Feb. 23, 2008

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Jessica Campbell scored 16 points in the second half, including six in overtime, as UC Davis snapped first-place UC Santa Barbara's 14-game winning streak with a 59-56 Big West Conference women's basketball upset on Saturday afternoon at The Thunderdome.

The win was the Aggies' seventh straight overall and sixth in a row on the road, improving their overall record to a 17-9 and their league mark to 11-3. Guard Kirsten Commin had 11 points and five steals while guard Anna Harp had 10 points. The win kept UC Davis solidly in third place behind the leader Gauchos and second-place UC Riverside.

Lauren Pedersen made five three-pointers after halftime and finished with 19 points to lead UCSB. The Gauchos, who hadn't lost since Dec. 28 and entered the game 3-0 in overtime, fell to 18-7 overall and 12-1 in the Big West. Ashlee Brown added 11 points and 16 rebounds off the bench for UCSB.

UCSB beat UC Davis 62-53 in overtime earlier this season at The Pavilion. Saturday's game brought much of the same drama with overtime occurring after the Aggies turned the ball over with 11 seconds left and the score tied, and the Gauchos game-winning shot attempt off the mark with three ticks remaining.

Each team twice held the lead in overtime before Brown's free throw tied it 54-54 with 1 minute, 31 seconds to go. From there, Campbell delivered a big shot late in the game for the second straight contest, hitting a key jumper with 54 seconds left to make it 56-54. Haylee Donaghe's free throw after a turnover and Lauren Pedersen's two charity shots with 15 seconds to go kept UC Davis in front 58-56.

Campbell, who shoots nearly 90 percent from the line, then gave the Aggies a 59-56 advantage after she was fouled and made both free throws with just seven seconds remaining. Pedersen took a long three at the buzzer to try and tie the game but missed for just the third time from long distance.

"It's probably always easy to say this after the fact but, to be honest, win or lose tonight that was just a fun basketball game to be a part of," said Aggie coach Sandy Simpson. "That's as good a defensive battle, in terms of both (teams), as I've witnessed for a while."

Defensive pressure by both teams contributed to a low-scoring first half. The Aggies, who shot just 35 percent from the field before intermission, led 22-21 while the Gauchos made just 34.8 percent after making only 8 of 23 attempts. The Aggies held a 16-14 rebounding lead at the break - UCSB ended with a 45-29 advantage on the boards - and got six points from Donaghe and five from Harp to help forge the one-point lead.

The lead changed hands six times in the first half and was tied five times. UC Davis twice held three-point leads while the Gauchos had an early four-point advantage for their largest.

A 10-0 run over a three-minute span early in the second half turned a two-point Aggie deficit into a 34-26 lead with 14:23 to go. Campbell had five points, including a three-pointer, while Harp had a three and Commins a layup to help UC Davis take its biggest lead of the game. But Pedersen helped turn the tide with a three-pointer, starting a 13-3 Gaucho surge that was capped by another one of her three's that made it 39-37 with 8:18 remaining.

UCSB led by four with 5:19 to go and the Aggies went up 48-45 with 3:48 remaining before the teams were knotted for the ninth time at 48-48 with 2:17 left. Mintun's big shot in the key was the Aggies' last of regulation while Brown's layup with 38 seconds was the Gauchos', setting up the exciting overtime.

UC Davis shot 45.8 percent from the field in the second half and then made 3 of 4 in overtime to finish the game at 43.8 percent. UCSB ended the game at 32.8 percent after making just 1 of 8 in the extra period.

The Aggies played the game without starter Heather Bates who sat out the game with an injury suffered against Cal Poly. Commins had seven rebounds to lead UC Davis, scoring seven big points after halftime, including making just her fourth three-pointer of the season.

Simpson said Campbell rebounded from a tough first half with a strong second.

"She really struggled in the first half," he said. "She just came out really ready to play in the second half. I was obviously very pleased with her contributions. She was obviously a key in the second half."

The Aggies' win over the Gauchos was their first since beating them at The Pavilion in 2006.

UC Davis will be off until continuing Big West Conference play with a matchup next Saturday at Pacific.