MALIBU, CA — UC Davis went into the fourth quarter tied 50-50 with Pepperdine, but couldn't take control and fell 70-67 to on the road Thursday.

UC Davis dropped to 4-7 overall following the loss.

The Aggies had two players score in double figures, led by senior communication major Katie Toole, who had 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Junior cell biology major Cierra Hall tacked on 11 points and six rebounds and sophomore environmental science and management major Sage Stobbart added a career-high 12 rebounds and two blocks.

The UC Davis offense was strong from downtown, making eight threes on 22 attempts. Junior psychology major Mackenzie Trpcic hit two treys for the Aggies in the contest.

UC Davis' defense held Pepperdine to only 39.1% shooting from the field, including 23.5% from beyond the arc.

After falling behind 2-0, UC Davis went on a 10-0 run with 9:23 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Toole, to take a 10-2 lead. The Aggies then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with a 17-12 advantage. UC Davis relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 17 points.

Pepperdine fought back to tie the game at 26-26 before UC Davis went on an 8-0 run starting at the 3:53 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from senior American studies major Nina Bessolo, to take a 34-26 lead. The Aggies proceeded to tack on two points to that lead and enjoyed a 38-28 advantage heading into halftime. UC Davis was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 21 points.

UC Davis surrendered its halftime lead until, with the game tied at 40-40 they went on a 5-0 run to grab a 45-40 lead with 2:49 to go in the third. The Waves then rallied to tie it at 50-50 heading into the fourth quarter. UC Davis played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 12 points in the paint.

Pepperdine then snagged a 57-52 advantage before UC Davis responded by going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Toole's layup, to seize a 58-57 lead with 5:21 to go in the contest. Pepperdine re-asserted control, outscoring the Aggies 13-9 the rest of the way to hand UC Davis the 70-67 loss. UC Davis took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 17 points in the paint.

The Aggies are now off until Dec. 28 when they take on Stanford at 2 p.m. at Maples Pavilion to close out a run of four straight road contests.

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. 6-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, 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 animal science programs.

AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, 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.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.