OPENING TIP: With its fourth consecutive Big West Conference regular season title in hand, the UC Davis women's basketball team closes out the year on the road this week in Southern California, traveling to Northridge to take on CSUN on Thursday (March 5) at 7 p.m., before battling Long Beach State on Saturday (March 7) at 4 p.m.

NEXT UP…
GAME 28: UC Davis (16-11, 11-3) at CSUN (11-17, 6-8)
WHEN: Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 7 p.m. PT
WHERE: The Matadome in Northridge, Calif.
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM (PxP: Greg Wong)
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.TV
LIVE STATS: GoMatadors.com

GAME 29: UC Davis (16-11, 11-3) at Long Beach State (11-16, 6-8)
WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 4 p.m. PT
WHERE: Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif.
RADIO: KDVS 90.3 FM (PxP: Greg Wong)
STREAMING VIDEO: BigWest.TV
LIVE STATS: LongBeachState.com

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, CSUN, nor Long Beach State, are ranked nationally entering this week's games.

ABOUT CSUN: The Matadors enter the week with an 11-17 overall record and a 6-8 mark in Big West Conference play -- tied for sixth place... CSUN split its contests last week against Long Beach State (W, 66-54) and at Cal Poly (L, 53-43)... The Matadors are 6-7 at home this season, snapping a three-game skid with their win over The Beach... Senior De'Jionae Calloway is averaging 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, shooting 46 percent from the floor, while freshman Deja Williams is averaging 10.7 ppg to go with a team-high 53 three-pointers.

SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with CSUN, 27-16, having won the last three meetings following a 61-39 win at The Pavilion back on Jan. 29... The Aggies are 11-7 on the road against the Matadors, having won nine of the last 12 trips to Northridge... UC Davis leads the series 21-8 since jumping to the Division I level.

ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE: The Beach enters the week with an 11-16 overall record and a 6-8 mark in the Big West, tied for sixth with CSUN... Long Beach State, which hosts Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday before facing the Aggies, has lost its last four straight dating back to a win over UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 13... The Beach is 7-4 at home this season, having won six of their last seven... Sophomore Justina King (13.5 ppg) and junior Shanaijah Davison (12.9 ppg) are both in double figures, while senior Cydnee Kinslow (5.6 rpg) leads the team on the boards.

SERIES NOTES: The series between UC Davis and Long Beach State is tied at 18 following the Aggies' 57-55 win at The Pavilion on Jan. 16... UC Davis has won the last five meetings in the series, having not lost to The Beach since the 2016-17 season... The Aggies are just 5-10 on the road against Long Beach State, winning two straight following seven consecutive losses.

THE CHAMP IS HERE (AGAIN): With their win over UC Riverside on Saturday (and Hawai'i's loss at Cal State Fullerton), the Aggies clinched their fourth consecutive Big West Conference title in outright fashion -- the first program to "four-peat" since UC Santa Barbara won 10 straight crowns from 1996-2005, and only the third program in league history to win four straight when you include Long Beach State's run from 1985-89. With it, UC Davis earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Big West Tournament and a bye into the semifinals on March 13 at Noon at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., facing the lowest remaining seed following the first two rounds.

"SEMI-SWEET": By virtue of locking down the tournament's top seed, the 2020 season marks the sixth straight season -- and the ninth time in 13 years overall (2008, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) -- that the Aggies have gained the semifinal round of the Big West Tournament, winning six of their previous seven chances and posting a 6-2 record in the semifinals, advancing to the championship game three times in the last four seasons.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The Aggies' four straight Big West titles is the longest such run of league crowns in school history since the 1995-99 UC Davis squads won five straight California Collegiate Athletic Association titles, while also marking the 17th all-time conference title at all levels in program history.

POSTSEASON BOUND: While the team has its sights set a little higher, the Aggies -- at the very least -- have clinched a berth into the Women's National Invitation Tournament for the fourth consecutive season (and the fifth time overall), and the program's eighth postseason berth in 13 seasons at the Division I level. UC Davis has twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2019, and has earned WNIT berths in 2008, 2020, 2012, 2017, and 2018 -- making a run to the "Sweet 16" in 2017 and the "Elite Eight" in 2018. The Aggies are 5-5 in the WNIT -- the most wins of any Big West school in that tournament, topping UC Santa Barbara and former member Pacific, which has each won three times in that tournament.

TRADITION: Seniors Nina Bessolo and Sophia Song have only known winning during their time in an Aggie uniform, becoming only the fourth and fifth players in school history to be a part of four straight conference titles along with Nicole Dubriel (1994-98), Elizabeth Doud (1994-98), and Karyn Castro (1995-98). It's also in the coaching DNA as Head Coach Jennifer Gross and Associate Head Coach Des Abeyta won three straight titles apiece when UC Davis won five straight titles from 1995-99, while Director of Operations Stephanie Shadwell was a part of five Big West titles (when you include a medical redshirt season) at UCSB when the Gauchos won their 10 straight crowns from 1995-05.

ALL SHE DOES IS WIN: Head Coach Jennifer Gross solidified her hold on third place in career coaching victories at UC Davis with her 172nd win against UC Riverside last week, breaking a tie with Pam Gill-Fisher (1975-79, 1981-86, 1987-88) thanks to a Jan. 25 win at Cal Poly. Having won better than 61 percent of her games at the helm since taking over the progam in 2011-12, Gross now sets her sights on Jorja Hoehn, who won 205 games in nine seasons from 1988-97, and Sandy Simpson, who won 251 games in 14 years from 1996-97 and 1998-2011.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE: Eleven of the Aggies' 16 victories this season have come at The Pavilion, averaging 69.9 ppg and shooting .437 from the floor, while holding opponents to just 59.8 ppg and .344 from the field. Compare that to the road, where UC Davis is averaging 64.4 ppg to the opposition's 65.1 ppg, shooting .401 to the opposition's .403. Standing 11-3 at home this season, the Aggies are a combined 49-7 at The Pavilion over the last three-plus years and have posted a winning home mark in each of the last seven seasons -- including double-digit wins in each of the last four.

CLOSING ON A MILESTONE: The Aggies are just three wins shy of 250 victories in the program's Division I history, entering the week with a 247-159 (.608) record.

DIALED IN: UC Davis has made a three-pointer in 521 consecutive games dating back to Feb. 15, 2003, at Cal State San Bernardino. Since then, the Aggies have shot .351 (3,636-for-10,367) from beyond the arc.

PUTTING THE "WIN" IN TWINBILL: Ernie Banks would be proud. The Aggies' win over UC Riverside gave UC Davis a clean sweep in its half of home doubleheaders this season, winning its last 18 such games dating back to a loss to North Dakota State during the 2015-16 season, and improving to 31-4 in home doubleheaders during the program's Division I era -- including 20-2 against Big West opponents.

SENIORS PUT ON A SHOW: In their final appearance in front of the hometown faithful, the Aggies' senior trio of Nina Bessolo, Sophia Song, and Katie Toole, went out with a bang, finishing a combined 13-for-26 (.500) from the floor and 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range while scoring 36 of the team's 78 points.

BOMBS AWAY: The Aggies let it fly from deep in their win over UC Riverside, draining 14 three-pointers against the Highlanders and shooting 47 percent from beyond the arc. The total -- the team's 14th double-digit performance of the year -- marked the second-highest total for UC Davis this season (16 vs. William Jessup) while the percentage was its best since hitting .593 against the Warriors.

CAROM QUEEN: Thanks to her 10 rebounds in the win over UC Riverside, junior Cierra Hall jumped past former Aggie great Sydnee Fipps (2011-15) for sixth on the school's Division I career list with 549, while her 196 rebounds this year now rank sixth on the program's Division I single-season list -- just 12 behind Celia Marfone's record of 208 set during the 2014-15 campaign. Hall, who is one of only three different Aggies in the program's Division I era to grab 200 rebounds in a season, enters the week ranked No. 5 in the Big West in rebounding at 7.3 rpg.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: Should Hall best Marfone's mark by even a single rebound, it would be the most boards by an Aggie since Colleen Turnbull finished with 278 rebounds during the 2002-03 season.

GIMME A (SECOND) CHANCE: Four of Hall's 10 rebounds last week came on the offensive end, giving her 75 offensive rebounds for the year and breaking her own program single-season Division I record. Her total represents the most in a season since Sarah Allen grabbed 85 on the offensive end in 2002-03.

CHAIRWOMEN OF THE BOARD(S): Hall's performance against the Highlanders marked the junior's sixth double-digit rebounding performance of the season and, along with sophomore Sage Stobbart, gave the Aggies at least one double-digit rebounder in each of the team's last six games -- and eight of the last nine since the beginning of February.

BIG WEST BOOST: Since the start of conference play, Stobbart has been a beast on the boards, grabbing more than half (119) of her 185 rebounds in Big West play and averaging 8.5 rpg in 14 games -- the former leading the team since the start of conference play. Stobbart has raised her season average by nearly two full rebounds since the start of Big West play, up from 5.1 rpg to 6.9 rpg entering the week.

TOOLE-D: Not only did her 17 points on Saturday against UC Riverside give her five straight games in double figures (averaging 14.2 ppg in that stretch), but the total boosted senior Katie Toole closer to the program's Division I single-season scoring list. The Farmington, Utah, native enters the week with 384 points, standing just 18 back of Alyson Doherty (402 in 2014-15) for 10th and 36 behind Sydnee Fipps' 2014-15 total (420) for ninth.

POINT-ING THE WAY: Lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 78 points against UC Riverside, UC Davis posted its highest point total since putting up 96 against William Jessup on Jan. 1, and its best against a Division I opponent since scoring 79 in a win over San Francisco on Nov. 22.

BEAT US ONCE...: Shame on you. Beat us twice? Well, that rarely happens. Courtesy of Aggie play-by-play voice Greg Wong, UC Davis has not lost back-to-back Big West contests since the Aggies lost at Hawai'i (70-50) and at home against UC Riverside (90-76) on Feb. 18-20, 2016.

AWW, SHOOT!: The Aggies have shot better than 40 percent from the field in eight of their last nine games, shooting .431 (217-for-503) -- including a best of .481 against Cal Poly -- in that stretch.

MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT: UC Davis has outscored the opposition by a combined 43 points over the first two quarters this season, but the third period has been where the Aggies have really done their damage this year, holding a plus-83 (458-375) advantage coming out of the locker room after the break.

GOTTA SHOOT THE THREE: UC Davis enters the week with 243 three-pointers this season -- extending a run that has seen the Aggies hit at least 200 three-pointers in every season since the 2008-09 campaign. The total ranks tied for fifth in a single season in the program's Division I history (eight makes behind the No. 4 spot, and nine shy of No. 3), while rapidly closing in on the record of 289 triples sunk during the 2017-18 campaign.

ROLLIN' IN THE DEEP: The Aggies' 243 makes from beyond the arc (36 better than second-place Hawai'i) and 9.00 per game enter the week as the Big West's best, while ranking among the top 20 in the nation in both categories at No. 15 and No. 10, respectively, entering the week.

DEEP FROM DEEP: Entering this week's regular season finales, the Aggies feature five of the Big West Conference's top 10 sharpshooters -- and four of the top five overall. Freshman Evanne Turner ranks second in the league at .432 for the year, senior Katie Toole ranks third at .427 for the season, sophomore Makaila Sanders is fourth at .400, junior Mackenzie Trpcic is fifth at .386, and senior Sophia Song is 10th at .354 for the year. Overall, UC Davis ranks No. 13 in the country in three-point percentage as a team (.370) following last week.

PASSING FANCY: Seven assists last week has Trpcic moving up the Aggie charts as her 120 helpers this season broke a tie with Kourtney Eaton's 2015-16 total for fifth on the program's Division I single-season list and stands just 34 shy of Eaton's record of 154 in 2017-18. The Hamilton, Ontario, native collected only the eighth 100-assist season in the program's Division I history and is only the fifth different player on that 100-assist list joining Kourtney (four times) and her sister Karley (102 in 2018-19), Dani Nafekh (130 in 2015-16), and Molly Greubel (103 in 2013-14).

SEASON OF GIVING...: Junior guard Mackenzie Trpcic is a giver. Her 120 assists and 4.44 assists per game entering the week both rank among the top two in the Big West, and among the top 100 in the NCAA in those categories (No. 82 and No. 83, respectively). It's not uncharted territory for Trpcic, who finished her sophomore year at Albany No. 14 in the nation in assists per game (6.47) following a school sophomore season record 207 helpers in 2017-18 -- which also ranked No. 15 in the country at the end of the year.

SAGE STO-BLOCK: Stobbart's 34 blocks this season are just four shy of Staci Stevens' 1988 total for 10th on the program's all-time single-season top 10 list and just one back of a pair of Aggie greats (Alyson Doherty in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and Paige Mintun in 2009-10) on the Division I season list. Meanwhile, her 50 career swats rank seventh on the program's Division I list, just six shy of Celia Marfone (2012-16).

SWAT TEAM: Opponents have found little room inside against the Aggies as of late as the UC Davis defense is averaging 4.33 blocks per game over its last six contests, entering the week third in the Big West with 84 blocks overall and averaging 3.11 blocks per game this season.

MINUTE WOMEN: UC Davis has six players averaging better than 20 minutes per game this season -- led by Katie Toole's 28.3 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.
 

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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.