THIS WEEK...
GAME 6: San Diego State (2-4) at UC Davis (4-1)
Friday, Dec. 2, 2016
7:00 p.m.
The Pavilion (5,931)
Davis, Calif.
TV: None
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM
Game Coverage: UC Davis Gameday Central | UC Davis Notes | SDSU Women's Basketball

TIP-OFF: The UC Davis women's basketball team looks to bounce back quickly from its first loss of the 2016-17 season this week, closing out a three-game home stand with a visit from San Diego State on Friday (Dec. 2) at The Pavilion. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: UC Davis is unranked this week; However, the Aggies are scheduled to meet a pair of schools that are currently ranked in the top 25: Stanford stands at No. 11 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches poll, while Oregon State is No. 24 and No. 18, respectively... Among the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll (as of Nov. 29), UC Davis is scheduled to also face Saint Mary's (No. 17), Long Beach State (No. 24), and Jacksonville (votes).

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 (facebook.com/UCDavisWomensBasketball) as well as follow them on Twitter and Instagram (@UCDavisWBB). In-game updates on game day are also available on Twitter by following @UCDavisInGame.

ABOUT THE AZTECS: San Diego State enters the week with a 2-4 overall record following an, 80-62, win over Central Connecticut in its last outing on Sunday... The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Aztecs, which included losses to San Diego (91-53), Loyola Marymount (60-53), and Texas-Arlington (64-58)... SDSU's only other win this year came against San Diego Christian, 80-70, on Nov. 14... UC Davis will be the second Big West opponent for the Aztecs this season, who fell at UC Riverside in their season opener, 72-44... Junior guard McKynzie Fort leads the team in scoring at 17.5 ppg (the only SDSU player in double figures), while senior guard Ariell Bostick leads the team in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (18), while averaging 5.5 ppg.

SERIES NOTES: According to records that date back to the 2005-06 season, the series between San Diego State and UC Davis is tied at two wins apiece, with the Aggies taking home a, 65-54, win in San Diego last season... Friday marks only the second meeting between the two in Northern California, and the first since that inaugural meeting on Dec. 3, 2005 -- a game won by UC Davis, 58-36... Since then, the last three meetings have all been played in San Diego, with SDSU posting a 59-45 win in 2005 and a 59-52 victory in 2006.

AGGIES INK THREE TO NLIs: UC Davis women's basketball solidified its front line with a trio of signings during the NCAA's early signing period on Nov. 10, welcoming three high school standouts to the "Aggie Family." Southern California natives Kayla Konrad (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia HS) and Cierra Hall (Cypress, Calif. / Fairmont Prep Academy) join highly-rated Canadian post Sage Stobbart (North Vancouver, British Columbia / Seycove Secondary School) in the Aggies' signing class, who all begin their careers as true freshmen in 2017-18. For more details on the three signees, read the entire release at http://www.ucdavisaggies.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/111016aac.html.

GROSS FACES HOMETOWN TEAM: Head Coach Jennifer Gross will face her hometown team in San Diego State for the second time in as many years, although it probably won't hold the gravitas as when the Aggies played at Viejas Arena last season. Gross, a San Diego native who prepped at University City HS, spent four years as a coach at her high school alma mater following her UC Davis playing career -- including two seasons as a head coach from 2000-02, when she guided the Centurions to a 50-9 overall record -- while helping the program to four straight Western League titles and a pair of CIF San Diego Section banners in her tenure. From there, she spent two seasons as an assistant at San Diego State under head coach Jim Tomey from 2002-04.

FIVE-FOR-FIVE: With their performances on Sunday afternoon against Hofstra, junior Dani Nafekh and sophomore Morgan Bertsch, are the only two Aggies to open the season with double-digit point totals in each of the team's first five games.

STRONG AS A BERTSCH: While the oak has long regarded as one of the strongest woods in nature, the Aggies are proving that a "Bertsch" can be just as durable in any conditions. Dating back to last season, the Santa Rosa, Calif., native has reached double figures in each of her last 13 games, averaging 17.9 ppg and shooting .616 (90-for-146) from the floor during that stretch.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE: It may be what a hamburger is all about, but it has also been what the Aggies have been about in the last two games after Bertsch collected her first double-double of the season (and the second of her career) against Hofstra on Sunday. The sophomore scored 19 points and grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds -- the latter just one off her career high -- just one game after teammate Rachel Nagel finished with 21 and 11 in a win over Montana State. Junior Pele Gianotti also has one to her credit this season, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a win over Portland in the season opener on Nov. 11.

FOUR AND OH-MY!: Despite its first loss of the season on Sunday that knocked the Aggies from the ranks of the unbeaten (one of 42 remaining entering the game against Hofstra), UC Davis' start was still one to talk about after the Aggies opened the season with four straight wins for only the third time in the program's Division I history, joining the 2007-08 and 2011-12 teams that began those seasons a perfect 5-0. Since 1974-75, when the most reliable year-by-year results are available, the record for consecutive wins to start a season is seven, set by the 1991-92 team and replicated by the 1994-95 squad.

SHE CAN DISH IT OUT: Fresh off a season that saw junior Dani Nafekh set a school single-season Division I Era record with 130 assists last season, the Oakville, Ontario, Canada, native has picked up right where she left off through the first five games this season, recording 24 assists and averaging 4.8 apg. The total gives her 220 for her career, making her only the fifth UC Davis player to reach that plateau in the program's Division I history, joining Hana Asano (278), Blair Shinoda (223), Alyson Doherty (214), and Celia Marfone (206), while placing her 54 shy of Jessica Campbell (2003-06, 2007-08) for 10th all-time.

DANI CALIFORNIA: After scoring in double figures just three times all of last season, Nafekh has shown her teeth offensively with double-digits in each of her first five games this year, ranking third on the team in scoring at 12.8 ppg -- one of four Aggies in double figures -- while shooting just over 56 percent overall and 53 percent from beyond the arc.

SCORE!: Buoyed by back-to-back 90-point offensive outbursts, the Aggies enter the week ranked as the Big West Conference's top scoring team, helped along -- in large part -- by their Big West-best field goal percentage (.477) and three-point percentage (.366), and second-ranked free throw percentage (.730). Overall, UC Davis -- which also boasts the league's second-rated defense (63.2 ppg) -- ranks No. 18 in the NCAA in field goal percentage led by sophomore Morgan Bertsch, who ranks No. 41 in the country entering the week shooting .582 from the floor.

AND THE POINTS DON'T MATTER: Well, at least who gets them it appears. UC Davis is the only school to have four players among the top 12 scorers in the league entering the week: Morgan Bertsch (2nd, 16.2 ppg), Pele Gianotti (6th, 13.6 ppg), Dani Nafekh (8th, 12.8 ppg), and Rachel Nagel (T12th, 12.2 ppg).

HELP ME, HELP YOU: With the holiday season upon us, it's only right that the Aggies are thinking of others before themselves. Nafekh enters the week ranked second in the league in assists (4.8 apg), while teammate Kourtney Eaton stands sixth (3.6 apg). However, a line must be drawn when it comes to handing out the basketball as Eaton has committed only five turnovers against her 18 assists for a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio to lead the Big West, while Nafekh stands tied for fourth with 12 turnovers against a team-high 24 assists.

#PROTECTTHEPAVILION: Sunday's defeat ended the Aggies' home winning streak at four games dating back to last year, but they have won seven of their last nine heading into Friday's contest against San Diego State. Under the direction of Head Coach Jennifer Gross, UC Davis is 40-31 (.563) at home in the last five-plus seasons.

FREEBIES: Nagel's 9-for-10 performance from the line against Montana State marked season highs by an Aggie in both free throws made and attempted, and were the most in a game by a UC Davis player since Alyson Doherty finished 11-for-15 against UC Irvine on March 7, 2015.

MAKING THEIR POINT: For the second straight game, the high-octane Aggie offense topped the 90-point plateau in their, 95-87, win at Pacific on Nov. 21 -- the most that UC Davis has scored in a game since handing San Jose State a 95-61 defeat back on Nov. 26, 2013. Coupled with their 91 points in a win over Holy Names on Nov. 13, the Aggies scored at least 90 points in back-to-back games for the first time in the program's Division I history and the first since doing so at Cal Poly Pomona (L, 109-92) on Jan. 3, 2004 and against Stanislaus State (W, 95-72) on Jan. 9, 2004.

POINT TAKEN: The 95 points in Stockton marked the first time the Aggies have scored at least 90 points away from home since a 91-72 win at UC Irvine on Jan. 29, 2011, and the most since putting up 102 points in a 40-point win at San Jose State earlier that season on Dec. 21.