Davis, Calif. - UC Davis turned in one of it's best defensive efforts of the season on its biggest stage so far, defeating Long Beach State 55-45 to advance to the semifinal round at the Big West Conference Tournament in Henderson, Nev. on Wednesday night.
The Aggies (15-12, 8-8) held third-seeded Long Beach State (19-8, 12-6) to 29.8 percent shooting from the field, the second straight game an Aggie opponent has failed to shoot 30 percent and the seventh time this season. UC Davis was second in the Big West Conference in field goal percentage defense in the regular season.
UC Davis also held the Beach to a season-low 15.8 percent from three and 0-9 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Evanne Turner led UC Davis with a game-high 19 points, going 5-10 from three to tie her career-best for made threes in a game.
Cierra Hall added 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists. One of the performances of the season came from
Sydney Burns who stepped in play a career-high 35 minutes and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds with nine points and three assists. Burns also went a career-high 7-8 from the free throw line.
It was all Aggies early as UC Davis took a 6-6 tie with 7:48 left in the first period and finished the quarter on a 9-2 run. Turner made threes on UC Davis' first two possessions of the second quarter, part of a 9-3 start to the second that saw the Aggies lead 24-13 with 5:39 until the break.
The Beach began to chip away at that lead to get within 32-25 at halftime and a three with 4:50 to go in the third quarter pulled them within 34-30. Long Beach State extended that run, outscoring the Aggies 9-4 over 6:57 of the third to make it 36-34. An offensive rebound by Burns and a three from
Sage Stobbart shifted momentum back to UC Davis and kick-started a 7-2 run that sent UC Davis into the fourth quarter with a 43-36 lead.
Neither team scored over the first 4:16 of the fourth until a Hall lay-up pushed the lead to 45-36. Long Beach State would not get closer than five the rest of the way.
The Aggies, five-time defending champions at the Big West Conference Tournament, will face No. 2 UC Irvine in the second semifinal on Friday at 2:30 p.m. by virtue of the Anteaters' 80-68 win earlier in the evening.
