THIS WEEK...
Cal Poly (13-12, 8-5 Big West) at UC Davis (13-11, 8-4 Big West)
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Davis, Calif. -- The Pavilion (5,670)
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Audio (KDVS 90.3 FM) | Video | UC Davis Notes | Cal Poly Notes

UC Santa Barbara (1-24, 1-11 Big West) at UC Davis (13-11, 8-4 Big West)
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015
2:00 p.m.
Davis, Calif. -- The Pavilion (5,670)
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Audio (KDVS 90.3 FM) | Video | UC Davis Notes | UCSB Notes

TIP-OFF: The second-place UC Davis women's basketball team (13-11 overall, 8-4 in the Big West Conference) takes the floor at The Pavilion for the final time in the 2014-15 regular season this week, welcoming Central Coast foes Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara to Northern California. The Aggies and third-place Mustangs "Play Pink" and tip-off on Thursday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m., before the Gauchos pay a visit on Saturday (Feb. 28) at 2 p.m.

THANK YOU, SENIORS: UC Davis' three seniors -- Kelsey Harris, Brianna Salvatore, and Sydnee Fipps -- will be honored prior to tipoff of Saturday's game against UC Santa Barbara. Festivities will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: UC Davis, Cal Poly, and UC Santa Barbara, are unranked in the national polls this week.

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 MUSTANGS: Cal Poly enters the week with a 13-12 overall record and an 8-5 mark in the Big West Conference -- a half a game behind the Aggies in the standings and tied with CSUN for third place... The Mustangs are just 2-3 in their last five, having split a pair of games at home last week against Cal State Fullerton (L, 74-60) and UC Riverside (W, 70-68)... Cal Poly is 5-7 on the road, having lost three of its last four... Senior guard Ariana Elegado leads the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game and averages 4.52 assists per game... Senior guard Kristen Ale is also in double figures (10.0 ppg), while senior forward Taryn Garza shoots 46 percent from the field and averages a team-high 7.5 rpg.

VERSUS CAL POLY: Dating back to 1979, UC Davis holds a narrow lead in the all-time series with Cal Poly, 25-22, but the Mustangs hold a 9-7 lead since the two programs have competed at the Division I level... Cal Poly posted a 72-64 win over the Aggies back on Jan. 29 in San Luis Obispo... The two teams have split the regular season series in each of the last five seasons dating back to a Cal Poly sweep in 2009... UC Davis is 14-8 against the Mustangs at The Pavilion, winning four of the last five... Cal Poly won the last meeting in Davis, 81-72, back on Jan. 30, 2014.

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS: UC Santa Barbara enters the week with a 1-24 overall record and a 1-11 mark in Big West Conference play -- just one game out of the final conference tournament spot currently held by UC Irvine (2-10)... The Gauchos are coming off their first win of the season in their last outing, handing Cal State Fullerton a 48-39 defeat in Santa Barbara... UCSB is 0-12 away from home this season, and has lost 13 straight away from The Thunderdome dating back to last year... Onome Jemerigbe leads the team in scoring at 8.5 ppg, shooting 41 percent from the floor... Clair Watkins averages 7.2 ppg and leads the team with 5.5 rpg this season.

VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA: Dating back to 1974, the Aggies trail in the all-time series with the Gauchos, 15-13, but UC Davis has won the last four consecutive meetings -- and 10 of the last 13 overall... The Aggies swept the regular season series from UCSB last season for the first time since 2011, and defeated the Gauchos, 58-57, in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament... UC Davis defeated UC Santa Barbara, 60-54, in overtime in the first meeting this season in Santa Barbara... The Aggies are 5-5 at home against the Gauchos, but have lost two of the last three, snapping a two-game losing streak with an 82-70 win last season.

AROUND THE NATION: UC Davis enters the week ranked among the top 50 in the nation in four different categories as a team, ranked No. 3 in three-point percentage (.395), No. 10 in three-pointers per game (8.5), No. 11 in field goal percentage (.456), and No. 45 in assists (15.4 apg).

FIPPS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: UC Davis senior forward Sydnee Fipps was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 23, having her say in a pair of record performances last week for the Aggies against two of the league's top teams. It is the third career weekly honor from the Big West for the Mariposa, California, native, who also claimed the award on March 4, 2013, as a sophomore and, again, on Dec. 23, 2013, as a junior last season. Fipps rewrote one school record and helped her team tie another last week, posting back-to-back 20-point performances against then third-place Long Beach State and league-leading Hawai'i. She shot a white-hot 61 percent (14-for-23) from the field and 56 percent (5-of-9) from beyond the arc in just over 25 minutes per contest. For the complete release, visit us online at http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/022315aaa.html.

GOOD WHILE IT LASTED: With their win over Long Beach State last weekend, the Aggies extended their winning streak to five games -- the longest for a UC Davis squad since the 2011-12 Aggies opened the year with five straight victories. During the winning streak, UC Davis shot better than 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range while averaging 73.8 ppg, holding opponents to just 37 percent shooting overall, 33 percent from beyond the arc, and just 64.6 ppg.

99 POINTS, THEN JUST ONE: With four games remaining in the regular season, Fipps is *THIS* close to, perhaps, the biggest record in UC Davis women's basketball history. The senior needs just 99 points to match Carol Rische as the school's all-time leading scorer and an even 100 to etch her name atop the list, breaking a record that has stood since 1983.

20-POINT VISION: Fipps' pair of 20-point games last week against the 49ers and Rainbow Wahine gave her 32 such scoring performances in her career, breaking the record of 31 set by Staci Stevens that had stood since 1988. They were the eighth and ninth 20-point games of the season for Fipps, who has scored 20-or-more points in each of the last three games and in four of her last five overall.

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 21-11 (.656) in the senior's 32 career 20-point performances -- including 10 wins in 2013-14. The Mariposa, California, native has gone for 20 (or more) this season against Sacramento State (26), Pacific (21), Santa Clara (24), San Jose State (22), UC Riverside (29), CSUN (20), Fullerton (27), Long Beach State (20), and Hawai'i (20).

THEY JUST KEPT FALLING: Facing the league's best three-point percentage defense last week in Long Beach State, the UC Davis sharpshooters shredded the 49ers to the tune of 17 makes from beyond the arc, tying a school single-game record (vs. Cal Poly in 2007) and setting a new Big West Conference mark, breaking the previous high of 15 makes set in 2004 (Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside) and tied on five other occasions. Senior Sydnee Fipps hit five of the 17, with freshman Pele Gianotti making the record three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in the game. The Aggies' 38 attempts from long distance were just one shy of the school single-game record set against San Francisco last season on Nov. 29, and just two shy of the Big West mark of 40 set by former member New Mexico State vs. UTSA on Dec. 31, 1990, and matched by Cal State Fullerton vs. Iowa State on Dec. 8, 2013.

MAKING THEIR POINT(S): The 45-point first half against Long Beach State last week was the second-highest single-half point total for the Aggies this season (50 in the second half at Sacramento State on Nov. 18), while the 83 points in the win over the 49ers are second only to the 90 scored against the Hornets in that same game.

PROTECT THE PAVILION: The win over Long Beach State improved UC Davis to 8-4 at home this season (5-1 in Big West play), guaranteeing the Aggies a winning record at The Pavilion for the second straight season. The eight wins are the most since the 2011-12 squad finished 9-4 at home, while two wins this week would give UC Davis double-digit home victories for the first time since winning 12 games in 2010-11 en route to a 24-9 record and an NCAA berth.

THE WINNING COMBINATION: It seems as if Head Coach Jennifer Gross has found her starting five as the quintet of seniors Brianna Salvatore, Sydnee Fipps, and Kelsey Harris, along with juniors Alyson Doherty and Celia Marfone, have combined to start 16 of the team's 24 games this season, with the Aggies going 11-5 in those contests.

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT: And we're back to "normal." Following a "comfortable" double-digit win over Long Beach State, the Aggies were back to their usual heart-stopping antics, falling by just two points at league-leading Hawai'i in a contest than came down to the last possession. The game in Honolulu marked the ninth time in the last 11 outings that a game has been decided by single digits, with UC Davis posting a 5-4 mark in those contests. On paper, this season's record could look quite different as seven of the team's 11 losses have been by eight points or less -- including five of those by a single possession (three points or fewer).

JUST WIN, AGGIES: With four regular season games remaining, the Aggies are closing in on their win totals for all of last year, needing two victories to match last season's 15 wins and one more conference triumphs to equal the nine Big West wins from a season ago.

ALY'S BLOCK PARTY: Junior Alyson Doherty continues her climb up the UC Davis career blocks chart, logging four swats last weekend against Long Beach State and Hawai'i to move past Assistant Coach Des Abeyta and into sole possession of fifth on the all-time chart with 91. Doherty, who has eight multi-block games this season, now stands just five back of Staci Stevens (1985-88) in fourth with 96, and needs just nine more to become only the fourth UC Davis player to reach 100 for her career, joining Paige Mintun (150 from 2006-11), Kendall Greene (119 from 1992-96), and Janae Henning (109 from 1998-02).

"BENCH" MARK OF QUALITY: The UC Davis reserves got into the action in a big way against Long Beach State last weekend, outscoring their counterparts, 35-8, for the game. The total was the second-highest by the Aggies' bench this season, trailing only the 45 at Sacramento State on Nov. 18, and marked the 17th time in 24 games that they have outscored the other team's bench, posting a 12-5 record in those games.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A POINT MAKES: The Aggies' 83 points last week against Cal State Fullerton marked the 11th time this season that the UC Davis offense has topped the 70-point plateau, and the Aggies are a combined 12-6 this season when scoring 60 points or more. However, score 59 points or fewer and the story is drastically different, as UC Davis is just 1-5 in those games.

EFFICIENT AGS: UC Davis has made the most of its 294 field goal attempts (high of 63 against Long Beach State) over its last six games, hitting on just under 51 percent from the floor during that stretch. The Aggies' opponents, however, have labored from the floor, taking 87 more attempts from the field in that same span and shooting just 37 percent (140-for-381).

CELIA ON THE REBOUND: Marfone has been a beast on the boards for the Aggies as of late, grabbing 12 rebounds for the third time this season against Long Beach State, to fall just one shy of her season high set against UC Riverside on Jan. 15. It was her seventh double-digit rebounding performance of the season -- all coming in the last 13 games. Marfone's 6.8 rpg leads the team and ranks 7th in the Big West entering the week, while the 8.3 rpg against conference opponents leads the team and ranks third in the league.

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, shooting better than 40 percent in 23 of the ensuing 24 games -- including a season-high 54.8 percent against UC Riverside on Jan. 15. The Aggies, who had a 16-game streak in such games snapped on Jan. 29 at Cal Poly (.387), lead the Big West in both field goal percentage (.456) and three-point percentage (.395), while listing two individuals among the conference's top 10 from the floor: Alyson Doherty (2nd - .507) and Sydnee Fipps (5th - .493).

THREE(S)-FOR-ALL: It's a podium sweep for the Aggies when it comes to three-point percentage in the Big West Conference, as three of UC Davis' most accurate shooters from downtown enter the week ranked 1-2-3 in the league's statistical rankings. Senior Kelsey Harris holds down the top spot (and ranks No. 4 in the nation) with a .459 three-point percentage, followed by freshman Rachel Nagel in second (.436) and senior Sydnee Fipps in third (.431). The Aggies lead the league -- and rank among third in the NATION -- in three-point percentage at .395 as a team, trailing only Princeton (.414) and UConn (.407) entering the week.

DELICIOUS DISH: Creating opportunities for teammates has been a hallmark of the Aggies thus far this season, assisting on 370 of the team's 565 makes (65 percent) -- the highest ratio among its Big West brethren entering this week. UC Davis set a season high with 25 assists on 31 makes against Long Beach State on Feb. 19 -- the most for an Aggies squad since they had the same number against Cal State Fullerton almost seven years ago to the day on Feb. 16, 2008. UC Davis, which has reached 20 assists six times this season, ranks second in the Big West in assists (15.42 apg) entering the week to rank behind only UC Riverside (16.11) in the league standings.

DOUBLE DIPPING: Doherty enters the week ranked tied for sixth in the Big West in scoring (13.0 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (6.7 rpg), standing as one of only six players to rank among the conference's top 15 in both categories. The junior from Lake Forest, California, also ranks among the best in field goal percentage (2nd - .507), free throw percentage (6th - .763), blocks (5th - 1.26 bpg), and defensive (7th - 4.83 rpg) reboounds.

BIG TIME IN THE BIG WEST: Fipps' 1,612 career points rank 25th on the Big West Conference's all-time list -- one of three active players making the climb up the league's chart this season (CSUN's Ashlee Guay [1,623 for 24th] and Cal Poly's Ariana Elegado [1,427 for 38th] are the others). Fipps is only the third Aggie to reach the 1,000-point milestone since UC Davis has been a member of the Big West, joining Paige Mintun (1,364 points from 2007-11) and Kasey Riecks (1,076 points from 2008-12).