DAVIS, Calif. — Host UC Davis finished with three players in double figures, while the defense limited Long Beach State to just 33 percent from the field and 24 points through three quarters on Thursday night, cruising to its fifth consecutive victory with a 70-50 triumph over the 49ers in Big West Conference action at The Pavilion.
Winners of 11 of its last 12 contests, UC Davis improved to 14-6 overall and 6-1 in league play to maintain their advantage in the league standings. The Aggies shot 45 percent overall and 48 percent from beyond the arc for the game, while the defense held Long Beach State to just 23 percent in the first 30 minutes.
Led by 16 points off the bench by Woodland, Calif., native Shanaijah Davison, the 49ers fell to 5-14 overall and 2-4 in conference play.
Senior biomedical engineering major
Morgan Bertsch finished with a game-high 24 points in 25 minutes, passing Idaho's Alli Nieman (1996-00) for sixth place on the Big West's all-time scoring chart. She hit 7-of-15 from the floor (including draining both her three-point attempts) and 8-of-10 from the line, moving to within 50 points of Long Beach State great Penny Toler (1987-89) for a spot in the top five.
Junior communication major
Nina Bessolo added 12 points on a quartet of three-pointers, while senior psychology major
Kourtney Eaton added 11 points, six rebounds, and six assists — the latter moving her past the 500 career assist plateau and putting her nine helpers shy of passing Toler for 10th on the Big West career chart.
Sophomore cell biology major
Cierra Hall led the team with seven rebounds on the night, helping UC Davis to a, 35-32, advantage on the boards, adding eight points, a block, and a pair of steals in the winning effort.
UC Davis never trailed, leading wire-to-wire for the third time in its last five games and the eighth time overall this season, building a 31-point advantage at one point with 7:36 remaining in the third quarter. The Aggies opened with the game's first six points and 13 of the first 15, closing the first quarter on a 12-4 run for a 25-9 lead after the first 10 minutes and they never looked back.
The defense clamped down in the second, holding the 49ers to just eight points on 17 percent from the field, and did themselves one better in the third quarter, closing down Long Beach State to the tune of seven points on 3-of-9 from the floor en route to a 52-24 advantage heading into the final period.
Just a week removed from their first head-to-head clash in Northridge, UC Davis returns to the floor at The Pavilion on Saturday (Feb. 2) to host CSUN, looking for a regular season sweep of the Matadors for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
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.
