Rocak, Johnson, DeBruhl show the way as Aggies take key Big West men's basketball win from UC Riverside
Rocak's 3-pointer is the difference as UC Davis wins its third straight
Niko Rocak hit a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 27 seconds remaining as UC Davis rallied for a dramatic 75-74 win over UC Riverside in Big West men's basketball action Thursday night before an enthusiastic crowd of 1,221 at the University Credit Union Center.
The crucial win, UCD's third in a row, moves the Aggies to 15-10 overall and 9-5 in league play, while UCR slips to 16-10 and 9-5.
The lead changed hands a whopping 17 times during the tense battle before the Highlanders used a late 10-0 run to take a 74-70 lead into the final 90 seconds.
In a game where no lead seemed secure, the Aggies responded with a jumper from TY Johnson to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 1:13 left.
Following a Riverside miss, UCD worked the ball into Johnson's hands again, but as he drove the lane into considerable traffic, Johnson spotted Rocak all alone from long range.
Rocak, known more for his defense than his offense, buried the shot for a 75-74 advantage, but UCR still had one final shot to reclaim the lead.
The Highlanders worked the clock down to 10 seconds before calling timeout to set up a short jumper by leading scorer Barrington Hargress, who shot an air ball from 12 feet that was rebounded by UCD's Leo DeBruhl as time ran out.