Feb. 13, 2010

Final Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Heidi Heintz's three-point play with 16 seconds left gave UC Davis a late lead and the defense stopped UC Irvine on a last-second attempt as the Aggies beat the Anteaters 74-71 in a Big West Conference women's basketball game at The Pavilion on Saturday night.

Heintz finished with a team-high 21 points as UC Davis improved to 16-8 overall and 8-3 in the Big West, just a half-game back of Cal Poly but even with the Mustangs in the all-important loss column.

Mikah Maley-Karros, whose tough shot inside with six seconds left was off the mark, led UC Irvine with a game-high 34 points. She also had a game-best 15 rebounds.

UC Davis trailed 69-67 with 55 seconds left after Jade Smith-Williams' free throw but Heintz tied the game for the 10th time with a layup from the left side with 47 seconds to go. Maley-Karros answered inside on the Anteaters' end with 27 ticks left but Heintz delivered the game-winner on another drive from the left side while being fouled by Keyonna Johnson. Heintz made the ensuing free throw.

UC Irvine went to Maley-Karros inside with six seconds left but she missed, Kasey Riecks grabbed the rebound and then made two critical free throws with three seconds on the clock.

Heitnz, who had a trio of three-point plays in the second half, scored 19 points after halftime and helped lead the Aggies back after they trailed by as many as nine in the opening 20 minutes. One of those three-point plays made it 41-41 early in the second half, bringing UC Davis even for the first time since the 12:39 mark of the first half.

"I thought she took it to the basket really well," Aggie coach Sandy Simpson said of Heintz. "She was really aggressive attacking the hoop."

The game was tied 54-54 with eight minutes left and the teams exchanged the lead down the stretch until UC Davis went up 66-62 less than three minutes later. Maley-Karros scored the next four points, tying it for the ninth time with 1:55 left. Smith-Williams later gave the Anteaters their final lead with less than a minute left, setting up the exciting finish.

UC Irvine led for most of the first half, twice stretching its early lead to nine points before UC Davis went into the break down just 37-34. Paige Mintun had 12 points, 10 of them in the first half but was saddled with foul trouble much of the second.

Smith-Williams finished with a game-high nine assists and had 10 points while Samantha Meggison had three steals for UC Davis.

The Aggies return to action on Thursday when it hosts Long Beach State at 7 p.m. in their only game of the week.