On the strength of 26 points and three blocks from senior biomedical engineering major Morgan Bertsch, UC Davis ran away with one on March 2, taking down UC Irvine 63-44 at Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., to claim sole possession of its third Big West Conference women's basketball title and win its 12 consecutive contest.

The win moves UC Davis' overall record to 21-6, 13-1 in Big West play. UC Irvine drops to 17-9, 7-7 in the conference, with the loss.

Bertsch led UC Davis with 26 points and three blocks, but the Aggies received great contributions from senior psychology major Kourtney Eaton, who put up seven points, six rebounds and four steals, as well as sophomore cell biology major Cierra Hall and her 10 points and two blocks. UC Irvine was paced by Haleigh Talbert, who had ten points and six rebounds, in addition to the nine points and three steals from Lauren Saiki.

UC Davis started off on the wrong foot, and trailed UC Irvine 19-18 after the first quarter. The Aggies managed 50.0% shooting from the field, including 25.0% from three, where they made one shot. Facing the UC Davis defense,UC Irvine put together their lead on 40.0% shooting, 28.6% from three, with two makes from beyond the arc in the first frame.

They fell behind in the first quarter, but a strong second period that saw them shoot 31.3% from the field and 11.1% from three brought UC Davis into halftime tied at 31. The Aggies were bolstered in the first half by the effort of Bertsch, who had 15 points before intermission.

The tie at halftime turned into a UC Davis lead by the end of the third quarter, as they entered the fourth winning 46-38. UC Irvine shot 12.5% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc, where they made one three.

UC Davis finished strong in the fourth quarter, expanding their third-quarter lead and winning by the final of 63-44. The Aggies victory was fueled in part by the outstanding second-half play of Bertsch, who put up 11 points and two blocks to finish out the victory.

Over the course of the contest, UC Davis shot 45.5% from the field, including 10.0% from three, and made two shots from beyond the arc. UC Irvine, on the other hand, finished 21.7% from the field and 19.2% from three, knocking down five shots from deep. The Aggies outrebounded UC Irvine 40-34 in the contest, but were bested on the offensive glass 11-6. UC Davis and UC Irvine were equally careful in their protection of the basketball. Both the Aggies and UC Irvine turned the ball over 13 times. UC Davis took advantage of UC Irvine's giveaways, racking up 15 points off those turnovers in the contest.

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.