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DAVIS, Calif. - The old adage of 'defense wins championships' is true, just ask UC Davis women's basketball.

Trailing by 17 midway through the third quarter of their Big West Tournament championship game, the Aggies mounted a comeback for the ages, and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, eventually drawling a matchup against local foe Stanford.

UC Davis needed to score points, and a lot of them in a short amount of time, to earn its desired result. And thanks to a 25-6 run, the Aggies showed the nation once again why they were the team to beat entering this year's league playoffs. But it was their play on the other end of the court that ultimately earned the team's second Big West Tournament title.

It was the Aggies' defense that led to a well-deserved postgame celebration: In addition to that 25-6 scoring outburst was a 16-0 run, and they prevented Hawai'i from recording a field goal in the final 9:40 of the game.

You read that correctly, zero baskets for nearly the entire fourth quarter with a tournament championship and ticket to the Big Dance at stake.

But if you ask any Aggie fan, that outcome was far from a surprise because they watched UC Davis' defense frustrate many opponents this season.

Opposing teams were often limited to one opportunity to score each possession, and the numbers prove it since UC Davis was ranked No. 11 in defensive rebounds per game (29) among all teams in the nation. Even more eye-opening was this stat: The Aggies' held opponents to a 33 percent shooting average from the field, the fourth-lowest in the nation, and a 27 percent clip from three, the 21st-lowest average.

Do not fool yourself, the Aggies' offense this season is successful enough to win a high number of games by itself — the team averages 71.7 points per game — but it was its play on defense that was the difference. Entering Saturday's 2:30 p.m. NCAA Tournament game at Stanford, UC Davis allowed an average of 56.3 ppg, and is ranked No. 19 among the 349 Division I programs.

Basketball fans who are unable to make the drive to Stanford for this weekend's Farm vs. Farm (postseason edition) matchup can watch UC Davis in action live on ESPN2, through the networks video stream on ESPN3.com, WatchESPN.com, the ESPN or WatchESPN app. Greg Wong will also call the action courtside at Maples Pavilion on KDVS 90.3 FM.

In addition to live video and internet audio links, live stats and in-game Twitter updates links are also available at UCDavisAggies.com.

 

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.