IRVINE, Calif. – UC Davis women's basketball was picked to finish third in the 2023-24 Big West Conference Preseason Coaches' poll, receiving three first-place place votes. All-Big West recipients from a season ago,
Evanne Turner and
Tova Sabel, were named to the Preseason Coaches' team, announced on Wednesday morning.
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The Aggies finished fourth in the conference standings a season ago and suffered a first-round exit in the Big West Conference Championships in Henderson, Nev. Last season's conference tournament champions, Hawai'i, were selected to lift the trophy yet again, receiving 95 points and six first-place votes to finish atop the coaches' poll.
With some new pieces added to Head Coach
Jennifer Gross' squad, the Aggies are optimistic about a return to their former glory and a push towards another NCAA Tournament appearance.
After leading the conference in scoring, First Team All-Big West selection
Evanne Turner coming off one of the best individual seasons in UC Davis women's basketball history.
She averaged 15.1 points-per-game with 21 games in double figures and eight games with 20+ points. The sharpshooting guard led the conference in three-pointers (77), three-pointers-per-game (2.7) and finished third in field-goal percentage (.411) while attempting the most shots (157). The Fontana, Calif. native achieved a host of milestones in the 2022-23 season. She eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career on Jan. 21 and has since ascended to No. 12 on the UC Davis all-time scoring list with 1,156 total points. Turner also became the UC Davis all-time leader in career three-point field goals when she nailed her 196
thcareer triple on Jan. 16 and has increased her lead at the top with 228 threes.
Breaking onto the scene to receive All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition was
Tova Sabel, who played her first season for UC Davis in 2022-23 after transferring in from Penn State.
A two-time Big West Player of the Week,
Sabel came on strong towards the end of the season to earn Honorable Mention recognition. The Penn State transfer averaged 11.8 points-per-game to finish 13
th in the conference. She racked up 16 double-digit scoring performances and five games with 20 or more points. Sabel had two games of 30+ points, including a career-high 31 points against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 23. Sabel was on an absolute tear in the last two months as she posted eight straight games in double figures with four games above the 20-point mark. Over that span, she averaged 20.1 points-per-game.
The Aggies will hit the hardwood for the first time this season on Oct. 29 for an exhibition matchup with Cal Poly Humboldt inside the University Credit Union Center, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. The season will officially get underway on Nov. 6 in Davis when the Ags host Academy of Art for an 11 a.m. tipoff inside the home gym.
2023-24 Big West Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank/Institution |
Points |
| 1. Hawai'i |
95 (6) |
| 2. UC Irvine |
88 (2) |
| 3. UC Davis |
85 (3) |
| 4. UC Santa Barbara |
65 |
| T5. Cal State Fullerton |
59 |
| T5. UC San Diego |
59 |
| 7. Long Beach State |
45 |
| 8. Cal Poly |
42 |
| 9. Cal State Bakersfield |
25 |
| 10. UC Riverside |
24 |
| 11. CSUN |
18 |
2023-24 All-Big West Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Team
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Position |
Institution |
| Fujika Nimmo |
Sr. |
Guard |
Cal State Fullerton |
| Daejah Phillips |
Jr. |
Guard |
Hawai'i |
| Tova Sabel |
Sr. |
Guard |
UC Davis |
| Nikki Tom |
Jr. |
Guard |
UC Irvine |
| Evanne Turner |
Sr. |
Guard |
UC Davis |
| Lily Wahinekapu |
Jr. |
Guard |
Hawai'i
|
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