DAVIS, Calif. – Challenging NCAA Division UC Davis from the opening tip, Menlo Men's Basketball confidently stayed with the Aggies on both ends of the court in the opening half, but the home team would push back for the eventual 65-52 victory inside their own University Credit Union Center on Thursday evening.
Oaks Highlights
-Breaking out for his highest point total since becoming an Oak,
Quentin Thompson dropped a game-high 21 points in addition to grabbing seven rebounds
-A team-high nine rebounds plus two blocks came from
Salim Arikat
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James "JP" Porter III stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal
Menlo Defense Suffocates Aggies Through First 20 Minutes
The Oaks opened the contest on fire from distance, making four of their first seven shots from long range including two 3-pointers converted by junior guard
Daniel Huerta. A 9-7 Menlo lead gave way to solid production from junior guard
Quentin Thompson off the bench as the Oaks held five different leads while keeping the Aggies to under 30 percent shooting from the field and nine turnovers in the first half. Despite a late span in which Menlo's united defense held UC Davis scoreless for seven minutes, the Aggies carried a 26-24 advantage into halftime.
Tied early in the second half on a layup by junior forward
James "JP" Porter III, the game saw no more than a five-point difference between the two sides for the first 10 minutes. A Thompson triple retied things at 35-35 and a Porter III three-point play brought the Oaks to within two at 43-41, but a 9-0 UCD run soon after forced the double-digit lead that would eventually hold up for the 65-52 victory.
Up Next
The Oaks officially start their 2026-27 campaign on Nov. 13 with a matchup against Central Washington their first of two games as part of Western Oregon's GNAC/CCAA Challenge.
