Johnson, Rocak lead the way as Aggies survive over Long Beach State in Big West men's basketball
UC Davis dominates in overtime to take 73-65 road win
LONG BEACH ... Around UC Davis men's basketball, crunch time has become known as "TY Time."
TY as in TY Johnson, who earned his nickname once again Thursday night by exploding for 12 points in overtime to give the Aggies a critical 73-65 Big West Conference win over Long Beach State before a stunned crowd of 1,904 at the Walter Pyramid.
The win stops a two-game skid and moves the Aggies to 7-5 in conference and 13-10 overall. Long Beach slips to 3-9 and 7-17.
No team led by more than seven points in a tense battle that saw the score tied at 49, 51, 57 and 59 to force overtime.
Pablo Tamba gave UCD a quick lead in overtime with a layup followed by a 3-pointer from Johnson for a 64-59 advantage.
Long Beach rallied to cut the deficit to 64-63, but Johnson hit a 13-footer and another long-range bomb, then finished off The Beach with a basket and two free throws in the final 43 seconds.
"All credit goes to my coaches and teammates," said Johnson afterward.
"In moments like this, they believe in me and put the ball in my hands. I'll do anything I can to help my teammates win the game."
Johnson also had high praise for 6-9 teammate Niko Rocak, who dominated on defense, finishing with seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals to go with his six points on 3 of 4 shooting from the field.