Bakersfield upsets Aggies for the second time this season in Big West men's basketball
Late UC Davis rally falls short as Roadrunners bury their free throws down the stretch
UC Davis' late-game rally fell just short as upstart Cal State Bakersfield used some clutch foul shooting in the final minute to steal a 71-66 Big West men's basketball win Thursday night before a crowd of 1,213 at the University Credit Union Center.
The disappointing loss drops the Aggies to 9-7 in league play and 15-12 overall and puts a serious dent in UCD's hopes of earning a top four seed in the conference tournament March 12-15 in Henderson, Nevada.
Bakersfield is just 6-10 in the Big West and 12-16 overall, but is 2-0 this season against the Aggies while enhancing its bid for a spot in the eight-team Big West tournament.
"In life you get what you deserve and we didn't play very well," said Aggie head coach Jim Les afterward.
"Credit to them, they played harder than we did. I told our guys they (Bakersfield) deserved to win and we deserved to lose. Our leadership did not pick us up tonight, and when you play half-hearted, this game is going to humble you."
The Aggies buried four 3-pointers - two by Connor Sevilla - to take a quick 14-7 lead, but the advantage was short-lived as Bakersfield banged home three treys itself to take an 18-17 lead and enjoyed a 30-29 advantage at intermission.