Box Score

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Freshman Morgan Bertsch finished with 20 points to help lead a furious UC Davis comeback as the Aggies nearly erased a 22-point second-half deficit before falling, 80-73, to first-place UC Riverside in a battle of the two of the Big West Conference's top teams on Thursday night at the SRC Arena.

UC Davis fell to 12-9 overall and 5-3 in Big West play, while the Highlanders remained unbeaten in league action, improving to 14-7 overall and 7-0 in the Big West, led by Brittany Crain's 23 points and Annelise Ito's 22.

Bertsch logged her sixth 20-point game of the season, hitting 7-of-14 from the field and adding six rebounds to lead three starters in double figures. Sophomore Pele Gianotti added 15 points, senior Alyson Doherty finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, and senior Celia Marfone grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

A huge third quarter for Riverside nearly put the game away as the Highlanders opened the period on a 17-2 run and led by as many as 22 points at 61-39 with 3:47 to play in the quarter. UC Davis responded, scoring five of the final seven points in the third and traded baskets to open the fourth, inching to within 68-52 with 7:29 to play.

A foul on a rebound disqualified UCR's Rejane Verin -- the Big West's second-leading scorer -- with 7:15 to play and the Aggies made their final push. A jumper by Bertsch keyed a 13-0 sprint, one that grew to 18-4 as UC Davis closed to within four points at 72-68 with 2:52 to play.

The Aggies traded free throws for baskets and trailed by only four points with 1:35 to go, but Crain scored inside and the Highlanders scored six of the final nine points en route to the final tally.

UC Davis shot a robust 52 percent from the field during its second-half rally, posting its second-highest single-quarter total -- and its highest fourth-quarter total -- with 29 points in the fourth. UC Riverside, which committed just seven miscues, turned the Aggies over 14 times, scoring 23 points and shooting 45 percent from the floor for the game.

The Aggies close out the week on Saturday (Feb. 6) at 4 p.m., taking on Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gym.

UC RIVERSIDE 80, UC DAVIS 73

UC DAVIS (12-9,5-3)
Bertsch, Morgan 7-14 6-6 20; Gianotti, Pele 5-14 2-2 15; Doherty, Alyson 4-7 5-8 13; Marfone, Celia 2-6 3-4 7; Eaton, Kourtney 3-5 0-0 7; Nagel, Rachel 2-6 1-2 7; Johnson, Heidi 2-4 0-0 4; McGuire, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0; Eaton, Karley 0-1 0-0 0; Nafekh, Dani 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 25-61 17-22 73.

UC RIVERSIDE (14-7,7-0)
Crain, Brittany 8-17 4-7 23; Ito, Annelise 9-15 4-4 22; DeCoud, Simone 5-16 3-3 13; Verin, Rejane 5-9 1-2 11; Curry, Michelle 3-10 3-4 9; Nyingifa, Inara 1-2 0-0 2; Martin, Akilah 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-69 15-20 80.

UC Davis...................... 13 20 11 29 - 73
UC Riverside.................. 19 19 25 17 - 80

3-point goals--UC Davis 6-23 (Gianotti, Pele 3-9; Nagel, Rachel 2-6; Eaton, Kourtney 1-3; McGuire, Taylor 0-1; Eaton, Karley 0-1; Nafekh, Dani 0-1; Marfone, Celia 0-2), UC Riverside 3-10 (Crain, Brittany 3-8; DeCoud, Simone 0-2). Fouled out--UC Davis-None, UC Riverside-Verin, Rejane. Rebounds--UC Davis 39 (Marfone, Celia 9), UC Riverside 38 (Crain, Brittany 9). Assists--UC Davis 13 (Eaton, Kourtney 7), UC Riverside 15 (Curry, Michelle 5). Total fouls--UC Davis 20, UC Riverside 16. Technical fouls--UC Davis-None, UC Riverside-TEAM. A-388