DAVIS, Calif. -- The five-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis women's basketball team hits the hardwood for the first time in 2021-22 on Monday night at 6 p.m., welcoming Cal State East Bay to the University Credit Union Center for an exhibition tilt to tip-off the season. Admission is free to the contest.

EXHIBITION
WHAT: Cal State East Bay (18-12, 13-9 CCAA in 2019-20) at UC Davis (13-3, 9-1 Big West in 2020-21)
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 1, 2021
TIME: 6 p.m. PT
WHERE: Davis, Calif.
ARENA: University Credit Union Center (6,003)
LIVE STATS: UCDavisAggies.com
INDOOR SPORTS SAFETY POLICIES: https://ucdavisaggies.com/feature/INDOORSAFETYINFO

WELCOME BACK FANS!...
For the first time since the end of the 2019-20 regular season, fans will be welcomed back into the seats at the newly renamed University Credit Union Center for both men's and women's basketball in 2021-22. In order to provide a healthy and safe event for fans, student-athletes, coaches, and staff, UC Davis will require either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the event upon entry to the UCU Center for all fans over the age of 12. A valid CDC vaccination card, a State of California digital COVID-19 record, or proof of a negative test, will be required, as well as a photo ID matching the name on the vaccine record or negative test. CDC approved face coverings that cover both the nose and mouth must be worn at all times while inside the arena unless actively eating or drinking in your seat. For more information, please visit: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2021/10/30/mens-basketball-gameday-policies-for-mens-and-womens-basketball.aspx.

COACHES...
UC DAVIS: Five-time reigning Big West Conference Coach of the Year Jennifer Gross is in her 11th year (18th overall at UC Davis) with a record of 186-113 (.622) overall and 107-49 (.686) in the Big West.
CAL STATE EAST BAY: Shanele Stires enters her sixth season at Cal State East Bay, posting a 70-50 (.583) overall record in her previous five years.

ABOUT CAL STATE EAST BAY...
The Pioneers are picked to finish third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association behind preseason favorite Cal State San Marcos and Cal Poly Pomona, and also received votes in the Division II Sports Information Director's Association West Region preseason poll despite not playing a game during the 2020-21 season. The Pioneers finished the 2019-20 season with an 18-12 overall record and reached the semifinals of the CCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons. Senior guard Madison Schiller returns to lead CSUEB from that 2019-20 campaign, earning All-CCAA second team honors after averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game to go with a team-high 72 assists and 54 steals while shooting 43 percent from the floor.

SERIES NOTES...
UC Davis leads the all-time series with Cal State East Bay (formerly Cal State Hayward) by a 46-7 count, but the two schools haven't met in a game that has counted since an 86-44 Aggie win back in 2000. The Aggies and the Pioneers have met in exhibition contests in 2018 and 2019, with UC Davis winning both by the scores of 94-41 and 79-56, respectively.

AGGIES IN EXHIBITIONS...
UC Davis has never lost a preseason exhibition as a Division I program, posting a perfect 17-0 record since 2007-08. Humboldt State came close to putting a blemish on that spotless record in 2015, but the Aggies scored the first 14 points of overtime en route to a 77-64 victory. UC Davis' last loss in an exhibition came prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, falling to Sonoma State, 43-41.

LOOKING AHEAD...
Following Monday's exhibition, UC Davis officially opens the 2021-22 season at home against the Academy of Art at the University Credit Union Center. Admission is free and tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

AGGIE FAST BREAKS...
• UC Davis claimed its fifth consecutive Big West Conference regular season title, it's sixth conference title overall, and its second straight Big West Tournament crown during a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
• UC Davis is one of only four active schools to have won at least five regular season conference titles in Division I: UConn (seven in the American Athletic Conference and one in the BIG EAST), Baylor (11 in the Big 12), and Gonzaga (five in the West Coast Conference).
• The Aggies finished 13-3 overall and 9-1 in conference play in 2020-21, defeating Cal State Fullerton, Hawai'i, and UC Irvine, en route to the league tournament championship.
• UC Davis became the sixth program in conference history to win at least three Big West Tournament titles and the first repeat champion since 2014-15
• UC Davis was a No. 12 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament -- the highest in program history and the best by a Big West school since 2004.
• The postseason berth was the program's eighth in 14 years as a Division I program.
• UC Davis finished ranked No. 13 in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.
• Four starters return off of last year's team, including reigning Big West Player of the Year Cierra Hall, reigning defensive player of the year Sage Stobbart, all-defensive team selection Kayla Konrad, and all-tournament selection Evanne Turner.
• The Aggies' 2021-22 schedule features defending NCAA champion Stanford, NCAA Tournament qualifiers Gonzaga, Oregon, and Washington State, as well as WNIT qualifier San Francisco, during the non-conference portion of this year's slate.
• Head Coach Jennifer Gross enters her 11th year at the helm of her alma mater -- and her 18th overall at UC Davis -- having won the last five Big West Coach of the Year awards.
• Gross, along with associate head coaches Joe Teramoto and Des Abeyta, as well as assistant coach Matt Klemin, make up the longest-tenured active coaching staff in Division I women's basketball.
• The Aggies return 11 letter winners overall off of last season's squad, while welcoming three true freshmen to this year's roster.
• Cierra Hall became only the third player in the history of the Big West to win both the Big West Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards in a career along with CSUN's Channon Fluker and UC Riverside's Kemie Nkele.

MILESTONE WATCHES...
• Head Coach Jennifer Gross needs 14 more wins for 200 career
• Cierra Hall needs 93 more points to reach 1,000 for her career (21st in program history)
• Cierra Hall needs 12 more rebounds to tie Kendall Greene (1992-96) for 8th on the all-time list
• Cierra Hall needs 40 more rebounds to tie Alyson Doherty's (2012-16) Division I program record for career rebounds
• Cierra Hall needs 15 steals to tie Blair Shinoda (2009-13) for ninth on the program's Division I list
• Sage Stobbart needs two more blocks to become the sixth player in school history to reach 100 for a career and only the fourth in the program's Division I history
• Sage Stobbart needs 11 more blocks to tie Janae Henning (1998-2002) for fifth on the all-time list
 

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ABOUT UC DAVIS
Centrally located between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe, over 700 student-athletes across 25 teams enjoy an unrivaled undergraduate experience at the fifth-ranked public school in the country. 

Ranked annually in the nation's top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis and its innovative Aggie EVO System helps student-athletes develop passions, connect with a comprehensive network of alums and industry leaders, gain real-world experience and thrive as a young professional following a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school.