NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Tova Sabel and Tess Sussman carried UC Davis women's basketball to victory on Wednesday night as the duo combined for 40 points in the Aggies' 71-50 win over CSUN.

UC Davis (12-12, 8-6) struggled in the first half and trailed after the first two periods, and the Matadors seemed unable to miss a shot inside their own gym. The Aggies returned to form and out-scored the Matadors 36-14 over the last 20 minutes to cruise to its sixth win in the last eight games.

With the Aggies' leading scorer, Evanne Turner, unable to find her rhythm in the first half, Tova Sabel stepped up in a big way, posting a game-high 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting.

Tess Sussman recorded her second-best scoring haul of the season with 17 points, including three triples and a perfect 4-for-4 display from the free throw line. The graduate student grabbed six rebounds, handed out two assists, and picked up a pair of steals.

Megan Norris narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and eight boards, while also contributing on the defensive end with two blocks.
 

How It Happened
It was another slow start for the Aggies but Sabel immediately found her rhythm on the offensive end, burying a sweet turnaround jumper off the glass to start her night. It became five quick points for the Swedish guard with her 'and-one' just before the media timeout in the first quarter. CSUN started well inside their own gym, shooting 47% from the floor to take a three-point lead after one.

Sabel knocked down a three-ball and Megan Jones added a layup as UC Davis raced to a 5-0 run, forcing a CSUN timeout. Sussman stroked back-to-back threes coming out of the timeout but the Matadors continued to answered with some impressive perimeter shooting of their own. The Aggies would take some much-needed momentum into the break when Norris finished off a layup at the buzzer to make it a one-point deficit (36-35) at halftime.

UC Davis turned up the energy for the second-half action, rallying for a 19-4 run that was punctuated by two Evanne Turner three-pointers, her first points of the contest. Sabel and Sussman continued to shoot the lights out as the duo combined for 13 points during the run.

The Aggies were firing on all cylinders with their 57.1% field goal percentage in the period while Head Coach Jennifer Gross made some intelligent defensive adjustments that held CSUN to just 2-of-12. It would prove to be the turning point in the game as UC Davis won the third quarter 21-7 to take a double-digit lead that it would not surrender.

Jones knocked down a jumper, Sussman scored a layup, and Mazatlan Harris hit a couple threes to put the Aggies out of sight in the final period. UC Davis coasted to victory by holding the hosts to below 30% from the field in the second half. The Aggies out-scored CSUN 36-14 over the last two quarters to earn the 71-50 win.

Game Notes
» Campbell Gray finished with a season-high seven assists.
» The Aggies have now won eight straight contests against the Matadors.
» UC Davis has won six of its last eight games.
» UC Davis out-rebounded CSUN 44-30, grabbing a season-high 16 offensive boards.
» The Aggies recorded 15 second-chance points.
 
Up Next
UC Davis returns to Northern California to face off against second-place UC Irvine on Feb. 18. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the University Credit Union Center.