Sunday, Jan. 18, 1998
By SCOTT M. JOHNSON
Enterprise staff writer
TURLOCK -- That UC Davis bench, the deepest in the Northern California Athletic Conference, keeps getting deeper.
Jonathan Surface, who found out Thursday that he had moved into the Aggies' starting lineup because of an injury to leading scorer Jason Cox, continued to light it up from the outside in leading the UCD men's basketball team to a 82-60 win over Stanislaus State on Saturday.
Surface, who led the Aggies with 16 points in Friday's win, hit 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range on the way to a team-high 19 points.
``It was just knowing that I have to step up to take over a big role,'' Surface said. ``The whole team feels like they have to step up to fill a big role.''
Cox, who has a stress fracture in his right foot, will be out at least two weeks.
But Surface's move to the starting lineup did not necisarily take away from the bench. Little-used junior college transfer John Surina was a key contributor for the Aggies with his defense and hustle while playing against a bigger, stronger and more athletic Stanislaus team that was coming off an upset of Chico State.
While no one would ever confuse Surface and Cox -- Surface is a 6-foot-9 silky-smooth outside shooter and Cox is a 6-6 athletic leaper -- both centers have carried the Aggies at times.
Surface hit his first three 3-point attempts of the game to help the Aggies pull out to a 26-14 lead on Saturday. By halftime, he had 13 points.
But the Warriors, behind a 10-5 spurt near the end of the half, stayed within striking distance, trailing 39-31 at halftime.
UCD quickly put Stanislaus away early in the second half, going on a 14-point run in the first five minutes on 6-of-6 shooting. Stanislaus, meanwhile, missed its first six shots of the second half as the Aggies built up leads of 53-31 and 68-40.
``We adjusted nothing,'' UCD coach Bob Williams said. ``If you saw the look on their faces -- even on our guys' faces the last five minutes of the first half, it was hot in that gym and they were tiring. To be honest with you, I think they were worn down. We were a little fresher; our legs were a little more alive.''
Added point guard Dante Ross, ``We try to pride ourselves on being an in-shape team. They aren't very deep, so they're going to get tired.''
Stanislaus coach John Jones, whose team fell to 6-13, 1-3 in the NCAC, said UCD's defense had more to do with the collapse than anything.
``I think Davis is definitely 20 points better than us,'' Jones said. ``They're a better basketball team. Their defense played well, and they took us out of anything we wanted to do. We were lucky to be within eight points at halftime.''
While Surface manned the outside, Ross (14 points, 10 assists) and Justis Durkee controlled the paint. All five of Ross' field goals came on drives to the basket, including eight points during a furious first half that saw both teams push the ball upcourt.
Durkee, meanwhile, kept NCAC leading scorer and rebounder Malik Harris in check for most of the game. Harris equaled his average with a relatively quiet 20 points, but only had five rebounds.
``We knew he was a quick, strong athlete, and we tried to focus on picking him up early so he couldn't get out and running,'' said Durkee, who had eight points and five rebounds.
Chris Vlasic (14 points) and J.C. Timmons (10) were also in double figures for UCD. Surina had eight points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
The win leaves UCD (14-2, 4-0) as one of only two unbeaten teams in the NCAC. Sonoma State defeated San Francisco State 86-70 on Saturday to keep pace with the Aggies.
``It was a big game for us,'' Surface said. ``The last few games, they've handled us. We knew coming into their house that it was going to be a good game.''
Williams was pleased with the way Surface filled in.
``He played really well,'' Williams said. ``He shot the ball. He gave us great support.
``As you hope all players will do, he stepped up to the challenge.''
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