Dec. 18, 2011

Final Stats

HONOLULU - Kasey Riecks tied a career-high with 21 points while Meggison added 12 in the second half and the UC Davis women's basketball team rallied to top Denver 60-51 in the first game of the Chevron Rainbow Wahine Shootout in Honolulu.

UC Davis improves to 7-3 on the year while Denver moves to 8-4. In the most recent College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll, Denver is ranked 20th while UC Davis is ranked 21st.

"Denver is a really good team," said UC Davis head coach Jennifer Gross. "They're very disciplined and they play very well together so I'm really proud of our team. We beat a very good basketball team today and it was an exciting game from start to finish. We feel good about the win, but we came here to win a championship, not just one game. So we're focused and committed to try and get another one tomorrow."

UC Davis jumped to a 13-8 lead behind strong offense from Kasey Riecks, who scored the first 10 straight Aggie points before Hana Asano added a three pointer of her own with 14:36 left in the first half.

The Aggies extended their lead as Riecks hit another jumper and Idit Oryon drove down the lane, laying in the ball to put UC Davis up 19-8.

UC Davis also did their part on the defensive end throughout the first half, turning 11 Denver turnovers into 17 second-chance points.

Kaetlyn Murdoch finally ended the Denver drought, driving down the lane with 12 minutes to go for the Pioneers' first field goal in nearly three minutes. Murdoch's score was the spark Denver needed as the Pioneers went on a 12-0 run over the next six minutes. Riecks made a layup while being fouled at the 6:29 mark to stop the Denver run and keep UC Davis on top 24-20.

Murdoch kept Denver in the game on both ends of the floor, hitting a jumper with 4:39 left, then blocking two Aggie shots. She tied the game at 26 with two free throws, before Morgan Shell hit a jumper to put Denver up by two with under 30 seconds to play. Murdoch then hit a buzzer-beating jumper and the Pioneers took a 30-26 lead into halftime.

"It was a game of runs, so we talked about being the more consistent team from start to finish," said Gross. "We know that when we play with a lot of energy, we're the better team. When we're responding to each possession with a lot of energy, we pick each other up, that energy becomes contagious, and we are able to do great things on both sides of the ball."

Out of the break, it was Meggison and Hannah Stephens who provided that energy. Both were held scoreless through the entire first half, but combined to score 14 straight points for UC Davis. The duo outscored Denver 14-4 over the first eight minutes of the second period and put the Aggies back on top 40-34 with 12:04 to play.

The Pioneers would score only six points through the first 10 minutes of the second half as the Aggies built a 45-38 lead with 9:16 left in the game. Maiya Michel finally got Denver in gear offensively, scoring three of the next four baskets for the Pioneers. She hit a jumper at the 8:48 mark then drove down the lane for two more points, putting Denver within three with 8:15 to play.

The battle continued throughout the half with Denver responding to every UC Davis basket. Riecks drained a shot with 4:27 left, putting the Aggies up by six, but Murdoch answered with a lay up on the other end of the floor. With just over two minutes left in the game, Idit Oryon hit a fadeaway jumper while being fouled to keep the Aggies in front by six, then Asano's seven-footer fell through with under a minute to go, bringing the score to 55-49.

Both teams traded a pair of free throws, then with under 10 seconds to play, Riecks grabbed a rebound - her fifth of the game - and dished it out to a sprinting Meggison who laid in an easy basket to seal the win. Blair Shinoda's free throw was the final Aggie score of the game as UC Davis took the 60-51 win.

Riecks' 21 points came on 8-of-11 shooting. As a team, UC Davis shot 40 percent from the field and forced 22 Denver turnovers, which the Aggies converted to 28 points.

Murdoch led Denver with 17 points and 10 rebounds while picking up five blocks. Shell, Noonan and Michel each added eight points. Emiko Smith was credited with eight assists.

UC Davis will face Portland State on the second day of tournament action, tipping off on Monday at 7 p.m. PT.