DAVIS, Calif. — Thirty-five years ago, UC Davis women's basketball great Carol Rische wrapped up a four-year Aggie career with 1,711 career points, establishing a new standard by which all future UC Davis scorers would be measured.
On Sunday afternoon, the torch was passed.
Senior biomedical engineering major
Morgan Bertsch finished with a game-high 31 points to push her past Rische's mark — one of three career records the Santa Rosa, Calif., native would set on the day — and the Aggies nearly erased a 19-point deficit with four minutes to play thanks to a furious fourth-quarter rally, but Pacific would hold on for an, 83-80, victory at The Pavilion.
"It's pretty cool," Bertsch said. "I think a lot of times you're always so focused on the team, it's fun for me to take a step back and recognize some of the things I've been able to accomplish. Obviously, tonight didn't go the way we planned as a team, but I think it's important to take time to think about how fun it's been, how fast the past three years have gone, and look forward to the future for this team and the things we can accomplish."
Head Coach
Jennifer Gross added, "The fact that record has stood for decades just shows you what an incredible record it was and what a great player Carol was. For Morgan to break it in only the second game of her senior season is pretty remarkable. I think it speaks to the kind of player she is and, the best part, is that she's all about the team and she's extremely humble. She's a special player, she's a special person, and I'm really happy for her."
Back-to-back baskets by sophomore cell biology major
Cierra Hall sparked the closing 16-2 kick for UC Davis (0-2 overall), which trailed, 81-62, with 4:08 remaining in regulation. Bertsch added a three-point play at the 2:46 mark that clinched the record, junior communication major
Nina Bessolo drained back-to-back three-pointers, and Bertsch hit two more free throws to make it a one-possession game at, 81-78, with 66 seconds to go.
Bessolo then came up with a steal off a Tiger inbound pass and the Aggies had a chance to tie out of a timeout with 14 seconds to play. UC Davis got the ball down low to Bertsch on the baseline, but Pacific's Valerie Higgins would intercept a pass and drew a foul, hitting two free throws at the other end to ice the game and lift the Tigers (1-0 overall) to a win in their season opener.
Needing only 28 to break the record in front of the hometown faithful, Bertsch's performance marked her third, 30-point game of her career — and the most since she finished with 31 at Kansas State in the third round of the WNIT last season — adding five rebounds and five blocked shots in 33 minutes on the floor.
Her five blocks were just one shy of her career high and broke a tie with Paige Mintun (2006-11) for the all-time career record, standing atop that list now all by herself with 155. Bertsch's 25 attempts from the field also put her past Rische — who was in attendance Sunday and honored prior to tip off — for the school's career mark for field goals attempted.
Bessolo hit four three-pointers en route to a season-high 15 points — just one shy of her career record set last season — to go along with five rebounds and three steals, while junior human development major
Cierra McKeown added a quartet of three-pointers of her own off the bench, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.
Hall reached double-digit rebounds for the second time in her career, sharing game-high honors with 10 to go along with seven points. Senior psychology major
Kourtney Eaton dished out seven assists and finished with four steals, closing to within 30 assists of the all-time career mark in the process.
Both teams started slow and it was Pacific that jumped out to the early advantage, leading by as many as nine in the opening quarter before junior biological sciences major
Sophia Song and Bertsch scored the final four points of the period to make it a four-point game.
The run continued into the second as two more from the line by Bertsch, and a three by McKeown, capped a 9-0 run that brought the Aggies even and, after trading baskets, UC Davis used another short burst — powered by back-to-back three's from McKeown to take a six-point, 28-22, lead with 6:01 to go before the half.
An 8-0 run later in the quarter gave the Aggies their largest lead of the day, 38-26, three minutes later and UC Davis led by five, 40-35, at the break. However, a 14-0 run out of the locker room by Pacific erased the Aggies' advantage and the Tigers threatened to run away with the contest before UC Davis was able to reel them back in.
"I was really proud of the team for the way we showed fight at the end of the game, but there were just too many stretches where we just made a lot of mistakes, turned the ball over, didn't get matched up defensively, and gave up transition buckets," Gross said. "We felt like there were a lot of points that we could have had better control over that we allowed them to have. We just can't do that. We know better than that."
Ameela Li finished with a team-high 27 points and seven assists before fouling out with 3:39 to play, while Higgins added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Brooklyn McDavid also established a new career best, scoring 24 points on 10-of-19 from the field in 27 minutes.
The Aggies return to the road for a pair of games in the Pacific Northwest next weekend, taking on Portland State on Friday (Nov. 16) at 4 p.m., before tangling with Washington State on Sunday (Nov. 18) at 1 p.m. in Pullman, Wash. Both games will be broadcast live locally on KDVS 90.3 FM.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
