DAVIS, Calif. — The five-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis women's basketball team begins its run to an NCAA title on Monday (March 22) as the No. 12 seed, taking on No. 5-seeded Missouri State in the opening round at 4:30 p.m. PT at Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio on ESPNU.
The Aggies and Bears (21-2 overall) will be joined in the four-team sub-regional by No. 4-seeded Arkansas and No. 13-seeded Wright State. As the No. 12 seed, UC Davis earned the highest seed for a Big West school since UC Santa Barbara was a No. 11 seed in 2004.
Making its third all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament — and its eighth postseason berth all-time in 14 seasons as a Division I program — UC Davis enters the NCAA's after claiming its third Big West Tournament title on Saturday (March 13) with a 61-42 victory over UC Irvine in the championship game.
After enduring a near two-month layoff due to a Yolo County Health Order that paused team activity indefinitely until they eventually opened league play against UC San Diego on Jan. 22, the Aggies enter this year's NCAA Tournament with a 13-2 overall, which includs a 9-1 mark in conference play.
Led by 10th year head coach
Jennifer Gross, who won her fifth consecutive Big West Coach of the Year honor in 2021, UC Davis features the league's player of the year — and Big West Tournament MVP — in senior forward
Cierra Hall, as well as the conference's defensive player of the year in junior post
Sage Stobbart, who have combined to lead the Aggies to an 83-28 (.748) record over the last four seasons.
The second UC Davis player to be named the Big West Player of the Year in the last three seasons, Hall became only the third player in the history of the league to earn both the player of the year and defensive player of the year awards in a career, averaging 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.47 assists per game in 2020-21, shooting .461 from the field (second in the league) and leading the conference with a .472 three-point percentage.
All told, Hall ranks among the Big West's top 10 in 10 different categories and stands No. 40 in the NCAA in free throw percentage (.853).
Stobbart, one of 15 players named to the initial watch list for the 2021 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Award, joined Hall and former Aggie Haylee Donaghe as UC Davis players to win the league's top defensive honor, averaging 10.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 2.53 blocks per game, while standing among the league's top 10 in five categories and ranking No. 18 in the NCAA in swats.
Both Hall and Stobbart, who were also Big West All-Tournament Team selections along with teammate
Evanne Turner, were named to the All-Big West first team, marking the third time in the history of the program that UC Davis landed two players on the all-league first team in the same season.
Senior point guard
Mackenzie Trpcic also picked up her first All-Big West award after being named to the honorable mention team, while junior
Kayla Konrad was named to the all-defensive team along with Stobbart.
Winners of its last 17 straight, Missouri State is ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the Associated Press and No. 17 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, claiming the regular season Missouri Valley Conference title with a perfect 16-0 record. Senior guard Brice Calip leads the team in scoring at 13.5 ppg and 4.17 apg, and is joined in double figures by junior forward Jasmine Franklin, who averages 11.8 ppg and shoots 52 percent from the field.
2021 NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
March 22, 2021, San Antonio, Texas
First Round
No. 4 Arkansas (19-8) vs. No. 13 Wright State (18-7), 11 a.m. PT (TV: ESPN)
No. 12 UC Davis (13-2) vs. No. 5 Missouri State (21-2), 4:30 p.m. PT (TV: ESPNU)
Second Round
Arkansas/Wright State winner vs. UC Davis/Missouri State winner, TBA (TV: TBA)
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
