DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis women's basketball will look to return to its former glory during its 2023-24 campaign, hoping to capture its first Big West Conference title since 2021. With 10 returners and three newcomers on the roster, Head Coach Jennifer Gross is optimistic about the team's chances this season.
 
Nov. 6 vs. Academy of Art | 11 a.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.)
Live Stats
Listen
ESPN+


Nov. 9 vs. Portland State | 5 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.)
Live Stats
Listen
ESPN+
 
PRESEASON POLL
The UC Davis women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the league standings, and received three first-place votes according to a vote by the league's coaches.
 
Coming off of their impressive 2022-23 seasons, Evanne Turner and Tova Sabel were selected to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team.
 
THE 2023-24 SEASON OFFICIALLY TIPS OFF
The Aggies will host Field Trip Day inside the University Credit Union Center when the Academy of Art comes to Davis for the season opener. UC Davis looks to continue its success in season opening contests with a 29-21 all-time record dating back to 1977-78. On Thursday night, Portland State of the Big Sky will be the opponent as the Aggies seek for their first win over the Vikings since 2017.
  
ABOUT THE URBAN KNIGHTS
Led by first-year head coach Jesse Clark, Academy of Art will look to turn things around after posting a 7-18 (7-13 PacWest). The Urban Knights opened the season on an eight-game skid before they started to find rhythm around the halfway point in the season.
 
It's a new-look squad as three freshman and two graduate transfers make their way to San Francisco, hoping to freshen up the program.
 
ABOUT THE VIKINGS 
Portland State finished a game below .500 in the 2022-23 season (15-16, 8-10 Big Sky) and hope to improve under Head Coach Chelsey Gregg who enters her third year at the helm. Last season was a huge success for Gregg's squad who massively improved upon a 0-20 conference campaign in 2021-22 to finish with a +8 win differential from the season prior, the largest turnaround in Portland State history. 
 
The Vikings return leading scorer and All-Big Sky Second Team selection Esmeralda Morales who registered 15.8 points-per-game. Three more starters will be back for Portland State including Alaya Fitzgerald, Cinco McCartney, and Rhema Ogele.
 
SERIES NOTES 
UC Davis has only matched up with the Academy of Art one time, winning that contest 69-51 in November of 2021.
 
Portland State leads the all-time series 11-5 and have won the last two matchups. The last UC Davis victory came in 2019, a 79-67 win in Davis.
 
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Evanne Turner and Tova Sabel make up one of the best scoring duos in the nation as they combined to average 27.0 points-per-game last season. The two guards made up 41.9% of the total scoring output and will look to lead the UC Davis offense again during the 2023-24 season.
 
BAUGH JOINS COACHING STAFF 
Former WNBA player and Sacramento native, Vicki Baugh, joins Jennifer Gross' staff as an assistant coach. The Sacramento native was a standout for the University of Tennessee, reaching the NCAA Tournament in all four of her playing seasons with the Lady Volunteers. 
 
She won a national championship with the squad in the 2007-08 season before battling injuries for the next two years. Baugh battled back to enjoy an excellent end to her collegiate career, leading her team to back-to-back SEC titles and Elite Eight finishes in the NCAA Tournament. In her senior season, Baugh capped off her career in the college ranks by leading the Lady Vols in shooting percentage.
 
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
The Aggies are now 75-15 on their home floor over the past five-plus years, winning 29 of their last 37 and posting a winning record at home in each of the last nine campaigns.
 
TURNER MAKES HISTORY...AGAIN
Last season, Evanne Turner ascended to No. 12 on the UC Davis all-time scoring list with 1,172 points for her career.
 
THREE-POINT QUEEN
By netting her 196th career three-pointer on Jan. 16 against UC San Diego, Evanne Turner broke the UC Davis program record for three-point field goals. Lori Hurlburt held the previous record, making 194 from 1997-2001. She has made 229 for her career and continues to extend her lead at the top of the list.
 
SVANHOLM RETURNS FOR SENIOR SEASON 
Truly embodying the essence of the student-athlete is Lena Svanholm of UC Davis women's basketball. The forward has excelled tremendously off the court, as she was recently accepted into UC Davis' Ph.D program for Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Svanholm has announced that she will return for her 'last dance' in the 2023-24 campaign, becoming the only known active NCAA Division I women's basketball student-athlete to be enrolled in such a program.

TICKET INFORMATION
Fans have a multitude of options at their disposal to fit any ticketing needs, including Season Tickets, three different Mini Plans including the all new Flexbook, and discounted Group Tickets for any game available now. Single-game tickets will be on sale this coming Wednesday, October 18^th through ucdavisaggies.com/tickets. Fans can also call (530) 752-2471 or email aggietickets@ucdavis.edu for more information. 
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Stay in the loop with everything related to UC Davis women's basketball by following the Aggies on all of their social media platforms.
Instagram | X | Facebook