Jan. 7, 2012

Final Stats

IRVINE, Calif. - Kasey Riecks finished with 14 points and seven rebounds while Sydnee Fipps added 10, shooting 2-of-3 from three-point range, but the UC Davis women's basketball team suffered a 60-54 loss to UC Irvine on Saturday at the Bren Events Center in Irvine.

UC Davis now stands at 9-6 overall and drop to 1-2 in Big West play while UC Irvine improves to 6-10 overall and 2-2 in league action.

The Anteater win was the first time UC Irvine defeated UC Davis since Jan. 4, 2006.

Samantha Meggison added eight points and grabbed six rebounds.

As a team, UC Davis shot 36 percent from the floor, but were just 4-of-24 from three-point range. In the second half, the Aggies hit just one trey out of 10 attempts.

The first half was a true battle offensively as both teams traded baskets, tying on five separate occasions before UC Irvine went up by five with 5:11 left in the first half. Anete Klintsone sank a three, then Jacquelyn Marshall added a layup and UC Irvine took a 20-15 lead.

Fipps stepped up and answered in a big way for UC Davis, scoring 10 points all on her own for the Aggies. She nailed a trey at the 2:25 mark, bringing UC Davis to within two points, then laid in a basket to keep the Aggies close. She then tied the score at 25 with two successful free throws with 1:15 to go in the first half.

Cheyenne Cathey's free throws gave UC Irvine a slim 27-25 lead as the teams went to halftime.

The game remained close through the start of the second half, but the Anteaters started to pull away at the 16:13 mark when Kassandra McCalister hit two free throws to put UC Irvine up by five. Klintstone added a jumper, but Idit Oryon answered with a jumper of her own to cut into the Anteater lead.

UC Irvine scored six unanswered points, taking an 11-point lead with 12:51 to play. Meggison and Riecks hit back-to-back shots for UC Davis, but the Anteaters responded with free throws and a three-point shot from Kiara Belen to go up 49-37 with 8:14 left, UC Irvine's largest lead of the game.

Late in the game, UC Davis began to rally, starting with a Riecks' three at 5:12 that put the Aggies back just seven points. Blair Shinoda brought the Aggies to within five with a jumper in the paint, then sank two free throws with 37 seconds left and UC Davis was just two possessions back.

The Aggies wouldn't get any closer, however, as UC Irvine took a 60-54 victory.

UC Davis returns home for three straight games, beginning with a 7 p.m. matchup against Cal State Northridge on Jan. 12 in Davis.