OPENING TIP: The Big West Conference season opens on the road for the UC Davis women's basketball team, which tips-off league play at UC Riverside on Thursday (Jan. 9) at 7 p.m., before returning to The Pavilion to host Hawai'i on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 2 p.m. in a rematch of last year's conference tournament championship contest.
NEXT UP…
GAME 14: UC Davis (5-8, 0-0) at UC Riverside (4-10, 0-0)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 at 7 p.m. PT
WHERE: SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif.
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM (PxP: Greg Wong)… Listen Online (https://tunein.com/radio/KDVS-903-s32390/)
STREAMING VIDEO: Big West TV (https://bigwest.org/watch/default.aspx?Live=2277&path=uc_davis)
LIVE STATS: GoHighlanders.com (http://www.sidearmstats.com/ucr/wbball/)
GAME 15: Hawai'i (6-7, 0-0) at UC Davis (5-8, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020 at 2 p.m. PT
WHERE: The Pavilion in Davis, Calif.
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM (PxP: Greg Wong)… Listen Online (https://tunein.com/radio/KDVS-903-s32390/)
STREAMING VIDEO: Big West TV (https://bigwest.org/watch/default.aspx?Live=2277&path=uc_davis)
LIVE STATS: UCDavisLiveStats.com (http://statb.us/b/286760)
PROMOS: Pride Day, Kids Zone with bounce houses
BE A FOLLOWER: Fans can get an inside look at UC Davis women's basketball by following them on their many social media accounts. Like or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, at @UCDavisWBB. In-game updates will also be available on the team's Twitter feed.
IN THE POLLS: Neither UC Davis, UC Riverside, nor Hawai'i, are ranked nationally entering this week's conference openers.
LET'S GO STREAKING: UC Davis enters conference play with a 14-game winning streak in Big West play dating back to a 65-60 loss to Hawai'i in Honolulu in only the second game of the conference season -- the only blemish in a 15-1 conference slate for 2018-19. Only three other Big West schools enter this season's conference schedule with a winning streak in league games: Hawai'i won its final three Big West contests last year, while both UC Irvine and UC Riverside won its conference finales against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton, respectively.
ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS: UC Riverside enters the conference season with a 4-10 overall record, snapping a three-game losing skid with a 53-52 win over CSU Bakersfield on New Year's Eve... Three of the Highlanders' four wins have come at home this year, all coming in their last four contests at the SRC Arena... Senior Jannon Otto (14.2 ppg) and senior Marina Ewodo (10.9 ppg) are averaging double figures this season, while also ranking 1-2 on the team in rebounding at 7.5 rpg and 7.2 rpg, respectively.
ABOUT THE RAINBOW WAHINE: Hawai'i enters the week with a 6-7 overall record, having lost two straight following a 70-55 defeat against Penn on New Year's Eve... The Rainbow Wahine are 4-4 at home this season, having won two of their last three -- including a 73-60 upset of Texas on Dec. 1... Hawai'i travels to CSUN on Thursday before heading north to take on UC Davis... Junior Amy Atwell (11.3 ppg) and Senior Julissa Tago (11.2 ppg) are both in double figures this season, the former adding a team-high 5.3 rpg and shooting .472 from the floor.
SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with UC Riverside, 39-24, having won the last three straight meetings... The Aggies are 13-14 on the road against the Highlanders, winning two of their last three trips to the Inland Empire... UC Davis leads the all-time series with Hawai'i by a 10-9 count, winning the last two meetings -- including rallying from a 17-point deficit to post a 58-50 win in the Big West Tournament championship game... The Aggies are 5-2 at home against the Rainbow Wahine, winning the last four meetings at The Pavilion.
FOR OPENERS... BIG WEST STYLE: Since 2007-08, UC Davis is 7-5 in Big West openers, having won five straight following last year's 67-59 win at UC Riverside... Of the Aggies' 13 league openers, Thursday marks the 10th time that they will open conference play on the road (and the seventh time in the last eight years), posting a 5-4 mark in their previous nine road league openers... UC Davis has opened conference play against the Highlanders twice, falling to UC Riverside, 76-60, in its first-ever Big West contest on Jan. 5, 2007, prior to last year's win... The Highlanders are one of only five current league members that the Aggies have opened Big West play against, joining CSUN (3-1), Cal State Fullerton (0-2), Hawai'i (1-0), and UC Irvine (2-0), while also falling to former league member Pacific to tip-off the 2012-13 season.
HISTORIC FINISH TO RING IN 2020: UC Davis' 64-point win over William Jessup marked the program's largest margin of victory in the Division I era and the ninth-largest all-time, posting its largest margin since an 84-point win over Patten College in 1996. Wednesday's margin topped the Aggies' 55-point win over Cal State Monterey Bay in 2015-16 for the best since officially becoming a Division I member in 2007-08.
MAKING THEIR POINT: The 96 points scored against William Jessup were the most since the Aggies scored 109 at Sacramento State last season, while the 32 points surrendered to the Warriors were the fewest since UC Irvine managed only 24 against UC Davis in 2009. Wednesday's wire-to-wire win marked the first time that the Aggies reached the 90-point plateau since putting up 92 against Dominican on Dec. 29 of last season.
PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES: UC Davis limited William Jessup to just 11-of-56 (.196) shooting from the field for the game on Wednesday -- the second time in the program's Division I history that the Aggies have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting, and the lowest since holding UC Irvine to 10-of-59 (.169) from the floor on Feb. 12, 2009.
FILL 'ER UP: They just kept going in. UC Davis' sharpshooters finished with a season-high 16 makes from beyond the arc against William Jessup -- the sixth time that the Aggies have finished in double digits in that category this season and the most since they tied the school single-game record with 17 three's against Washington State to open the 2017-18 season.
GIVING NO QUARTER: The 29 points scored in the third and fourth quarters against the Warriors were a season high (previous best was 26 three times), and the most since the Aggies finished with 30 in the third quarter at Cal Poly on Feb. 9 last season. At the other end, UC Davis held William Jessup to fewer than 10 points in all four quarters -- the first time that has happened since the NCAA returned to the quarter format in 2015-16. Meanwhile, the 11 field goals made in the third quarter tied the team's season high, only to have that mark broken when the Aggies finished 12-of-18 (.667) in the fourth, also setting the mark for single-quarter field goal percentage. The five three's in both the third and fourth quarters also tied a season high, as did the .714 (5-for-7) shooting percentage from beyond the arc in the fourth.
NOT HALF BAD: The 58 points in the second half against William Jessup were the most since the Aggies finished with a school-record 63 in the first at Sacramento State last season.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE: Four of the Aggies' five victories this season have come at The Pavilion, averaging 76.3 ppg and shooting .457 from the floor, while holding opponents to just 63.3 ppg and .360 from the field. Compare that to the road, where UC Davis is averaging 63.3 ppg to the opposition's 72.4 ppg, shooting .360 to the opposition's.444. Standing 4-2 at home this season, the Aggies are a combined 42-6 at The Pavilion over the last three-plus years and have posted a winning home mark in each of the last six seasons entering 2019-20.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY: UC Davis' non-conference opponents have had ample time to ramp up to face the Aggies. Not counting the season-opener against Montana State, UC Davis' opponents have had an average of 7.3 days off inbetween games before facing the Aggies, while UC Davis has had just 4.5 days to prep for its next foe. Aside from the 13 days of preparation for William Jessup, Pepperdine had 11 days, Saint Mary's and Boston University each had nine days, while Portland State and Northern Arizona each had a full week. UC Davis has had at least a week to prepare for an opponent only twice this year (Minnesota and Stanford).
NO WORRIES FOR NINA: Held to just one point in the first half against William Jessup, senior
Nina Bessolo did not panic. The Hayward, Calif., native went off after the break, finishing 6-of-9 from the floor -- including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc -- in only 13 minutes, logging her second career 20-point performance to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Eleven of her 20 points came in the fourth quarter -- the ninth time an Aggie has finished in double digits in a quarter this year -- while setting a season high with six rebounds, and career highs with four steals and five three-pointers made, the latter tying a single-game high by an Aggie (
Evanne Turner at No. 5 Stanford).
MAKAILA MAKES MORE: Sophomore
Makaila Sanders had herself quite a start to the new year, finishing with a career-high 19 points in 21 minutes, hitting 8-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. It was the best single-game shooting performance (minimum 10 attempts) since
Morgan Bertsch finished 9-of-10 from the floor against Dominican on Dec. 29 of last season.
SAGE SHINES: Sophomore
Sage Stobbart had her finest game of the season against William Jessup, finishing with a career-high 13 points, while tying her career high with six makes from the field to go with seven rebounds in 20 minutes. It was only the third career double-digit scoring performance for the North Vancouver, B.C., native, along with her 12-point nights against Sacramento State and Stanford last season.
THE RIGHT TOOLE FOR THE JOB: Senior
Katie Toole continued the blistering start to her final collegiate season against William Jessup, finishing with 11 points and in double figures for her 13th straight game. Toole -- who scored a total of 50 points in 23 games a season ago -- enters the week ranked third in the league in scoring (15.7 ppg), while also standing in the top 10 in the Big West in points (t2nd), field goal percentage (2nd and 35th in the nation), field goals made (t3rd), three-point percentage (1st), and three-pointers made (5th).
CAROM QUEEN: The holder of two of the team's five double-digit rebounding games this season, junior
Cierra Hall continues to pace the Aggies on the glass, leading the team with 83 rebounds -- 37 of which have come on the offensive glass (2nd in the league) -- and 6.4 rpg overall, placing her tied for seventh in the Big West entering the week. The cell biology major's 436 career rebounds strengthens her hold on seventh place on the school's Division I career list, with 105 boards to make up in order to catch Sydnee Fipps (2011-15) for sixth.
MILESTONE WATCH: Bessolo is the closest active Aggie to the 1,000 career point milestone, entering this week with 761 points, looking to become the 21st player in program history to achieve the feat after scoring 287 points en route to All-Big West honorable mention honors a season ago. With a minimum of 17 games remaining on the schedule, Bessolo would have to average 14.1 ppg over that span to reach the threshhold.
DIALED IN: UC Davis has made a three-pointer in 507 consecutive games dating back to Feb. 15, 2003, at Cal State San Bernardino. Since then, the Aggies have shot .350 (3,513-for-10,029) from beyond the arc.
ROLLIN' IN THE DEEP: The Aggies enter the week with a Big West-best 120 made three-pointers (31 better than second-place UC Irvine and CSUN and No. 22 in the NCAA) and 9.23 per game ranking among the top 50 in the nation in both categories at No. 10 entering the week, following their sixth game this season (and fourth in their last five) with 10-or-more makes from the beyond the arc. Individually, seniors
Nina Bessolo and
Katie Toole are second in the conference with sixth makes per contest.
DEADLY FROM DOWNTOWN: Just two makes shy of qualifying for the NCAA leaders entering the week, Toole's 24-of-40 (.600) performance from three-point range this season would lead the NCAA by a wide margin, besting Bowling Green's Madisen Parker (44-for-87, .506) nation-best mark as of Monday (Jan. 6).
BESSOLO BOMBING AWAY: The Hayward, Calif., enters the week with 144 made three-pointers for her career -- good for ninth on the school's Division I career chart (
Kourtney Eaton is eighth with 152) and stands just 11 away from breaking into the all-time top 10. Her five makes from beyond the arc against William Jessup set a new career mark, besting her previous career high of four accomplished nine other times in her career.
SHARING IS CARING: UC Davis has posted more assists than its opponents in every game but two this season, trailing in that category against Saint Mary's (18-11) on Nov. 19 and last weekend at Stanford (12-11). The Aggies, who posted a season-high 22 against William Jessup (the most since dishing out 28 against Dominican on Dec. 29 last year), rank No. 94 in the NCAA in assists (205) and No. 50 in assists per game (15.8 apg), while ranking second in the Big West in the latter, entering this week.
SEASON OF GIVING...: Junior guard
Mackenzie Trpcic is a giver. Her 66 assists and 5.08 assists per game entering the week are good enough to rank second in the Big West, respectively and No. 46 and No. 37, respectively, in the NCAA in those categories. It's not uncharted territory for the Hamilton, Ontario, native, who finished her sophomore year at Albany at No. 14 in the nation in assists per game (6.47) following a school sophomore single-season record 207 helpers in 2017-18 -- which also ranked No. 15 in the country at the end of the year.
MINUTE WOMEN: UC Davis has seven players averaging better than 20 minutes per game this season -- led by
Katie Toole's 28.2 minutes per contest -- showcasing depth that hasn't been seen since the 2015-16 season when the Aggies finished the year with seven players averaging better than 20 minutes per.
DEPTH CHARGED: When the starters leave the floor, the Aggies depth has picked them up this season -- including a season-high 51-point boost on Jan. 1 against William Jessup, outscoring the Warriors' reserves by a, 51-1, count. UC Davis' bench has averaged 29.7 ppg over its last six contests, and 23.3 ppg overall this season to just 16.2 ppg for the opposite bench. The 51 bench points against William Jessup are the most in the program's Division I era, besting the previous high of 49 set against CSUN in 2009-10 and matched against Sacramento State in 2016-17.
THE HIGH CIERRA: Hall's 32-point, 13-rebound, outburst against Boston University marked a career-high scoring night for the Cypress, Calif., native, etching her name into the record books in the process. In addition to being the second 30-point game by an Aggie this year (teammate
Katie Toole had 30 at Saint Mary's), Hall's 32 points rank in a tie for eighth in a single game in school history and fourth in the program's Division I history. In addition, her 13 rebounds are tied for the fourth-highest single-game total in the program's Division I history, matching her career high set last year against Sacramento State.
#STATSINCREDIBLE: The Aggies' 16 makes from beyond the arc against William Jessup are the most in the Big West this season, while the 38 field goals against the Warriors and .593 three-point percentage are the second-highest in the league... The 21 makes from the line against Sacramento State are tied for the second-most in a game... Hall's 11 makes from the line against Boston University are tied for the most... Hall is one of six players in the league to score more than 30 points this year.
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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 15 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.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE
Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit https://give.ucdavis.edu/ATHG/324041 for more information.
