Feb. 25, 2012

Final Stats

STOCKTON, Calif. - Samantha Meggison scored 19 points to lead four members of the UC Davis women's basketball team who finished in double figures as the Aggies took a thrilling 65-61 win over Pacific on Saturday at the Spanos Center in Stockton.

UC Davis improves to 16-10 overall and move into third place with an 8-6 Big West Conference record. Pacific now stands at 14-11 on the year and 7-6 in league action.

Meggison shot 7 of 15 from the field, scoring 10 straight points in the final four minutes of action to singlehandedly lead UC Davis down the stretch. She gave the Aggies a 60-58 win after completing a three-point play with just 52 seconds left, then made two more free throws with only 11 seconds left for a 64-61 lead.

"Samantha is playing her best basketball right now and that's exciting," said head coach Jennifer Gross. "She's very mentally focused right now and she's providing a tough matchup out there. She's shooting the ball really well and is finishing off her shots. She's a fifth-year senior and she's definitely playing like one."

Hannah Stephens got to the line with five seconds left and 1 of 2 free throws for the 65-61 win. She finished with 12 points and three steals while Blair Shinoda also added 12 points for the Aggies. Kasey Riecks scored 13 points to go with six rebounds and three steals.

Kendall Rodriguez led all scorers with 20 points for Pacific. Gena Johnson scored 14 while Erica McKenzie added 10 points and seven rebounds.

From the tip off, the game proved to be a true back-and-forth affair and featured eight ties and seven lead changes.

"We knew it was going to be a battle," said Gross. "We were anticipating Pacific to come out just like they did - with a lot of energy and heart - and we really stood up to that. I was really proud of our effort from start to finish, and I was especially proud of our composure down the stretch. We had some players who really stepped up and made some big plays for us."

UC Davis took its largest lead of the game at the 14:52 mark of the first half after Riecks knocked down her first trey of the game. She put the Aggies up again by a 23-19 margin with 4:36 to play with another three, then Shinoda added a jumper with under three to play for a 25-19 lead. Pacific, however, scored six straight points and both teams were tied at 25 at halftime.

Out of the break, Pacific used a 13-5 run to take a 38-30 lead, but Stephens kept the Aggies alive, scoring seven straight points and nine of UC Davis' first 12 points of the second half. She brought the Aggies to within one with 11:52 to play, but Pacific stayed on top.

With 6:44 to play, Shinoda was fouled while going up for a layup and hit the ensuing free throw to tie the score at 48. Rodriguez gave the Tigers a four-point lead just two minutes later with a layup of her own, but Meggison went to work for the Aggies, hitting back-to-back layups of her own to keep UC Davis within one.

She tied the game at 57 with 1:41 to go with a free throw, then followed that with an and-one to give UC Davis a 60-58 lead with 52 seconds left. Stephens and Meggison combined for the five final points of the game, all of which came from the charity stripe, as UC Davis claimed the 65-61 win.

The Aggies also used their stingy defense en route to the win, limiting Pacific down the stretch. UC Davis allowed just one field goal in the final four minutes of the game and outscored the Tigers 14-5 on second-chance points.

"I thought there were stretches in this game where we played the best defense we've played all year," said Gross. "We talked a lot about staying focused for entire possessions, coming together and keeping our energy high, and I was really pleased with our defensive effort tonight."

UC Davis closes out the regular season with a homestand against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. The Aggies and the Gauchos tip off on Thursday, Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. while the Mustangs will visit Hamilton Court for a 2 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Mar. 3.