ED. NOTE: Story updated to reflect game day and time for the Aggies' home contest against Weber State on Nov. 26 at the University Credit Union Center.
DAVIS, Calif. — The five-time defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis women's basketball team has finalized its 2021-22 schedule, as announced on Friday afternoon, featuring a slate of 30 regular season contests highlighted by defending national champion Stanford, NCAA participants Gonzaga, Oregon, and Washington State, as well as WNIT qualifier San Francisco.
Season ticket renewals for the 2021-22 season are now available. For more information, or to renew your seats, please contact the UC Davis athletics ticket office at (530) 752-2471.
Wrapping up its fifth-straight conference regular season crown and claiming its second-consecutive league tournament title during a pandemic shortened season that featured a two-month layoff without games and limited practice time, UC Davis finished 13-3 overall and 9-1 in Big West play, earning a No. 12 national seed at the NCAA Tournament and a date with No. 5 Missouri State in the first round.
It marked the Aggies' third NCAA Tournament appearance overall and its eighth postseason berth in 14 years as a Division I program, earning the program's highest-ever tournament seed and the best by a Big West school since 2004. UC Davis finished ranked No. 13 in the nation in the College Insider mid-major poll.
Under the direction of five-time Big West Coach of the Year
Jennifer Gross, who is entering her 11th year at the helm of her alma mater, the Aggies return the bulk of their championship-winning squad, including reigning Big West Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player
Cierra Hall (14.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, .463 FG%), who is coming back for a fifth season in a UC Davis jersey after the NCAA granted 2020-21 winter sports student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She is joined by reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year — and one of 15 named to last year's Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year watch list — center
Sage Stobbart (10.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.69 bpg), all-defensive team honoree
Kayla Konrad (9.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg), and all-tournament selection
Evanne Turner (11.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
Following an exhibition against Cal State East Bay on Nov. 1, the Aggies officially open the year at the newly renamed University Credit Union Center against Academy of Art on Nov. 9 before hosting regional rival Saint Mary's four days later on Nov. 13.
A road contest takes UC Davis to the Bay Area for a Nov. 18 date to take on the Dons, who advanced to the second round of the WNIT before falling to California Baptist. The Aggies then return home for a pair of local contests, taking on Causeway rival Sacramento State on Nov. 23 as part of a doubleheader with the men's team at the Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento, and welcoming Weber State to the University Credit Union Center the day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 26).
That's when the gauntlet begins for UC Davis as, in addition to fall quarter final exams, four of the team's next five opponents will bring their own NCAA Tournament pedigrees to the court for head-to-head contests.
The run begins on Dec. 1 as the Aggies make a return trip to Eugene, Ore., to take on the Ducks in a rematch of last season's hastily scheduled match-up that saw UC Davis put a scare into nationally ranked Oregon, leading into the fourth quarter before falling, 63-57. The Ducks were regional semifinalists last season, eventually falling to Louisville.
Washington State then pays a visit to Northern California on Dec. 4 in the team's last game before final exams. UC Davis hosts Stanislaus State on Dec. 13 as a tune-up for its contest against the national champion Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on Dec. 15. The non-conference schedule then wraps up with a home game against NCAA qualifier Gonzaga on Dec. 19.
The Aggies open their defense of their Big West crown on Dec. 28 on the road at UC Riverside, before ringing in the new year with a New Year's Day clash against Hawai'i on Jan. 1.
UC Davis hosts a run of four consecutive conference contests against CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 13), Cal Poly (Jan. 15), UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 20), and CSUN (Jan. 22), with home league tilts to follow against the Highlanders (Feb. 1), UC San Diego (Feb. 10), UC Irvine (Feb. 12), Long Beach State (March 3), and Cal State Fullerton (March 5).
The 2022 Big West Tournament runs from March 8-12 at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev., before the start of NCAA Tournament play on March 18.
2021-22 UC DAVIS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
11/1 vs. CAL STATE EAST BAY (exhibition)
11/9 vs. ACADEMY OF ART
11/13 vs. SAINT MARY'S
11/18 at San Francisco
11/23 vs. SACRAMENTO STATE (Golden1 Center, Sacramento, Calif.)
11/26 vs. WEBER STATE
12/1 at Oregon
12/4 vs. WASHINGTON STATE
12/13 vs. STANISLAUS STATE
12/15 at Stanford
12/19 vs. GONZAGA
12/28 at UC Riverside*
1/1 vs. HAWAI'I*
1/6 at UC Irvine*
1/8 at UC San Diego*
1/13 vs. CSU BAKERSFIELD*
1/15 vs. CAL POLY*
1/20 vs. UC SANTA BARBARA*
1/22 vs. CSUN*
1/27 at Cal State Fullerton*
1/29 at Long Beach State*
2/1 vs. UC RIVERSIDE*
2/3 at Hawai'i*
2/10 vs. UC SAN DIEGO*
2/12 vs. UC IRVINE*
2/17 at Cal Poly*
2/19 at CSU Bakersfield*
2/24 at CSUN*
2/26 at UC Santa Barbara*
3/3 vs. LONG BEACH STATE*
3/5 vs. CAL STATE FULLERTON*
3/8-12 at Big West Tournament (Dollar Loan Center; Henderson, Nev.)
3/18-21 at NCAA 1st & 2nd Rounds (Campus Sites)
3/25-28 at NCAA Regionals (Bridgeport, Conn.; Greensboro, N.C.; Spokane, Wash.; Wichita, Kan.)
April 1 at NCAA "Final Four" (Target Center; Minneapolis, Minn.)
April 3 at NCAA Championship Game (Target Center; Minneapolis, Minn.)
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 fourth-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.
