Dec. 1, 2010

Final Stats | Postgame Interviews

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis overcame an early 11-0 deficit with a 24-12 run to take a lead it would not relinquish, as the Aggies beat visiting Saint Mary's 71-62 in a nonconference women's basketball game on Wednesday night, the Aggies' 12th straight win on Hamilton Court.

UC Davis, which received a career-high 22 points from Vicky Deely who had three key three-pointers in the first half, improved to 6-1. The Aggies' effort was also highlighted by 13 points from senior Paige Mintun who became the 14th player in program history to surpass 1,000 for her career.

Forward Jasmine Smith hit a career-high tying five three-pointers and scored a career-best 25 points for Saint Mary's which dropped to 3-4. The Aggies and Gaels are both ranked in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 with UC Davis currently 15th and Saint Mary's ranked 18th.

Hana Asano added 11 points and a game-high three steals for the Aggies while Louella Tomlinson scored 11 points for the Gaels. UC Davis has come back from double-digit deficits to win its last two games after rebounding from 16 points down during Sunday's 61-52 victory over South Carolina.

Saint Mary's which lost a close 64-63 game on Nov. 20 at then-No. 20 Nebraska, jumped out early against the Aggies on Wednesday, getting two treys from Smith sandwiched around another by Kate Gaze to lead 9-0 with 2-1/2 minutes gone. Smith's layup with 16:50 left in the half made it 11-0 before Asano put in a layup to get UC Davis on the scoreboard over four minutes into the game.

UC Davis gradually cut into the deficit, getting to 15-14 after a jumper from Blair Shinoda and a three-pointer from Kasey Riecks over a 24-second span with just over eight minutes to go. The Aggies trailed 20-14 but a 10-3 run over a two-minute span, capped by second three-pointer gave them their first lead, 24-23 with 4:59 left. UC Davis didn't trail the rest of the game.

UC Davis, which hit five three-pointers in the first half, led 34-29 at the break, capitalzing on 15 turnovers from Saint Mary's to score 13 points and also receiving 13 points off the bench. Most of those came from Deely who had 11.

Tomlinson's layup made it 34-33 early in the second half but a 21-2 surge from UC Davis - highlighted by six points from Deely and four from Mintun and featuring six players overall picking up points - gave the Aggies their biggest lead at 55-35 midway through the second half.

UC Davis led 64-45 with four minutes remaining before the Gaels rallied down the stretch to close the gap. Mintun went over the 1,000-point barrier with a straightaway three-pointer with 4:38 left in the game.

The Aggies had just 12 turnovers in the game while Saint Mary's finished with 31. The Gaels outrebounded UC Davis 46-29 with Heintz leading the Aggies with five. Courtney Dunn and Tomlinson had seven each for Saint Mary's.

UC Davis won for the 12th straight time on its home floor, including for the fourth time this season. Its last home loss came last December against Kansas State, ironically the Aggies' next opponent on Dec. 12 in Manhattan, Kan. The Aggies' streak is the 16th-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division I.

UC Davis will take a break for final exams before returning to action with its Midwest roadtrip in which it will also face Wichita State on Dec. 14.