DAVIS, Ca--One of the longest running and lopsided streaks in NCAA history came to an end tonight on the Campus of the UC-Davis. In a series that dates back to 1940-41, the University of Pacific had never lost to the Aggies. But tonight, that changed as UC-Davis upset UOP 62-59.
The series now stands at 1-49. But that meant little to the home town crowd as it stormed the court and celebrated a victory 69 years in the making. Exhilarating and thrilling for the Aggies; disappointing for the Tigers as they fell into a first place tie with UC-Santa Barbara.
This matchup was a contrast in team make-up and style of play. Pacific plays Bob Thomason's system. The Pacific players work well as a team (they know the system works), but they seem to lack confidence in their own individual effort. It is almost like they do not want to make a "mistake" by missing a shot when they know each and every position is critical to the ball-control style of play. Davis does not seem to play as cohesively as a team, yet the players seem to have confidence in their own ability. Tonight, the individual confidence paid off.
Probably the happiest man on the court was Senior Forward Dominic Calegari of the Aggies. He has suffered through 7 of those 49 losses. He set some team goals for this season...one, to play in the NCAA tournament, and two, to beat Pacific.
Congratulation Dominic! Congratulations Aggies!
