41-23 Irvine at the half. Unfortunately, we've seen the Ags come out totally of sync and ice cold several times this season. They picked a horrible time to do it again today. 28% shooting, 3 of 8 from the line and poor defensive intensity...I wouldn't want to be in their locker room with Coach Les right now....

Great job by the Aggies...63-58...to bring home the title. This was a tough battle that was close all the way but the Aggies play with so much poise and just make plays when they have to.

Awesome season by the Lady Ags!

My provider doesn't carry it...BUMMER!!!

Aggies take a 4 point lead into the half 29-25.

15-14 CSUN at the end of the 1st.

Morgan Bertsch has to sit early in the first with 2 quick fouls.

Great post, fugawe09. (Y)

It sounds like this one was a real dog fight. Riverside is tough and going on the road and playing in a practically empty gym (attendance: 179) made this game particularly difficult for the Aggies.

Pele Gianotti got a steal with 2.9 seconds left and the Ags called timeout. Kourtney Eaton lobbed the inbounds pass to Morgan Bertsch who scored with 1.1 seconds left and the Ags secured their 22nd win of the season.

Now the Ags head to CSUN on Saturday with a chance to win the BW Conference Championship and head into the BW tournament as the #1 seed and double bye.

Go Ags!

I think you really summed it up, DrMike. This team embodies everything we want to see from Aggie athletes. They play hard all the time, never quit or hang their heads for long and they are so selfless; they play as a TEAM and for each other 100% of the time. If there is one thing that defines the character of this team more than anything else it's HEART. It's been a pure pleasure following this team this year and watching them grow and get better and better.

I was a bit disappointed with the only 2023 in attendance last night but, the fans who were there, showed their love for this team. It was special to see our 5 seniors honored before the game with their families and to listen to each of them address the crowd immediately after the game. They thanked the fans, their families, teammates and coaches and you could see just how much their 4 years of Aggie basketball had meant to them.

I don't know how many people may have noticed this but, immediately after the final buzzer, JT dropped down and kissed the Mustang logo at center court. What a resilient and courageous young man he has been for us these last 6 years. He's been through a lot and persevered out of his love and commitment to Aggie basketball.

Darius said that he "gave his heart and soul to this program over the last 4 years" and he believed "that the program is heading in the right direction." I wholeheartedly agree. With 2 undefeated home seasons in the last 3 years and the possibility of another conference championship if we can win at Irvine on Saturday, Coach Les and his staff have done a great job.

Beating Irvine in the Bren Center on Saturday night will not be easy by any means but I believe that this team is on a mission. No one expected them to be in this position when the season started except perhaps the players themselves and, one thing for sure, they'll leave it all on the court once the ball goes up for the tip. It's who they are.

Go Ags!

(Y) (Y) (Y) Here's hoping you have a reason to make it to the Honda Center next week, DrMike!

(Y) (Y) (Y)

(Y) I think tonight is going to be special for the Ags and the fans!

You're right about the #1 seeding, OBUA. We do, however, need to win tonight to have a chance to win the conference title outright on Saturday against Irvine. The Anteaters beat UC Riverside last night 68-56 at Riverside so their conference record is 11-4 and they currently have a 1/2 game lead on the Ags who are 10-4. A win by the Ags tonight would set up Saturday's game for all the marbles for the Aggies: the conference championship and the #1 seed in the BW tournament.

This should be a really good ball game. Hawaii is a pretty good basketball team and they'd like to give the Ags some payback for the game the Ags won on the island. The Aggies, on the other hand, want to close out their home schedule unbeaten and send their 5 seniors out with a win in their last home game as an Aggie. If the Ags beat Hawaii they will play Irvine for the league championship on Saturday in Irvine.

Be sure to arrive early for the ceremony honoring our 5 senior Aggies.

Go Ags!

Thanks 6th! I thought maybe the The Donald had flagged it as fake news! :-}

Gotta agree with DrMike, these ESPN games are a lot of fun and this one was right up there with the previous ones. Neither team could find a consistent rhythm on offense but I think the defenses were largely responsible for that. The Ags were not hitting their 3's though after torching the nets against CSUN just a couple day before.

I was impressed with the defenses of both teams. They made the offenses work hard to get a decent shot and a lot of the shots were difficult, contested shots. LB has small quick guards and they explode of the dribble making it really hard to stay in front of them.

Siler did have a tough game with few TO's but I wouldn't say he was "lazy" with the ball. Siler plays hard all the time and, like you said, he's fearless and it gets him in trouble at times. He'll lower his head and shoulders at times and drive the ball into trouble and, against the speed and quickness of the 49er guards, that didn't work. LB is a has caused problems for a lot of team with their press this year. They're good at it and Siler made the mistake of driving the ball into a trap on the baseline and they forced the TO.

I think Siler should be in the running for the Big West 6th Man of the Year. He has been coming off the bench and providing a big spark with his offense lately. He's got a few things to clean up but he gives you a 100% all the time and he's going to continue to grow and get better.

Brynton Lemar has been named the Big West Player of the Week for the third time this year which is the most in the league this year. Lamar has been playing the best basketball of his career lately.

Congrats Brynton!

http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022717aaa.html

It was a great atmosphere in the Pavilion but the official attendance of 5873 looked a bit inflated to me. The upper levels had more empty space than I seem to remember there was by comparison to the great ESPN game with Irvine during the 2014-15 season. Regardless though, the energy in the Pavilion was great and the noise level during critical moments late in the game was deafening.

This was just a great, hard fought basketball game between two very evenly talented teams. It was like a title fight with both teams going toe-to-toe in a very physical contest in which neither team could quite deliver a knock out blow. Chima and JT didn't give an inch under the basket and consistently adsorbed the hits to make tough shots and fight for rebounds. And, along with Lawrence White, they made some spectacular blocks and thunderous dunks.

Moneke had a monster game with 18 points and 17 boards. Incredible considering how physical Long Beach is in the paint! It was one of the best performances by an Aggie big man that I have ever seen. In my opinion, Chima is the best big man ever to don an Aggie uniform. Mike Lien was very good too but he did not face the kind of athletic competition that Moneke is playing against and, in my view, Chima is more athletically gifted. I'm so glad we'll have him back next year.

What can you say about Brynton Lemar lately that hasn't already been said? He has just been outstanding in every phase of the game lately. His confidence is at an all time high; you can see that he wants the ball and relishes the opportunity to make a big play at crunch time. He's playing brilliant basketball right now.

And, then there's Darius Graham, the energizer bunny and the motor that drives the Aggies. It was wonderful to see him step up and make those big shots in the final moments of regulation. When his long 3 ball went in with time running out on the shot clock, it blew the roof off the Pavilion. It's so great to see Darius, with his huge smile and his bottomless energy, have those special career moments in front of an adoring crowd.

You've got to give credit to Coach Les and his staff too. They've got the Aggies competing for the Big West title for the second time in three years and competing with the teams who have been the perennial powerhouses in the league for a long time. Les has said that this team is not necessarily the most talented bunch overall in the league, but he gets the most out of the talent he has. He does a excellent job of crafting his team around the natural abilities of the players he has rather than trying for force players to do things that are not within their best physical capabilities.

Les also sees the bigger picture of molding a team together in which the individual players know their roles and assignments and then insists that they strive for excellence in execution. You can see that with this Aggie team. They work hard on defense and are selfless on offense. The are resilient and don't hang their heads for long when they do make errors or the shots aren't dropping. This team has no quit in them and that is a credit to the coaching staff.

I hope a lot of the fans in attendance for the ESPN game will return next Thursday for the game with Hawai'i. Hawai'i is playing tough basketball right now and this should be yet another tight Big West battle. It will also be the last home game for 5 Aggie seniors: JT Adenrele, Brynton Lemar, Darius Graham, Lawrence White and Georgi Funtarov. Plan to arrive early to see the pre-game ceremony to honor these 4 great Aggies and give them a well deserved show of appreciation.

Go Ags!

I'm just a month late to the party!

The men's tennis victory today wins the Causeway Cup for the Aggies.