NEXT UP…
GAME 15: Hawai'i (4-9, 0-1) at UC Davis (10-4, 1-0)
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017
2:30 p.m.
The Pavilion (5,931)
Davis, Calif.
TV: None
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM
Game Coverage: UC Davis Gameday Central (Audio/Video/Stats) | UC Davis Notes |
Hawai'i Women's Basketball

TIP-OFF: After ringing in the new year with a resounding triumph in its Big West Conference opener, the UC Davis women's basketball team (10-4, 1-0) returns home for the first time since mid-December, welcoming in Hawai'i to The Pavilion on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 7). The rematch of last year's Big West Tournament championship game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and will be the first of a doubleheader with the Aggies' men's team, which takes on Cal Poly following the women's game.

IN THE POLLS: Both UC Davis and Hawai'i are unranked nationally this week by the Associated Press and USA Today polls.

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.

LET'S PLAY TWO: Harkening back to their old Division II days, the Aggies will join the men's team on the floor at The Pavilion for the first of four home doubleheaders this season on Saturday against Hawai'i. In the program's Division I history, UC Davis is a combined 17-4 in its half of a doubleheader, including a 7-2 mark in Big West doubleheaders. The Aggies have won four straight on doubleheader days, and 10 of the last 11 dating back to the 2013-14 season.

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE: Hawai'i enters Saturday's contest with a 4-9 record and an 0-1 mark in Big West play after falling to preseason favorite Long Beach State, 68-57, in its opener on Thursday... The Rainbow Wahine have lost three of their last four, posting a win over Grand Canyon on Dec. 29 for their only triumph in that span... Junior guard Sarah Toeaina, who had 20 points in the loss at Long Beach State, leads the team offensively with an 11.8 ppg average to go along with 5.4 rpg and shooting .409 from the floor... Senior guard Briana Harris is also in double figures, averaging 10.2 ppg to go with 22 steals.

SERIES NOTES: Hawai'i leads the all-time series with UC Davis, 8-4, having won the last two meetings with the Aggies -- including a win in last year's Big West Tournament championship game... Saturday marks only the fifth meeting between the two programs in Northern California, with each team posting a pair of wins... UC Davis won the last contest played at The Pavilion, 60-58, in the first meeting between the two on Jan. 9 of last year, and has won two of the last three meetings at home.

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.

#PROTECTTHEPAVILION: For the first time since their thrilling win over Saint Mary's on Dec. 11, the Aggies will compete in front of the hometown faithful when they welcome Hawai'i to The Pavilion on Saturday night. UC Davis is 5-1 within the friendly confines of The Pavilion this season and has won nine of 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: 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.

FOUR QUARTERS OF FURY: For only the second time since the NCAA moved to quarters in women's basketball last season have the Aggies scored with reckless abandon for a full 40 minutes, scoring at least 20 points in all four quarters en route to their win on Thursday night at UC Irvine. The only other such occasion came earlier this season when they did so at Sacramento State on Dec. 18 -- a contest that saw the Aggies score 30 points in the second quarter against the Hornets that tied a school single quarter scoring record set last season.

YOU GET MY POINT: Aside from being the third-largest margin of victory in the program's Division I history, Thursday's 41-point win at UC Irvine is the largest for the Aggies since they posted a 55-point victory over Cal State Monterey Bay back on Dec. 6, 2015, and the largest margin of victory in a Big West Conference game since the Aggies defeated Cal State Fullerton, 88-44, on Jan. 24, 2013. The 89 points were also the most in a conference opener for UC Davis, and it's most against a Big West opponent since defeating UC Irvine, 91-72, in 2011.

YOU GET A BASKET! YOU GET A BASKET!: The Aggies were in a giving mood Thursday in Irvine, dishing out a season-high 27 assists on their 35 made baskets -- the highest single-game total since UC Davis put up 29 assists against Saint Mary's on Dec. 17, 2007. The all-time school record is 30, set against Quincy University on Nov. 19, 1993, while Thursday marked the sixth time that the Aggies have topped 20 assists this season, just two shy of last season's total.

WINDEX WOMEN: The glass was so clean on Thursday night in Irvine, you could eat off it. The Aggies' 52 total rebounds were the most in a single-game since they grabbed 56 at Sacramento State on Nov. 18, 2014, while their 18 offensive rebounds were the most since UC Davis finished with 20 against Santa Clara on Dec. 16, 2012.

ONE IS NICE, TWO IS BETTER: A win over Hawai'i on Saturday would give the Aggies a 2-0 start in Big West play for only the second time since officially joining the conference in 2007-08, with the first such start coming last year when UC Davis opened 3-0 with wins over CSUN, Hawai'i, and UC Irvine.

WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM AWAY: UC Davis committed a season-low nine turnovers in its win at UC Irvine -- the fewest for the Aggies since they gave away only eight against Hawai'i in last year's Big West Tournament championship.

WIRE-TO-WIRE: The Aggies led for all but 52 seconds on Thursday night at Irvine, posting their second wire-to-wire victory of the season and their first since doing so against Holy Names back on Nov. 13.

GIMME FIVE!: For the fourth time this season, the Aggies finished with at least five players in double figures on Thursday at UC Irvine, improving them to 7-0 when they have at least four players with 10-or-more points. In fact, UC Davis has won its last 15 games (including a 7-0 mark last year) when it has four-or-more players in double figures dating back to a, 73-70, loss to San Francisco on Dec. 2, 2014.

THEY'RE HEATING UP: After being held to just 31 percent shooting at nationally ranked Oregon State, the Aggies have rebounded nicely, shooting better than 43 percent from the field in each of their last five contests, including a season-best .606 at Sacramento State on Dec. 18 -- the highest single-game shooting percentage (minimum 20 makes) in the program's Division I history, only the fourth time the Aggies have hit 60 percent in a game, and the best since they shot .600 (24-for-40) at CSUN in 2014. Over their last four, the Aggies are a combined 158-for-313 from the floor (.505).

SHOOTER!: The Big West's top scoring team at 73.4 ppg entering Saturday (besting second-place Long Beach State by nearly seven points per game), the Aggies are also one of the most accurate teams in the country, ranking among the top 50 in the nation in field goal (No. 25), free throw (No. 15), and three-point percentage (No. 34) -- leading the conference in all three.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NATION: While standing No. 64 in the nation in scoring, the Aggies also rank among the top 50 in the country in assists per game (No. 26), overall assists (No. 41), assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 37), and three-point defense (No. 47). Individually, Morgan Bertsch is No. 47 in blocks per game, No. 49 in overall blocks, No. 49 in field goal percentage, and No. 50 in field goal makes, while junior Dani Nafekh ranks No. 17 in three-point percentage.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK: After suffering an injury against San Francisco on Dec. 21 that kept her on the sidelines against UCF, junior guard Rachel Nagel has returned to the court with a vengeance, averaging 16.5 ppg and shooting 11-for-21 (.524) from the floor over her last two games, including a 17-point, season-high five three-pointer game against UC Irvine. Nagel ranks third on the team overall at 10.3 ppg and is shooting .475 from the floor and .409 from beyond arc in 13 games this season.

MARLY DOUBLES UP: Junior Marly Anderson finished off her first double-double as an Aggie on Thursday at UC Irvine, closing out the night with 11 points and a career-best 11 rebounds against the Anteaters to become the fourth UC Davis player with a double-double this season. Anderson hit 5-of-7 from the field in just 20 minutes off the bench, reaching double figures for only the third time and surpassing her previous career best of nine rebounds against Portland in the season-opener back on Nov. 11.

JILL-OF-ALL-TRADES: Limited to just two points in the scoring column against UC Irvine, junior Pele Gianotti found other ways to help the Aggies open their conference schedule with a win, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out a career-high eight assists against only one turnover in 23 minutes. The eight helpers smashed her previous career high of five set at UCF back on Dec. 28.

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. The Santa Rosa, Calif., native has finished in double figures in all 14 games for the Aggies this season, and in each of her last 22 games overall dating back to last year, averaging 17.7 ppg (391 overall) and shooting .570 (154-for-270) from the floor.

RECORD CHASING: With her three blocks against Jacksonville on Dec. 30, Bertsch increased her career total to 64, moving her into a tie for ninth with Kari Sivesind (1992-96) for ninth on the school's all-time list, and placing her just one back on Lauren Juric (2008-12) for eighth place. Her 28 blocks this season also place her just outside the top 10 on the school's single-season list, needing seven more to rank in a tie for ninth with Alyson Doherty (twice) and Paige Mintun. Bertsch's 36 blocks last season stand eighth on that list.

SWAT TEAM: When it comes to patrolling the paint, not many have done it better than the Aggies' tandem of Bertsch and junior Marly Anderson, who have combined for 47 of the team's 61 swats thus far this season. Bertsch leads the way and has tallied at least one block in 13 of her team's 14 games -- including a career high-tying four against Saint Mary's (Dec. 11) and Sacramento State (Dec. 18), and nine games with two or more -- while Anderson has at least one block in 12 of the team's 14 games and is second on the team with 19 overall, including three in wins over Montana State and San Diego State.

SHE'S A HELPER: Sporting the fourth-highest assist total entering Big West play, Kourtney Eaton has finished with no fewer than three assists in 13 of the team's 14 games this season, while turning the ball over two-or-fewer times in 10 of those contests. She finished with a season-high eight helpers in the win at Sacramento State on Dec. 18, which was just one off her career high of nine set against UC Riverside at last year's Big West Tournament.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A POINT MAKES: Thanks to its big win against UC Irvine, UC Davis is a perfect 8-0 this season when scoring 70-or-more points, but is just 2-4 when held to 69-or-fewer after scoring just 54 points against Jacksonville in its non-conference finale.

SHE CAN DISH IT OUT: Junior Dani Nafekh has solidified her hold on second place on the school's Division I list for career assists with 244, ranking behind only Hana Asano (278) on that list, and moving her closer to Jessica Campbell (274) for 10th on the all-time chart, needing just 30 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).