NEXT UP…
GAME 22: UC Davis (15-6, 6-2) at Cal Poly (7-12, 3-4)
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017
5:00 p.m.
Mott Athletics Center (3,032)
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
TV: None
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM
Game Coverage: Gameday Central (Audio/Video/Stats) | UC Davis Notes | Cal Poly Women's Basketball

TIP-OFF: Winners of six of its last eight contests and sitting just a half a game out of first place, UC Davis (15-6, 6-2) looks to build off a perfect 2-0 record on the road this week, heading down the California coast to take on a pair of Big West rivals. The Aggies open their trip on Thursday evening (Feb. 2) at 5 p.m., traveling to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to face Cal Poly at the Mott Athletic Center on campus. The game will be the first of a doubleheader as the UC Davis men's team meets the Mustangs later that night at 8 p.m.

IN THE POLLS: Both UC Davis and Cal Poly are unranked nationally this week by the Associated Press, USA Today, or the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major 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 MUSTANGS: Cal Poly enters the week with a 7-12 overall record and a 3-4 mark in Big West Conference play after falling in its only game of the week at Hawai'i (66-57) on Jan. 28... The Mustangs have lost four of their last five, with the only win during that stretch coming at CSUN on Jan. 21... Six of Cal Poly's seven wins this season have come at home as the Mustangs are 6-3 at the Mott Athletic Center compared to 1-9 away from home... Lynn Leaupepe leads a trio of double-digit scorers at 15.5 ppg and paces Cal Poly on the boards at 7.7 rpg, while shooting .462 from the floor... Her sister, Dynn, is also in double digits at 14.5 ppg, while Hannah Gilbert is averaging 14.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg, while shooting .513 from the field.

SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with Cal Poly, 27-13, but the Mustangs hold a, 10-9, advantage during the Aggies' Division I Era... UC Davis swept the regular season series from Cal Poly last year with a, 75-57, win in San Luis Obispo and an, 82-71, win at The Pavilion... Since the first meeting in 1979, the Aggies are 10-14 on the road against the Mustangs, but have won two of the last three after losing five straight from 2009-13... The 82 points scored by UC Davis in the second meeting last year were the most by the Aggies since they put up 91 in 1993.

INCOMING!: 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.

ALL SHE DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN: Head Coach Jennifer Gross is listed among the Aggie record books in a number of categories, including one which has her as the winningest UC Davis player of all time as a part of 101 total victories as a student-athlete from 1993-97, winning no fewer than 22 games in a season during her four years, culminating in a 29-3 record and a third-place finish nationally as a senior. That winning mentality has carried over into her coaching career as the Aggies' sixth-year mentor stands seven wins shy of 100, which would put her alonside former coaches Sandy Simpson (251), Jorja Hoehn (205), and Pam Gill-Fisher (164), as UC Davis women's basketball coaches who have reached the century mark in the win column. With eight regular season games remaining (plus any possible tournament contests), Gross could reach the milestone as soon as March 2 at UC Riverside.

#PROTECTTHEPAVILION: With an 9-2 record within the friendly confines of The Pavilion this season, UC Davis has surpassed last season's home win total (8-5) and posted the most home victories since the 2011-12 squad finished 9-4 on its home court. The Aggies are now just three back of the Division I Era mark for home wins set in 2010-11 (12-3) with three home contests remaining, having won 13 of their last 16 on its home floor, and are a combinbed 46-32 (.590) at The Pavilion under Head Coach Jennifer Gross.

SHOOTER!: UC Davis remains at the top of the Big West when it comes to scoring offense at 71.0 ppg (No. 76 in the nation), helped along by the fact that UC Davis is one of the most accurate shooting teams in the country. The Aggies rank No. 36 in the NCAA in field goal (.444), No. 41 in free throw (.750), and No. 36 in three-point percentage (.358), entering Thursday's game against Cal Poly leading the Big West in all three categories.

ELSEWHERE IN THE NATION: Entering the week, the Aggies also rank among the top 50 in the country in assists per game (No. 21), total assists (No. 23), assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 24), three-point field goal defense (No. 32), field goal percentage defense (No. 34), three-pointers made (No. 40), three-pointers per game (No. 43), fewest turnovers per game (No. 44), and fewest fouls per game (No. 44). Overall, UC Davis ranks among the top 100 teams in 10 different categories as of Jan. 29.

TWINBILL TRIUMPHS: The Aggies laid claim to their sixth straight victory on doubleheader dates with their win over Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 28, posting its 12th win in their last 13 home doubleheader dates, and improving to 19-4 in their half of the twinbill during the program's Division I Era, including an 9-2 mark against Big West opponents. In 23 all-time home doubleheaders, both the men and women's teams have swept the day 11 times, including four of the last six dates.

PUT A LID ON IT: In holding Cal State Fullerton to less than a point per minute in Saturday's victory, the 39 points allowed by the Aggies in their 20-point victory were the fewest since they gave up only 36 to Cal State Monterey Bay on Dec. 6 of last season, and the fewest against a Division I program since a, 44-39, victory over UC Riverside in the Big West Tournament on March 11, 2011.

JUST ENOUGH: Meanwhile, the 59 points in Saturday's victory were the fewest in a victory for UC Davis since the Aggies posted a, 57-50, win over CSUN on Feb. 27, 2016, and snapped a four-game losing streak when held to fewer than 70 points this season dating back to a, 68-66, win over Saint Mary's on Dec. 11.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A POINT MAKES: Thanks to its big win against UC Riverside, UC Davis is a perfect 12-0 this season when scoring 70-or-more points, but is just 3-6 when held to 69-or-fewer after its 59-39 win over Fullerton on Jan. 28.

RUN AWAY AND HIDE: Thanks to a 17-point triumph over UC Riverside and a 20-point win against Cal State Fullerton, each of the Aggies' last six victories -- and 11 of their 15 wins overall this season -- have been by double digits, with the largest being a 41-point triumph over UC Irvine on the road back on Jan. 5.

BOMBS AWAY: The Aggies weren't shy about pulling the trigger from long distance on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton, taking a near-record 37 of their 67 field goal attempts from beyond the arc. The 37 three-point attempts were just two off the school single-game mark of 39 set against San Francisco on Nov. 29, 2013. UC Davis finished off the Titans thanks, in part, to hitting 7-of-10 from long distance in the fourth quarter, keying a 20-5 run over the final seven minutes and posting the most three-pointers in a single period this season.

SWIPER, NO SWIPING: UC Davis' 15 steals against Cal State Fullerton were a season high and marked only the third time this season that the Aggies have finished in double figures in that category. Led by a career-high four swipes from junior Pele Gianotti, UC Davis posted its highest single-game steals total since it finished with 18 against Akron back on Nov. 30, 2013, and were seven shy of the school Division I single-game record of 22 set at CSUN on Feb. 9, 2008.

GIANOTTI GOES OFF: A season-high 22 points (8-of-11 from the field) against UC Riverside helped junior Pele Gianotti nab a Big West Player of the Week nomination, as the Myrtle Creek, Ore., native averaged 18.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and shot 54 percent overall (.467 from three-point range) from the field against the Highlanders and Cal State Fullerton. The 22 points marked the second 20-point game of the season for Gianotti (her first since finishing with 20 in the season opener against Portland on Nov. 11) and her fourth career 20-point performance.

I'LL TAKE EATON FOR 200, ALEX: With seven assists on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton, sophomore Kourtney Eaton became the sixth player in the school's Division I history to reach 200 for a career with 205, joining teammate Dani Nafekh on that chart. Leading the league with 92 assists overall entering the week, Eaton has finished with no fewer than three assists in 20 of the team's 21 games, while turning the ball over two-or-fewer times in 16 of those contests -- including five games with zero turnovers. Entering the week, Eaton also leads the Big West, and ranks No. 19 in the nation, with a 2.63 assist-to-turnover ratio.

DROPPING DIMES: Eaton's seven assists marked the eighth time this season -- and the 19th time in her career -- that the Washington native has finished with at least five assists in a game, and the seventh time in her two seasons as an Aggie with seven-or-more in a game.

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 261, 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 13 more to match the all-time Aggie great. Nafekh became 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).

GIVING NO QUARTER: The UC Davis defense got stingy last week, clamping down and holding UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton to two of the lowest scoring quarters this season. The four points in the third quarter against the Highlanders were the fewest by a Division I opponent (and the second fewest overall) in a single game since the 2015-16 season, while the five points scored by the Titans in the first quarter stand third on that list. Overall, UC Davis has held opponents to single digits in a quarter seven times this season.

MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON?: Bertsch is just 219 points away from becoming the 18th player in UC Davis history to reach 1,000 points for her career, but she has some work to do -- needing to average 24.3 ppg over the final nine games of the season (eight regular season games, plus the possibility of only one postseason contest). If she were to reach the mark with a monster finish this season, Bertsch would become the first sophomore to do so in the history of the program after three former greats (Carol Rische, Ellen Porshneva, and Sydnee Fipps) accomplished the feat as juniors.

RECORD CHASING: Three first half blocks on Jan. 21 at Long Beach State solidified sophomore Morgan Bertsch's hold on eighth place on the school's all-time list with 72 career swats, placing her just eight back of Ellen Porshneva (2003-06, 2007-08) for the No. 7 spot. Her 36 swats this season (which rank No. 62 in the NCAA) ties her own total from all of last year and moves her into a tie for eighth with herself on the school's single-season list, just two back of Staci Stevens' total from 1987-88.

CENTURY MARK: With 81 blocks thus far this season, the Aggies are just 19 away from hitting the century mark for the second straight year and 44 back of the school's single-season mark of 125 established last season. Should they reach 100 for the year, it will be the third time in the last five seasons that the Aggies will tally at least 100 blocks in a single campaign, and the fourth time since NCAA records are available in 1992-93 along with the 1994-95 UC Davis squad that finished with an even 100 for the year.

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN: When the Aggies turned the ball over on Jan. 14 against CSUN, it must have come as a shock to many because it didn't happen very often. UC Davis finished with only six miscues against the Matadors, not only setting a new season best, but tying the program's Division I record set against CSUN in 2010-11 and tied against UC Riverside a year later.

THAT'S FOUL: UC Davis was whistled for only eight fouls against the Matadors -- tied for the second fewest in a single game in the program's Division I history, standing behind only the six fouls called against the Aggies against Florida A&M last season.

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

ROOM TO BOARD: When UC Davis finished with a season-high 52 rebounds in its win at UC Irvine on Jan. 5, the Aggies posted their third-highest single-game rebounding total in the program's Division I Era, and the most since they grabbed a D-1 record 56 boards in a win at Sacramento State on Nov. 18, 2014. It marked the eighth time since 2007-08 that UC Davis has finished with 50-or-more rebounds, but a far cry from the school's all-time single-game mark of 71 rebounds set at Cal State Los Angeles on Dec. 2, 1977.

YOU GET A BASKET! YOU GET A BASKET!: The Aggies were in a giving mood at UC Irvine on Jan. 5, 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 distribution fell just shy of the all-time school record of 30, set against Quincy University on Nov. 19, 1993, while the UCI game marked the sixth time that the Aggies have topped 20 assists this season, just two shy of last season's total.