Sunday, December 7, 1997
By BRANDON FRINK
Enterprise staff writer
It was the kind of night Bob Hamilton would be proud of.
At his court, in the inaugural tournament named after him, the UC Davis men's basketball team put the last coat of paint on quite an impressive week.
After defeating Sacramento State on Tuesday and Cal State Dominguez Hills in their tournament opener Friday, the Aggies gutted out another strong win Saturday over an athletic Grand Canyon squad 73-67 before 1,421 at Hamilton Court.
The win gave UCD the first Hamilton Classic, named for the longtime coach who passed away in 1995. During the championship ceremony late Saturday night, he must have been smiling.
Asked if he thought coach Hamilton would've been happy with the win, current UCD coach Bob Williams smiled: ``You'd probably have to ask his wife.''
``I would assume anyone associated with Davis basketball would be proud of this win, this week,'' he continued. ``We played well the entire week.''
Facing the team that knocked them out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, UCD (6-1) controlled things most of the night.
The Aggies didn't blister any nets, but were opportunistic enough to keep the Antelopes (4-2) running uphill most of the night.
UCD built a lead that fluctuated between eight and 12 points in the second half, with Grand Canyon getting its closest with just over four minutes to go.
Prince Edmonds almost single-handedly got the Antelopes back in it when he hit two 3-pointers and a free throw on three consecutive possessions. The flurry cut UCD's lead to 56-52 with 4:41 remaining.
But as they did all night, the Aggies bounced back. Jason Cox, who led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds, found Justis Durkee wide open underneath for a basket on UCD's next possession.
Grand Canyon answered with a turnover.
Cox was fouled on UCD's next possession and nailed both free throws to make it 60-52 with 3:39 remaining.
The young Antelopes turned it over yet again.
Ross then sentenced Grand Canyon's fledgling comeback to its death, knifing down the lane for a three-point play with 2:48 left.
``We're young, playing on the road, and with a great crowd like UC Davis has, it rushed our minds and shook our stability,'' said Grand Canyon coach Leighton McCray, who has 10 new players on his roster. ``Last year, we were more athletic. We were playing man-to-man, switching all over, taking people out of what they want to do. Our guys are doing a good job, we're just not as quick or experienced.''
Nevertheless, the Antelopes are still plenty good. With both size and quickness, UCD had to be pleased with its 37-34 rebounding edge.
``We're playing pretty well,'' said guard Dante Ross, who along with Cox was named to the all-tournament team. ``But there's always room for improvement. Overall we look good, but we still have some fine tuning to do.''
The Aggies had four players in double figures. Behind Cox, J.C. Timmons had 14, Ross 12 and Vlasic 11.
Jerry Allen, also named to the all-tournament team, led the Antelopes with 16 points.
``I'm real happy with the week. I'm real happy with the way we played tonight,'' Williams said. ``We were able to hang with them on the boards, and we really didn't shoot well like we can. Once we start stroking the ball, then we'll have the chance to be really good.''
[ Home | News | Sports | Features | Weekend | Columns | Subscribe | Advertising ]