Final Stats

By Lisa Wong
Athletics Communications Writing Intern

DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis freshman Morgan Bertsch finished with a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds as the Aggies set a season-high for points in a 91-36 win over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday afternoon at The Pavilion.

UC Davis clinched its sixth consecutive victory, the longest winning streak since the Aggies won six in a row in 2011 when they won the Big West Tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The win moved the Aggies to 6-2 on the season. It was an exhibition game for the Otters, who remain 4-3 overall.

"Our main goal is to get better every single day and the nice thing has been we've been able to do that while we're winning," Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. "I feel good that we still have a lot of room for improvement and we're still finding ways to win games."

The win is the largest margin of victory in the Division I Era, beating the previous high of 44 against Cal State Fullerton by 11 points. Five different Aggies ended with double-digit points, while freshman Kourtney Eaton finished with 12 points, one assist and three steals en route to her first career double-digit scoring performance. Bertsch was 7-12 from the field and 7-8 for free throws along with one steal and one assist.

"It gives me confidence going into the next game, especially as a freshman," Bertsch said. "It's important being able to score some points, play some minutes and get the experience needed to play against some harder opponents coming up."

Senior Alyson Doherty, who recently became the 17th Aggie to reach 1,000 points in her career, added her fourth double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and tied a career-high with four blocks. Doherty and Bertsch were the main orchestrators of the Aggies' well-balanced attack that averaged 22 points per quarter and shot 53 percent from the floor.

The Aggies jumped out of the gates to take a commanding 12-4 first quarter lead that never wavered. In a one-sided affair, the Aggies were in complete control as they put 50 past the Otters in the first half, beating their previous high of 41 against Portland. The Otters could not keep up with the pace and creativity of the Aggies, especially the quick passing between Kourtney Eaton and Bertsch. To top the momentous first half, freshman Karley Eaton sank a three-point shot off the backboard from a few feet past midcourt with only seconds remaining, causing the UC Davis bench to erupt in celebration.

After trailing 50-18 at the half, CSUMB came out with a significant increase in determination at the start of the third quarter. Led by sophomore Emma Keenan's team-high six points, the Otters played with a faster tempo and shot more from outside the arc to try and close the deficit. It might have worked, but as a consequence of their determination, the Monterey Bay players began to commit more personal fouls. UC Davis took those opportunities with Bertsch, Doherty, junior Taylor McGuire, sophomore Dani Nafekh, and senior Celia Marfone, all converting free throws to add to their lead.

The Aggies quelled CSUMB's spirit in the fourth quarter beginning with an 18-0 run led by eight from Bertsch. The UC Davis freshman was quickest to the basket to collect rebounds and combined well with her teammates to keep the Otters constantly chasing the ball.

Solid defense by the Aggies resulted in a tie for their fewest points allowed in the first half with 18. UC Davis held CSUMB to just 28 percent shooting from the field - with only 22 percent shooting in the first quarter - and 26 percent for three-pointers.

"It was a total team win today," Gross said. "Everyone got in there and contributed. We wanted to hit finals week on a good note and I feel like we're in a really good place now."

The Aggies will close out their two-game home stand with a match against rivals Sacramento State next Sunday (Dec. 13) at 2pm. The Hornets are 1-5 overall after losing to nationally ranked California by a score of 117-99.

UC DAVIS 91, CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 36

CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY (Exh)
Keenan,Emma 3-5 0-0 8; Dorn,Victoria 2-12 1-2 7; Hill,McKenna 2-11 1-2 6; Sperling,Alexa 3-7 0-0 6; Mehtlan,Alicia 1-2 0-0 2; Garza,Addie 1-4 0-0 2; Price,Jordana 1-1 0-0 2; Amerine,Rachel 1-2 0-0 2; Fujioka,Kylie 0-0 1-2 1; Tucker,Brianna 0-4 0-0 0; Sack,Stephanie 0-3 0-0 0; Johnson,Jazmine 0-2 0-0 0; Harris,Mykayla 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 14-54 3-6 36.

UC DAVIS (6-2)
Bertsch, Morgan 7-12 7-8 21; Doherty, Alyson 7-13 5-9 19; Eaton, Kourtney 5-7 0-0 12; Gianotti, Pele 5-8 0-0 12; Marfone, Celia 3-5 2-4 11; Eaton, Karley 2-3 0-0 6; Johnson, Heidi 2-6 0-1 4; McGuire, Taylor 1-3 2-5 4; Nafekh, Dani 0-3 2-2 2. Totals 32-60 18-29 91.

Cal State Monterey Bay.......... 11 7 15 3 - 36
UC Davis.............................. 25 25 23 18 - 91

3-point goals--Cal State Monterey Bay 5-20 (Dorn,Victoria 2-7; Keenan,Emma 2-4; Hill,McKenna 1-2; Tucker,Brianna 0-2; Sack,Stephanie 0-3; Johnson,Jazmine 0-1; Sperling,Alexa 0-1), UC Davis 9-21 (Marfone, Celia 3-3; Gianotti, Pele 2-5; Eaton, Kourtney 2-3; Eaton, Karley 2-3; Nafekh, Dani 0-1; McGuire, Taylor 0-2; Johnson, Heidi 0-2; Doherty, Alyson 0-1; Bertsch, Morgan 0-1). Fouled out--Cal State Monterey Bay-Harris,Mykayla; Garza,Addie, UC Davis-None. Rebounds--Cal State Monterey Bay 30 (Johnson,Jazmine 4; Amerine,Rachel 4), UC Davis 44 (Doherty, Alyson 10). Assists--Cal State Monterey Bay 10 (Sack,Stephanie 3), UC Davis 20 (Nafekh, Dani 6). Total fouls--Cal State Monterey Bay 27, UC Davis 13. Technical fouls--Cal State Monterey Bay-None, UC Davis-None. A-377 Courtside techician: Tim Ornelas