GAME NOTES: With each team coming off their first win of the regular season, the UC Davis Aggies and the Eastern Illinois Panthers will square off in a non-conference showdown at Lantz Arena Thursday.

UC Davis opened its season at home with a 57-42 victory over Holy Names, and will now swing out of town for a two-game road trip that starts in Charleston Thursday.

Eastern Illinois opened its season on a not-so high note, losing a 64-53 contest to Missouri State on Friday. But the Panthers bounced back three days later with a resounding 81-51 victory over Eureka College at home to even their record.

This contest between UC Davis and Eastern Illinois marks the first-ever time the programs will clash on the basketball court.

The Aggies took a few steps backward after they experienced a six-game improvement in the 2012-13 season. Last season, UC Davis finished last in the Big West Conference with a 9-22 overall record and a 4-12 mark in conference play. But there's some more hope this time around as the Aggies enter the 2014-15 season with four of its top five scorers returning for coach Jim Les' fourth season at the helm. Corey Hawkins was the team's leading scorer last season with an 18.0 ppg average, adding 4.5 rpg and 3.0 apg. He's a valuable leader and go-to scorer for the team, which also brings back Josh Ritchart (17.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg), who only played in nine games a season ago. Throw in Georgi Funtarov (8.7 ppg) and Bynton Lamar (7.9 ppg) and the Aggies have a solid core.

Ritchart gave fans a snapshot of what could come this season if he can remain healthy. Against Holy Names, the forward poured in a team-high 13 points with seven rebounds and two blocked shots - all team highs. Hawkins was the only other UC Davis player to register a double-digit scoring night, adding 12 points, six rebounds and six assists to the fray. The Aggies connected on 50 percent of their shot tries in the game, but only made it to the free-throw line twice all night, missing both attempts.

Coming back from a tough season-opening loss to Missouri State was crucial for Eastern Illinois when the team hosted Eureka College earlier this week, and the Panthers bounced back in a big way. EIU held a 47-30 advantage at halftime, and then added 13 more points to its lead in the second half. Without Sherman Blanford this season, the Panthers could struggle to find a consistent source of scoring, but Chris Olivier (13 points, seven rebounds) and Keenen Anderson (12 points, eight rebounds) both pitched in. The Panthers connected on 50 percent of their field goal attempts in the game, and made 9- of-22 from 3-point distance. They also scored 40 points in the paint and got 45 from their bench.

Olivier is the only EIU player through two games to average a scoring total in double figures, netting 14.5 ppg on 63.6 percent shooting. His 6.0 rpg mark is second only to Jake Verhagen's 8.0 mark after Verhagen played in one game. The forward is out for the next contest as well after suffering a sprained ankle. Cornell Johnston is averaging 7.5 ppg and has a team-best 10 assists through two starts. The Panthers will need to up their scoring average of 67.0 ppg if they want to remain competitive once the schedule gets a bit tougher.

Eastern Illinois has a lot to figure out after losing Blanford, who was a large part of EIU's success a season ago. UC Davis finished with a pretty dismal record in 2013-14, but assuming all the returning players are better off for having received playing experience, the Aggies on paper appear to be competitors. This will be an interesting road test for UC Davis against a sub- par offensive EIU team.