THIS WEEK...
GAME 17: Hawai'i (9-7 overall, 1-2 Big West) at UC Davis (8-8 overall, 3-1 Big West)
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Davis, Calif. - The Pavilion
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM
Game Coverage: Stats | Audio | Video | UC Davis Notes | Hawai'i Notes

TIP-OFF: A streaking UC Davis women's basketball team (8-8 overall, 3-1 in the Big West Conference) closes out a three-game homestand looking for its third-straight win this week. The Aggies welcome Hawai'i to The Pavilion in their lone game of the week, tipping off against the Rainbow Wahine on Thursday night (Jan. 22) at 7 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: Entering this week's contests, UC Davis, nor Hawai'i, are unranked in the national polls.

BE A FOLLOWER: Fans can keep up with the latest in UC Davis Athletics by "liking" us on Facebook (facebook.com/UCDavisAggies) and following us on Twitter (@UCDavisAggies). You can also "like" the women's basketball program on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/UCDavisWomensBasketball as well as follow them on Twitter (@UCDavisWBB) and Instagram (instagram.com/ucdaviswomensbasketball). Game Day in-game updates are also available on Twitter by following us @UCDavisInGame.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?": Thanks to a partnership with Arizona-based Stretch Internet, live Internet audio will be available for all of the Aggies' contests this season, as well as broadcast locally on KDVS 90.3 FM with Greg Wong and Brian Fuller on the call. Visit the women's basketball schedule page at UCDavisAggies.com to access the links.

"YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE...": Bringing together live and on-demand video from each of the Big West Conference's nine member institutions, BigWest.TV covers Big West sports, press conferences, interviews, and features, including every home and conference contest. Now in its 11th year, BigWest.TV will again air all of the Aggies home and conference clashes FOR FREE during the 2014-15 campaign. Log on to www.bigwest.org/thisweek for weekly schedules or visit the women's basketball schedule page at UCDavisAggies.com.

I NEED STATS, STAT!: New-look live stats for all UC Davis home games, as well as selected road contests, are available on your computer and mobile device courtesy the StatBroadcast platform. Visit the women's basketball schedule page at UCDavisAggies.com or the StatBroadcast landing page at UCDavisLiveStats.com to access the links when the games begin.

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE: Hawai'i enters the week at 9-7 overall and 1-2 in Big West Conference play, entering the week in sixth place in the league standings... The Rainbow Wahine took home an 11-point victory over UC Riverside in their only contest last week... Hawai'i is just 3-3 away from home, including an 0-2 mark in conference play following losses at Cal Poly and CSUN... Senior guard Shawna-Lei Kuehu leads the team with 13.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, shooting 48 percent from the field... Senior guard Ashleigh Karaitiana (10.8 ppg) and senior guard Morgan Mason (10.2 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points.

VERSUS HAWAI'I: Dating back to the 1970-71 season, the Aggies trail in the all-time series with the Rainbow Wahine, 4-3, with the two schools splitting their regular season meetings last season... Hawai'i has won three of the four meetings with UC Davis since both have been members of the Big West Conference, including a 64-50 win in Honolulu in the first meeting of 2013-14... The Aggies responded with a four-point, 56-52, win at The Pavilion to end a three-game losing streak to the Rainbow Wahine... Thursday marks only the third meeting in Davis between the two schools, with UC Davis posting a 1-1 record in the previous two.

CONFERENCE PLAY IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL: Thanks to wins in four of their last five games, the Aggies have evened up their overall record at 8-8 this season, with three of those victories coming against top-notch Big West competition. UC Davis is off to a 3-1 start in league play for the second straight season -- against the same quartet to tip-off the league schedule as the Aggies did in 2013-14 -- and the fourth time since joining the Big West. UC Davis also opened conference play 3-1 in both 2008 and 2010 en route to berths in the WNIT and a combined 20-6 Big West record in those seasons -- including a school-best 11-3 mark and a league regular season championship in the latter.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH...: The UC Davis women's basketball team gets going. According to the NCAA, the Aggies have navigated the 13th most difficult schedule in the nation entering the week, with previous opponents posting a combined 149-84 (.639) record as of Jan. 19. In preparation for their Big West Conference schedule, the Aggies ran through a 11-game Division I non-conference slate that saw its opponents post a combined 93-55 overall record (.628) prior to the start of conference play -- including a 65-30 record (.684) posted by the seven schools that handed UC Davis a loss.

AROUND THE NATION: As of Jan. 19, the Aggies stand among the top 100 in the nation in four different categories as a team, ranked No. 4 in three-point percentage (.393), No. 10 in three-pointers per game (8.6), No. 31 in field goal percentage (.446), and No. 51 in assists (15.5 apg).

SHE'S (STILL) #1! SHE'S (STILL) #1!: For the third consecutive week, UC Davis senior sharpshooter Kelsey Harris leads the NATION in three-point percentage, hitting on an even 50 percent from beyond the arc, while also standing No. 32 nationally with 2.75 three-pointers made per game.

A "SHOT" AT HISTORY: The Aggies' shooting prowess from beyond the arc has them on track for one of the best three-point shooting seasons in school history as their .393 (138-for-351) percentage from beyond the arc this season would shatter the previous team mark of .378 (168-for-445) set in 2004-05. In addition, if the season ended today, UC Davis' overall field goal percentage (.446) would be its highest of the Division I era and the best since the 2003-04 squad shot .455 from the floor, while the school record is held by the 1990-91 team that shot .457 from the field.

DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP)... DE-FENSE (CLAP, CLAP): The 59 points allowed against Cal State Fullerton in the Aggies' last outing marked the seventh time that they have held opponents to fewer than 60 points in game this season. Not surprisingly, UC Davis has been fairly successful in those contests, posting a 6-1 record with the only loss a last-shot, 57-55, defeat against Saint Mary's on Nov. 22.

NOT BAD, EH?: With the Cal State Fullerton defense doubling-down on junior Alyson Doherty in the post and hounding senior sharpshooters Sydnee Fipps and Kelsey Harris all night, it would be up to someone else to provide the offensive punch for the Aggies. Little did we know, it would be freshman Dani Nafekh, who exploded for a career-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes off the bench. The Canadian, who entered the game with just 32 total points in 14 games, fell just two points shy of her scoring total from her previous eight games combined, adding a pair of rebounds and two steals.

NOT TO BE OUTDONE: Helping Nafekh lead the charge off the bench, freshman Rachel Nagel posted her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the year, draining a trio of three-pointers in the first half and finishing with 11 points in 20 minutes. The Cerritos, California, native also has standout scoring performances against Sacramento State (a career-high 14 points), Menlo College (11), and San Francisco (10).

MAKING HER POINT(S): Going toe-to-toe with two of the league's top scorers, senior forward Sydnee Fipps came out firing against UC Riverside, tying a career high with 29 points to go with 10 rebounds in the Aggies' win over the Highlanders. It was the first double-double of the year (sixth of her career) for Fipps and her 28th career 20-point game -- just three back of Staci Stevens (31 from 1984-88) for the most career 20-point games in UC Davis history.

I'LL TAKE "WINNING" FOR 20, ALEX: Usually, when Fipps goes for 20 points or more, it equates to a win for the Aggies, who are a combined 18-10 (.643) in the senior's 28 career 20-point performances -- including 10 wins in 2013-14.

TURNING OVER THE TURNOVER BATTLE: Following a pair of games in which they turned the ball over a combined 52 times, the Aggies regained the control that had seen them average just 13 miscues in their previous three games, posting a season-low 10 turnovers in their victory over Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 17 -- the fewest number in a game since the Aggies committed just nine against Hawai'i at home on Feb. 22, 2014. Since making the jump to Division I in 2007-08 (232 total games entering this week), UC Davis has committed 10 or fewer turnovers in a game 16 times, including a school Division I record 6 vs. UC Riverside (Feb. 11, 2012) and, again, against CSUN (Jan. 2, 2011).

SHE'S NO. 2! SHE'S NO. 2!: Solidifying her hold on second place on the UC Davis women's basketball all-time scoring list, senior forward Sydnee Fipps enters this week's games with 1,476 career points, now setting her sights on Carol Rische and the No. 1 spot. The Mariposa, California, native needs 235 more points to catch the Aggie all-time great, needing to average 19.6 ppg over the remaining 12 regular season contests (possibly less once you throw in any possible postseason games), however, to place her atop the list.

THIRD TIME'S A CHARM: Should Fipps finish atop the Aggies' leaderboard when it comes to scoring at the end of the season, she would become only the fourth UC Davis women's basketball player to do so in three consecutive seasons, joining Paige Mintun (2008-11), Staci Stevens (1985-88), and all-time leading scorer Carol Rische -- who is the only Aggie (since records are available in 1973-74) to lead the team in scoring all four years of her career from 1979-83. Last season, Fipps became just the ninth UC Davis player to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons.

THREE-CO-LA!!!: The Aggies have been downright deadly from long range this season, especially as of late, reaching double-digit makes from beyond the arc in each of their last five games -- hitting 55-of-126 (.437) in that stretch -- and eight of their last 10 overall. UC Davis matched a season high with 12 three-pointers in its five-point win over Cal State Fullerton, and has hit 40 percent or better from three-point range eight times -- including four games at 50 percent or higher.

DELICIOUS DISH: Creating opportunities for teammates has been a hallmark of the Aggies thus far this season, assisting on 248 of the team's 372 makes (67 percent) -- including tying a season high with 22 helpers on 30 makes against Menlo College on Jan. 3. UC Davis, which has reached double digits in assists in all but two of its contests this season, ranks second in the Big West in assists entering the week, averaging 15.50 apg to rank behind only UC Riverside (15.61) in the league standings, while freshman Dani Nafekh ranks 10th individually at 2.60 apg.

BOARD OUT OF HER MIND: Springs in her shoes? Maybe. Whatever the reason, forward Celia Marfone has been a beast on the boards as of late, finishing with a season-high 13 rebounds against UC Riverside on Jan. 15 -- the last in a string of four straight double-digit rebounding performances that saw her average 11.3 rpg during that stretch. The junior from Laguna Hills, California, has reached double digits in that category eight times during her career (tied with classmate Alyson Doherty for the most among active Aggies), while ranking second on the team (and tied for 11th in the Big West) with 6.3 rpg this season.

CAN'T MISS: Since being held to just 30 percent from the field against top-ranked UConn in the season opener, the UC Davis shooters have been lights out from the floor, shooting better than 40 percent in the ensuing 15 games -- including a season-high 54.8 percent against UC Riverside on Jan. 15. The Aggies lead the Big West in both field goal percentage (.446) and three-point percentage (.393), while listing three individuals among the conference's top 10 from the floor: Kelsey Harris (6th, .485); Alyson Doherty (7th, .477); and Sydnee Fipps (9th, .460).

SHE'S JUST ALY FROM THE BLOCK: With her 16 blocks this season, junior Alyson Doherty is asserting herself in the post just 10 months removed from a serious knee injury that prematurely ended her season in last year's Big West tournament. Doherty, who blocked three shots in three straight games this season against Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, and Utah Valley, registered her 11th career game with three-or-more swats against the Wolverines, falling one shy of her single-game career high set against Long Beach State on Jan. 11, 2014, and matched against UC Irvine on March 8, 2014. She enters this week with 78 blocks for her career, solidifying her hold on seventh on the UC Davis career list and standing just two back of Ellen Porshneva (2003-06, 2007-08) for sixth place.

SOMEBODY GET A HAND IN HER FACE: Senior Kelsey Harris has been white-hot from beyond the arc through the first 16 games, hitting 44-of-88 from three-point range (.500) and ranking third on the team in scoring at 9.8 ppg. The Brea, California, native entered the week ranked first in the Big West in three-point percentage and second among the league's sharpshooters in three-pointers made per game (2.75). In fact, all but 11 of her field goal attempts (89 percent) and all but four of her 48 made baskets (92 percent) have come from long distance this season, continuing a trend that saw her take 82 percent (217 of 264) of her field goal attempts from beyond the arc as a junior.

DOUBLE DIP: Doherty enters the week ranked eighth in the Big West in both scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg), standing as one of only eight players to rank among the conference's top 15 in both categories. The junior from Lake Forest, California, also ranks among the Big West's best in field goal percentage (7th - .477), free throw percentage (T-9th - .750), blocks (7th - 1.07 bpg), and both offensive (9th - 2.13 rpg) and defensive (th - 4.60 rpg) reboounds.

GREUBEL LOST FOR THE SEASON: The Aggies' active roster has been reduced by one, when it was determined that junior guard Molly Greubel has been lost for the rest of the 2014-15 season due a wrist injury. Greubel, who led the Big West Conference in free throw percentage (.871) and ranked 10th in assists (3.35 apg) last season, started the Aggies' first three games this year, averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while racking up eight total assists and a pair of steals in just over 23 minutes per contest.