NEXT UP…
GAME 10: UC Davis (6-3) at Sacramento State (4-6)
Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016
2:00 p.m.
The Nest (1,019)
Sacramento, Calif.
TV: None
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM
Game Coverage: UC Davis Gameday Central | UC Davis Notes | Sacramento State Women's Basketball

TIP-OFF: A trip across the Causeway awaits the UC Davis women's basketball team this weekend as the Aggies (6-3 overall) make the short 20-mile drive to Sacramento to take on Sacramento State on Sunday (Dec. 18). Tip off from The Nest is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: Both UC Davis and Sacramento State are unranked this week. The Aggies, however, are one of 19 schools receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 as of Dec. 13, along with 2016-17 opponents Saint Mary's (81 votes), Long Beach State (22), Hofstra (7). Future opponent Jacksonville (Dec. 30) is ranked No. 22 in that poll.

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 HORNETS: Sacramento State enters the weekend with a 4-6 overall record and a 3-2 mark at home, splitting a pair of games on the road last week against California (L, 97-73) and UC Irvine (78-70)... The Hornets are 2-0 against Big West opponents this season, adding a, 97-96, win over Cal Poly on Nov. 13 to their win over the Anteaters... Junior guard Maranne Johnson leads a trio of double-digit scorers for Sacramento State, averaging 16.4 ppg, while senior forward Margaret Huntington leads the way on the boards at 9.4 rpg... Emily Easom (15.4 ppg), a transfer from Portland State, and senior Ashlyn Crenshaw (11.1 ppg) are also in double figures… Sacramento State ranks No. 5 in the NCAA in scoring (88.4 ppg), first in three-pointers per game (12.0), first in three-point attempts (394), second in three-pointers made (120), and eighth in offensive rebounds (18.0 pg).

SERIES NOTES: According to year-by-year records that date back to the 1971-72 season, Sacramento State leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 29-26... The Hornets posted a, 92-77, win over the Aggies last season at The Pavilion and have won three of the last four... UC Davis' last win came in a, 90-82, triumph in Sacramento on Nov. 18, 2014... The Aggies are 10-11 against the Hornets on the road, including a 2-2 mark in the program's Division I Era, and a 6-4 record in the last 10 games played in Sacramento.

CONFERENCE CALL: UC Davis is a combined 35-38 against the current Big Sky Conference alignment, but has faced only five of the league's 12 teams: Sacramento State (26-29), Portland State (4-9), Montana State (1-0), Northern Arizona (1-0), and Southern Utah (3-0)... The Aggies have won four of their last five meetings with Big Sky opponents dating back to the 2014-15 season.

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.

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. With her 15-point outing against No. 15 Oregon State on Wednesday, sophomore Morgan Bertsch has finished in double figures in all nine games for the Aggies this season, and in each of her last 17 games overall dating back to last year, averaging 17.6 ppg (299 overall) and shooting .565 (117-for-207) from the floor in that span.

SWAT TEAM: When it comes to patrolling the paint, not many have done it better than the Aggies' tandem of sophomore Morgan Bertsch and junior Marly Anderson, who have combined for 29 of the team's 37 swats thus far this season. Bertsch leads the way with 17 blocks overall and has tallied at least one block in each of UC Davis' first nine games -- including a career high-tying four against Saint Mary's on Dec. 11 and five games with two or more -- while Anderson has at least one block in seven of the team's nine games and is second on the team with 12 overall, including three in wins over Montana State and San Diego State.

RECORD CHASING: Bertsch's two blocks on Wednesday gave the Santa Rosa, Calif., native 53 for her career, ranking her fifth on the school's career list in the Division I Era and just four shy of Jessica Campbell (2003-06, 2007-08) for 10th on the school's all-time list.

HIT THE ROAD, JACK: UC Davis' season long six-game road trip continues on Sunday in Sacramento -- the Aggies' longest stretch away from home since a similar run from Nov. 29-Dec. 18, 2013. UC Davis, however, is looking for a better results during this season's extended road swing after going just 2-4 during that 2013 trip, which included a contest at top-ranked UConn on Dec. 5.

#PROTECTTHEPAVILION: UC Davis' win over Saint Mary's -- ranked No. 14 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll entering the game -- improved the Aggies to 5-1 within the friendly confines of The Pavilion this season and helped UC Davis to its ninth win in its last 11 on its home floor. Under the direction of Head Coach Jennifer Gross, UC Davis is 42-31 (.575) at home in the last five-plus seasons.

MORE HOME COOKING: With the Aggies not scheduled to return home until a Big West Conference tournament championship game rematch with Hawai'i on Jan. 7, UC Davis will enter league play with its most non-conference home victories since the 2010-11 season when the Aggies finished 5-0 outside of the Big West at The Pavilion. UC Davis is three wins shy of last season's home win total (8-5), and seven back of the Division I Era mark for home wins set in 2010-11 (12-3) with eight home contests remaining this season.

SHE CAN DISH IT OUT: With her three assists against No. 15 Oregon State, junior Dani Nafekh solidified her hold on second place on the school's Division I list for career assists with 229, ranking behind only Hana Asano (278), and moving her closer to Jessica Campbell (274) for 10th on the all-time chart, needing just 45 more to match the all-time Aggie great. Nafekh is only the fifth player in the program's Division I history to reach 200 assists, joining Asano, Blair Shinoda (223), Alyson Doherty (214), and Celia Marfone (206).

FROM WAAAY DOWNTOWN: When not setting up her teammates, Nafekh has been knocking down shots with regularity, especially from beyond the arc. Helped along by her record-tying night against San Diego State when she drained eight from long distance, Nafekh enters Sunday's game at Sacramento State leading the Big West by shooting .523 from three-point range -- a mark that stands No. 11 in the NATION -- and standing second with her 23 makes, while sharing the top spot with her 2.6 makes per game.

DOUBLE UP: Showcasing a scoring ability not often seen in her first two seasons, Nafekh has reached double figures in eight of the her nine games this year, missing a 10th by a single point at No. 11 Stanford on Dec. 4. Ranked second on the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg entering Sunday at Sacramento State, Nafekh had hit double figures just six times COMBINED in her first two seasons, averaging just 4.8 ppg in that span.

SWEET SCORING QUARTET: The Aggies' win over Saint Mary's marked the fourth time this season that UC Davis has finished with at least four players in double figures, winning all four of those contests. In fact, UC Davis has won its last 12 games (including a 7-0 mark last year) when it has four-or-more players finish in double figures dating back to a, 73-70, loss to San Francisco on Dec. 2, 2014.

ONE WAY OR THE OTHER: UC Davis' game at No. 15 Oregon state marked only the second time this year that the Aggies did not hold a lead at some point in a game, while they have led wire-to-wire once against Holy Names on Nov. 13. UC Davis has come from behind to win in five of its six wins, including bouncing back from an 11-point second-quarter deficit at Pacific on Nov. 21.

START ME UP: Opening the year at 4-0 for only the third time in the program's Division I history, the Aggies were among a group of 42 remaining unbeaten teams in the nation entering its contest against Hofstra on Nov. 27, before the Aggies fell to the Pride, 64-60.

WE'RE NOT JUST GIVING IT AWAY: The 11 turnovers in the win over Saint Mary's were a season low for the Aggies, who committed their fewest since finishing with only eight against Hawai'i in last year's Big West Conference Tournament championship game.

ONE FOR YOU... NONE FOR YOU: Sophomore Kourtney Eaton is a giver when it comes to her teammates, but not so much when it comes to the opposition. Eaton has dished out 25 assists against only 11 turnovers in her last seven games and leads the Big West overall (No. 82 in the NCAA) with a 2.07 assist-to-turnover ratio overall this season. Her six assists against San Diego State on Dec. 2 marked the 13th time in 40 career games that the Longview, Wash., native has finished with five-or-more assists in a game, including a career-high nine against UC Riverside in the semifinals of last year's Big West Tournament.