DAVIS, Calif. -- The UC Davis women's basketball team's non-conference schedule comes to an end this weekend, as the Aggies play host to Gonzaga on Sunday (Dec. 19) at 2 p.m. at the University Credit Union Center in a battle of two of the top mid-major programs in the nation.

GAME 10
WHAT: (RV) Gonzaga (8-2) at UC Davis (5-4)
WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021
TIME: 2 p.m. PT
WHERE: Davis, Calif.
ARENA: University Credit Union Center (6,003)
WATCH: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
LISTEN: KDVS 90.3 FM
STATS: UCDavisAggies.com
GAME NOTES: UC Davis Weekly Release
GAME PROGRAM: UC Davis Women's Basketball December Digital Program
UC DAVIS BASKETBALL GAMEDAY POLICIES: https://ucdavisaggies.com/feature/basketballgameday

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 191-117 (.620) overall and 107-49 (.686) in the Big West.
GONZAGA: Lisa Fortier is in her ninth year overall at the helm of the Bulldogs, posting a 186-49 (.791) overall record.

IN THE RANKINGS: UC Davis enters its regular season finale ranked No. 15 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major poll released on Dec. 14, up one spot from the previous week... The Aggies opened the year at No. 9 in the preseason rankings -- marking the highest for the program in that poll since the Aggies stood at No. 8 in the Feb. 27, 2018, poll... UC Davis has been ranked every week dating back to the final poll of the 2019-20 season... Gonzaga is receiving votes in the latest USA Today coaches poll and is ranked No. 4 (including picking up a first-place vote) in the College Insider poll behind Missouri State, BYU, and Florida Gulf Coast.

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: Gonzaga enters the weekend with an 8-2 overall record, having not played since a 64-54 win over Stephen F. Austin back on Dec. 12... The Bulldogs and Aggies have a pair of opponents in common as both teams have fallen at the hands of Stanford (L, 66-62) and Washington State (L, 51-49) this season... Gonzaga is a perfect 4-0 in games away from home this season, posting a 2-0 mark in true road contests at Montana and Hawai'i, while also downing Utah and Eastern Illinois at the Rainbow Wahine Showcase after Thanksgiving... Junior guard Kaylynne Truong leads a trio of Bulldogs in double figures at 12.5 ppg, while dishing out 31 assists and shooting .432 from the field... Her twin sister, Kayleigh, is averaging 11.9 ppg, while Melody Kempton is averaging 10.2 ppg... Gonzaga is averaging 66.8 ppg and shooting .441 from the field as a team, while allowing only 53.7 ppg and a .373 opponent field goal percentage.

SERIES NOTES: Gonzaga leads the all-time series with UC Davis by a 3-0 count, but the two programs have not met since a 2008 clash in the WNIT in Spokane, won by the Bulldogs, 81-60... Sunday marks the second meeting between the two programs in Davis since a 71-58 Gonzaga victory in 2007... The Bulldogs also posted a 73-70 win in the inaugural meeting in 2006 in Spokane.

NOTHING BUT NET: A look at the latest NCAA NET Rankings shows the Aggies having faced (or facing) three of the top 30 teams in that metric in 2021-22: No. 7 Stanford, No. 15 Oregon, and No. 27 Gonzaga. UC Davis, ranked No. 140 in the NET rankings as of Dec. 17, has also faced No. 62 Washington State and is also scheduled to meet conference rival Long Beach State twice, which is ranked No. 45 this week.

CONFERENCE CALL: The Aggies are 0-2 against the West Coast Conference this season, falling to San Francisco and Saint Mary's earlier this year. All told, UC Davis is a combined 51-58 against the WCC, having faced every current member save for BYU and San Diego.

NATIONAL ATTENTION: Gonzaga enters Sunday's game receiving votes in the latest USA Today coaches poll -- the fourth Aggie opponent in the last five games to garner some sort of national attention from pollsters this year along with Oregon, Washington State, and Stanford -- closing out one of the more difficult non-conference schedules in program history. UC Davis has faced a pair of nationally ranked opponents in three of the last four years, while the four teams among those in the top 25 or receiving votes category mark UC Davis' toughest gauntlet since the Aggies faced three top-25 teams in 2008-09: No. 25 Arizona State, No. 22 South Dakota State, and No. 11 Stanford.

RECYCLED NOTES
EUPHORIA IN EUGENE: It was more than just the third straight victory for the Aggies... much more. UC Davis' victory over Oregon on Dec. 1 marked the program's first win in 24 tries over a nationally ranked opponent as a Division I program. The Aggies had come close, falling to the Ducks by only six points last season and coming to within 12 of both Stanford in 2019 and South Dakota State in 2008, but unable to clear that final hurdle.

"POWER" DOWN: Aside from it being the first-ever win over a nationally ranked program for the Aggies, Wednesday's win at Oregon marked UC Davis' 10th win over a "Power Five" school since joining the Division I ranks in 2007-08 with, now, eight of those 10 triumphs coming against the Pac-12 Conference thanks to wins over Washington (2007, 2011), Washington State (2010, 2017, 2018), USC (2012), and Utah (2017), along with the Ducks.

AGGIES INK EPPS: Nya Epps, a 5-foot-10 wing from El Cerrito, Calif., has signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and athletic career at UC Davis beginning in 2022-23. Epps is entering her senior season at Carondelet HS, fresh off a 2020-21 campaign that saw her average 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists, for the Cougars as a junior, earning her a slew of awards for her performance. For more on the signing, visit: https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2021/11/11/womens-basketball-aggies-ink-epps-to-national-letter-of-intent.aspx.

THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR: The five-time defending Big West champions were picked to win their sixth consecutive league title in 2021-22, unanimous selections by both the head coaches and the media according to a vote released on Nov. 2 by the conference office. UC Davis received nine of the 11 first-place votes and 99 points overall from the coaches, while picking up six of the 11 first-place nods from the media and 104 points overall.

HALL EARNS PRESEASON NOD: Back for a fifth season in an Aggie uniform after the NCAA granted 2020-21 winter sports student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the pandemic, senior forward Cierra Hall was one of five unanimous selections to both the coach's and media's preseason All-Big West teams for the second straight season. One of only three players in league history to win both the conference player and defensive player of the year awards in a career, Hall averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season while shooting .463 from the field.

AGGIE STORYLINES...
• UC Davis returns 11 letter winners and four starters off of last season's squad that finished 13-3 overall -- it's sixth consecutive winning season -- and 9-1 in Big West Conference play during a pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign that featured a two-month layoff due to Yolo County health restrictions.
• The Aggies have won the last five consecutive Big West regular season titles, making them one of only two schools in league history to accomplish such a feat (UC Santa Barbara from 1996-2005).
• Last year marked the first time in school history that UC Davis won five consecutive OUTRIGHT league titles. The Aggies did win five straight league crowns during their Division II days -- four in the Northern California Athletic Conference and one in the California Collegiate Athletic Association -- from 1994-99, but shared the 1997-98 NCAC title.
• UC Davis is one of four active schools to have won at least five straight conference regular season titles: UConn (7 in the American Athletic Conference, 1 in the BIG EAST), Baylor (11 in the Big 12), and Gonzaga (5 in the West Coast Conference).
• UC Davis is a combined 64-10 in Big West play over the last five years entering the 2021-22 season, with the next-closest school, in terms of wins, being Long Beach State at 42-40 in conference play.
• 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.
• Head Coach JENNIFER GROSS has won the last five consecutive Big West Coach of the Year awards -- the first time in conference history that has happened -- and stands behind only Mark French of UCSB (7) for the most in league history.
• Together for 11 years, Gross, Associate Head Coaches JOE TERAMOTO and DES ABEYTA, and Assistant Coach MATT KLEMIN make up the longest-tenured Division I coaching staff in the nation.
• With her 11 years at the helm, Gross is the third-longest tenured head coach in school history behind only Sandy Simpson (14 years) and Pam Gill-Fisher (12 years).
• Gross stands nine wins shy of 200 overall for her career, and clinched her 100th career Big West win on Jan. 23 at home against UC San Diego.
• Gross' 191 wins ranks third in school history and fifth in league history, while her 107 league wins stand seventh in the Big West annals. She trails only Simpson (251) and Jorja Hoehn (205) in school lore.
• UC Davis' trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 marked the program's eighth postseason appearance in 14 years as a Division I program.
• The team's No. 12 seed in the tournament was the highest in program history and the highest for any Big West school since 2004 ( UC Santa Barbara - No. 11).
 

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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. 

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