The UC Davis Aggies needed all the help they could get as they attempted to reverse a sluggish start to their 2008-09 men's basketball season.
Home usually is where good things begin, and the Aggies were aggressive and active at the defensive end Tuesday night on the way to a 72-41 victory over Dartmouth at the Pavilion.
UC Davis improved to 5-8 and ended a two-game losing streak in its final game of 2008. The 31-point margin was UC Davis' largest since a 42-point spanking of La Verne in the 2007-08 season opener.
More importantly, defending well against Dartmouth provided momentum for an Aggies crew that begins Big West Conference play Jan. 5 at Cal State Northridge.
Meanwhile, Dartmouth (2-9) lost its fourth consecutive game and third in four nights on this quick but painful Northern California trip.
"It's tough to win at the Division I level," UC Davis coach Gary Stewart said, "especially on the road and playing three games in four nights. You're challenged by travel along with everything else."
The Big Green (yes, that's Dartmouth's nickname) didn't do much to help its cause.
Alex Barnett was the lone Big Green player to record a field goal in the first half.
Barnett was 5 of 9 in the first half; his teammates missed all 16 of their attempts. Barnett then sat the final 10:18 of the second half.
In addition to its first-half offensive ineptitude, the Big Green committed 13 turnovers and missed 10 of 17 free-throw attempts as UC Davis took a 39-18 halftime lead.
Stewart acknowledged his team's sluggish reaction to the Christmas break showed on offense.
Senior guard Vince Oliver noted that the Aggies' hard-core, defensively oriented post-Christmas practices were the "the reason why I couldn't dunk that one," referring to a second-half breakaway layin.
Sophomore guard Mark Payne led all scorers with 17 points and added a game-high five steals. Oliver finished with 15 points, while Joe Harden, who leads the team in scoring, had 10 points and a game-high three assists.
Payne said the victory was a confidence builder.
"I know I feel confident about our team going into the conference play," he said.
Payne said he also enjoyed seeing teammates on the court who rarely play.
"I enjoy seeing them on the floor as much or more as I do playing," said Payne, who watched Nathan Clark and Michael Boone score their first points of the season.
Clark scored a career-high nine points, while Boone's two-handed dunk made even him laugh.
Call the Bee's Martin McNeal , (916) 326-5504.
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