DAVIS, Calif. -- Having not played since a victory over Gonzaga back on Dec. 19 due to various COVID health and safety protocols, the UC Davis women's basketball team has been given the green light to return to competition this week, FINALLY opening defense of its Big West Conference title on the road at UC Irvine and UC San Diego. The Aggies and Anteaters tip-off in a rematch of last year's Big West Tournament championship game at the Bren Events Center in Orange County on Thursday (Jan. 6) at 7 p.m., before tussling with the Toreros on Saturday (Jan. 8) at 4 p.m. at the RIMAC Arena in La Jolla, Calif.

No fans will be allowed to attend Saturday's game at UCSD, while fans must produce either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 1 day for an antigen test and 2 days for a PCR test prior to entry into an event for Thursday's game in Irvine.

GAME 11
WHAT: UC Davis (6-4, 0-0) at UC Irvine (5-6, 0-0)
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022
TIME: 7 p.m. PT
WHERE: Irvine, Calif.
ARENA: Bren Events Center (5,000)
WATCH: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
LISTEN: KDVS 90.3 FM
STATS: UCIrvineSports.com
GAME NOTES: UC Davis Weekly Release

GAME 12
WHAT: UC Davis (6-4, 0-0) at UC San Diego (3-6, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022
TIME: 4 p.m. PT
WHERE: La Jolla, Calif.
ARENA: RIMAC Arena (4,000)
WATCH: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
LISTEN: KDVS 90.3 FM
STATS: UCSDTritons.com
GAME NOTES: UC Davis Weekly Release

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 192-117 (.621) overall and 107-49 (.686) in the Big West.
UC IRVINE: Tamara Inoue, who shared last season's Coach of the Year award with Jennifer Gross, is in her 6th year overall at the helm of the Anteater program, posting a 76-84 (.475) record in her time in Orange County.
UC SAN DIEGO: Heidi VanDerveer is in her 16th year overall as a head coach with a record of 305-151 (.669) which includes stops at Occidental and Eastern Washington, and in her 10th year at UC San Diego, posting a 197-70 (.738) mark with the Tritons.

IN THE RANKINGS: After nearly three weeks without a contest, UC Davis dropped one spot to No. 11 in the College Insider mid-major poll (as of Dec. 28) after breaking into the top 10 following its win over Gonzaga on Dec. 19. New rankings are scheduled to be released on Jan. 4. The Aggies opened the year at No. 9 in the College Insider 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.

NO CONTEST: The games against UC Riverside and Hawai'i that were canceled due to COVID health and safety protocols will not be made up and will be declared "no contests."

ABOUT THE ANTEATERS: UC Irvine enters the week with a 5-6 overall record and, like UC Davis, has yet to play a Big West game after having its openers at CSUN and UC Santa Barbara canceled due to COVID protocols... The Anteaters haven't played since a 58-53 road defeat at Grand Canyon on Dec. 23, and have lost four of their last five with a win over San Jose State on Dec. 15 in the middle of that run... Guard Kayla Williams, last year's Big West Freshman of the Year, is the lone UCI player in double figures, averaging 13.0 ppg and shooting .381 from the field while leading the team in both assists (45) and steals (26)... As a team, Irvine is averaging 70.9 ppg and shooting .406 from the floor, while allowing 66.5 ppg and a .394 field goal percentage.

SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with UC Irvine, 32-9, according to records that date back to the 1973-74 season... The Aggies have won two straight -- and 12 of the last 13 -- in the series with the Anteaters after UCI snapped a 10-game skid against the Aggies with a 73-68 win in Irvine back in the 2019-20 season... The two teams had their two regular season meetings in 2020-21 cancelled due to a Yolo County health order that kept UC Davis sidelined for nearly two months... The Aggies are 13-4 on the road against the 'Eaters (with the locations of two games unknown), having won five straight until that loss in 2020.

ABOUT THE TRITONS: UC San Diego enters the week with a 3-6 overall record heading into Thursday's home game against UC Riverside... The Tritons have had their last three games canceled due to COVID protocols, last taking the court in a 65-57 loss at San Diego State on Dec. 17, and have lost five of their last six save for an 81-61 win over San Jose State on Dec. 3... Senior Sydney Brown leads the team in scoring (11.2 ppg) and is second in rebounding (7.9 rpg) while shooting .381 from the field... UCSD is averaging 62.6 ppg and is shooting .376 from the field, while holding opponents to just 60.2 ppg and a .336 field goal percentage.

SERIES NOTES: UC Davis leads the all-time series with its former CCAA Division II rival UC San Diego by a 14-3 count, having won the last seven straight dating back to 2002... The Aggies won both regular season meetings with the Tritons during their first year in the Big West last season, posting an 80-62 win in the opener before closing out the weekend with a 58-46 win at the University Credit Union Center... Saturday marks the first meeting between the two in La Jolla since the 2003-04 season (a 73-68 UC Davis win on Jan. 16, 2004), and the Aggies have won the last three meetings on UCSD's home floor dating back to an overtime win in 2002... UC Davis is 3-1 in games played in La Jolla with the location of three games in the series unknown.

FOR OPENERS, BIG WEST STYLE (FINALLY!): Since officially joining the league in 2007-08, UC Davis is 7-7 in Big West Conference openers, winning six of its last seven with the only hiccup in that streak a 75-70 defeat at UC Riverside in 2019-20... Thanks to the cancellation against the Highlanders, Saturday's game against Hawai'i marks ony the sixth time in 15 conference openers that the Aggies will start league action at home, posting a 2-3 record in the previous nine contests... This year marks the first time that UC Davis and Hawai'i will tip-off league play against one another... The Aggies have opened against UC Riverside (1-2), CSUN (3-1), Cal State Fullerton (0-3), UC Irvine (2-0), and UC San Diego (1-0), as well as former conference rival Pacific (0-1).
 

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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.