UC Davis 69, UC Irvine 68

Published Mar. 12, 2009 4:21 a.m. ET

foxsports

Mark Payne made two free throws with 8.2 seconds left to lift eighth-seeded UC Davis to a 69-68 win over No. 4 seed UC Irvine in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament Wednesday. Vince Oliver scored 20 points and Joe Harden had 14 points for the Aggies (13-18), who made their first appearance in an NCAA Division I tournament. Payne added eight rebounds and six assists. UC Irvine led 68-67 after Patrick Rembert's driving layup with 36 seconds to play. UC Davis regained the lead on Payne's free throws, and Michael Hunter's off-balance jumper missed as time expired. Hunter had 16 points and seven assists for the Anteaters (12-19). Kevin Bland added 15 points and seven rebounds.