NCAA Game Summary - UC Davis at UC Irvine

Irvine, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Will Davis II netted 14 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as the UC Irvine Anteaters manhandled the UC Davis Aggies, 74-46, in a Big West Conference season-finale clash at Bren Events Center.

Chris McNealy, Luke Nelson and Mike Best all scored 10 points for UC Irvine (22-10, 13-3 Big West), which locked up the No. 1 seed entering the conference tournament. Nelson added four assists to his stat line, and Best blocked a pair of shots in the win.

Georgi Funtarov and Corey Hawkins each tallied nine points to pace UC Davis (9-22, 4-12), which scored a season-low 46 points on the night. Hawkins pulled down five rebounds and made a team-high five free throws in the losing effort.

UC Irvine connected on 33.3 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half, but made 10-of-14 from the free-throw line, which helped the Anteaters take a 35-28 lead into the intermission. UC Davis hit 38.5 percent of its shots in the frame, including 3-of-10 from 3-point distance. The Aggies were outrebounded in the half, 26-11.

The Anteaters pulled away in the second frame by netting 63 percent of their shot attempts from the field and by playing stellar defense against a helpless Aggies offense. UC Davis connected on just 14.8 percent of its shots in the period, including a dismal 1-of-9 from deep. UC Irvine outscored UC Davis in the half, 39-18, to coast to the win.

The Anteaters dominated the glass by outrebounding UC Davis, 48-26, in the contest. UC Irvine also held a huge 42-16 advantage in points in the paint. The Anteaters ballooned their lead to as many as 29 points late in the second half.