After Patrick Rembert's driving bank shot gave UCI (10-12, 3-5) a 107-106 lead with 4.2 seconds left, Payne fielded a long pass and made a layup while being fouled with 2.1 seconds remaining.
Payne, who led the winners with 32 points, missed the foul shot and Chris McNealy's subsequent full-court heave missed as time expired.
Rembert had 19 points and McNealy had 13 for UCI, which had won two straight conference road games coming in.
Mike Wilder hit a three-pointer with 24 seconds left to pull UCI within 106-105.
The five Davis starters combined for 102 points.
Davis was 13 for 28 from three-point range, while UCI was four for 15. UCI was 21 of 35 from the foul line and UC Davis was 21 for 32.
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BASEBALL
Doubleheader
COSTA MESA — Vanguard scored in the bottom of the ninth to win the first game, 2-1, over Cal State San Marcos, but fell in the seven-inning second game, 7-2, in nonconference play Saturday.
Tony Peraza allowed four hits and no earned runs in 7 1/3 innings of the first game, in which Kyle Hardman had the lone run batted in for VU. Robert Purpura threw 1 1/3 inning of scoreless relief to earn the win.
In the second game, Tyson Leighton and Ethan Harper had RBIs for the Lions (2-2), who had nine combined hits in the two games.
San Marcos is 2-1.
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Vanguard 72, Fresno Pacific 53
COSTA MESA — Senior Molly Pfohl had 10 points and seven rebounds to lead the host Lions in the Golden State Athletic Conference game Saturday.
Chelsea Alfafara (19 points, including five-of-nine shooting from three-point range), Danielle Arriola (14 points), Allison Burns (10 points) and Sarah Boyd (10 assists) also helped the No. 12-ranked Lions improve to 12-6, 8-4 in conference.
FPU is 7-15, 0-12.
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TRACK AND FIELD
UW Indoor Invitational
SEATTLE, Wash. - UC Irvine senior Alisha Misiaita won the shot put at the UW Indoor Invitational in Seattle Saturday.
Misiaita won the 29-competitor event with an NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of 50-2 1/2 at Dempsey Indoor. Jean Lightfoot of UC Santa Barbara was second at 48-6.