought we had some good scoring opportunities, we didn’t take advantage,” Les added.

“You never feel it’s over until it’s over, but I was confident in the outcome, because every time they made a run, we responded,” said Katz. “We’re not flashy, but if we just stick to our core values and get up every morning with a chip on our shoulders, we’re goin to be OK.”


“Our contract here is up, but I hope we can sign another four-year deal to continue playing Davis here,” said Katz. “It’s a thrill for our players, just the whole atmosphere here. It’s a great thing for both teams.”

Added Les, “I can’t thank the Kings enough for opening up their home to us. We’re just grateful to have this chance. Playing here will be a lifetime memory for our kids. We had to throw some of our young guys to the wolves tonight, but we’ll learn and grow from this and get better.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/ucd-mens-hoops-falls-to-sac-state-at-golden-1-center/

Rival coaches turn on the charm at Causeway Classic luncheon

By Bob Dunning

SACRAMENTO — What used to be a heated college football rivalry transitioned into a love fest as the head coaches of UC Davis and Sacramento State heaped praise upon one another at the annual Causeway Classic luncheon Thursday afternoon at Joe’s Crab Shack in Old Sacramento.

“Troy Taylor is a great coach and the Hornets have had a great year, a tremendous year,” said Aggie head coach Dan Hawkins of Hornet top man Troy Taylor.

Noted Taylor in response, “I’ve known Dan Hawkins for a long time and have followed his coaching career closely. This may sound like a strange thing to say at this luncheon, but I’m rooting for him and his success and all he’s done for the game.”

Read more here: https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/rival-coaches-turn-on-the-charm-at-causeway-classic-luncheon/

The #14 seed Aggies (13-4-2) will host the Louisville Cardinals (9-7-2) Sunday at 1 pm at the Aggie Soccer Field. Louisville soundly beat South Florida 4-1 in the first round to advance to the second round vs the Aggies who had a first round bye.

St Mary's beat Fresno State 68-58 in the second game. I was really impressed with the Gaels. They're a talented, disciplined basketball team. Fresno is very athletic but St Mary's executes beautifully and plays rock solid defense. It's so much fun to watch a team like St Mary's that has great athletes and is so well coached.

61-51...Ags go down ugly...

29-23 Sac at the half. Our offense is nowhere to be found...shooting a frigid 25%...

No offensive punch at all from the Ags

Damion Squire is in street clothes

The out of bounds call on Carter was the worst call ever!

I fully expect Poly to turn it around and get back in the Big Sky hunt...too much history of success over the years to expect anything else...

I've been to all the Causeway games at the Golden 1 Center and, although playing before an empty arena in Jonesboro, Arkansas is certainly uninspiring and difficult, playing in the vast Golden 1 Center can present its own problems. The place is so big that it's difficult for most players to feel comfortable with their mid and long range shots. Hopefully, we'll get dialed in before Sac does. A lot of points in the paint would be a great way to get going too!

It's a fun game to attend in one of the best, if not the best, basketball arenas in the country. The Golden 1 staff keep the atmosphere lively by filling all the timeouts and breaks with great stuff to keep the fans engaged. I hope we can bring home a win!

I haven't heard anything and we probably won't given the confidentiality of any personal medical issues.

Jen has to find a way to shore up the defense especially defense in the paint. St Mary's scored 83 points on 60% overall shooting and allowing those kind of stats will not win you many games. By quarters the Gaels shot 73%, 43%, 58% and 64% respectively.

Thoughts:
Katie Hall is playing at an extremely high level. She's fearless taking the ball to the hoop, stays in control with her shot near the rim and has a nice shot from distance.
Konrad also willing to play physical. Hall is always a competitor but her shots are not dropping with any consistency.
Trpcic was excellent handling the ball with speed and diving for loose balls...love her energy.
Bessolo has a habit of committing silly fouls when she gets frustrated from missing a shot. She needs to show more senior leadership and poise by simply getting back on defense without fouling or hanging her head. She has the potential to be so good.
Let the bench players have some PT and see who really wants to play hard on every play with energy.

When was the last time the women were 0-4?

Ags tie it at 62 and then the Gaels go on an 8 point run.

Amen!

Katie Toole is bringing it every game and she's the main reason we're back in this game. 38-31 Gaels at the half. SMC is shooting 59% largely due to our lack of interior defense.

I thought Emma Gibb gave us a few good minutes. She's not afraid to be physical. I think Jen should use her entire bench and play the players who are willing to be aggressive and play with high energy.

It's the lack of aggressiveness that is alarming...

24-8 Gaels after the first. I thought the Aggie defense was bad in the 4th quarter of the Santa Clara game and this was worse. Nearly all the Gaels points are in the paint off layups and the Ags did not commit a single file which tells me they are not aggressively defending at all.