ISLA VISTA, CA -- UC Davis delivered an excellent all-around performance to win in one of the most difficult places to play in the Big West, The Thunderdome, by taking down UC Santa Barbara 80-59.

The Aggies (15-13, 11-7) shot nearly 60% as a team and 50% (9-for-18) from three-point range in an incredible offensive showing. Head Coach Jennifer Gross had her team moving the ball very effectively as UC Davis was able to work some easy looks throughout the contest. Four Aggies finished in double figures in the full team effort on Thursday night.

Campbell Gray led the way with a career-high 13 points on a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. Tova Sabel made it seven straight games in double figures with her 12 points on a very efficient 5-for-6 from the floor. The Swedish guard went 2-for-3 from long range while grabbing five rebounds. Victoria Baker was quite productive off the bench with 11 points and three boards while Tess Sussman was just one point shy of a double-double, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds while pouring in nine points.

Led by Mazatlan Harris' three offensive rebounds, UC Davis did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 10 boards that resulted in 13 second chance points.

The UC Davis defense held UCSB shooters to only 29.4 percent from the field, including 18.8 percent from three-point range. The Gauchos did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only nine offensive rebounds and scored 13 second chance points while UC Davis pulled down 29 defensive rebounds.
 

How It Happened

After jumping out to a 7-4 advantage, UC Davis went on a 5-0 run with 5:06 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Evanne Turner, to increase its lead to 12-4. The Aggies then maintained that lead and entered the quarter break with a 20-12 advantage. UC Davis relied on its three-point shooting in the period, as Sussman nailed two of the team's four first-quarter triples. Turner capped off the first period with an incredible fadeaway three-pointer at the buzzer, giving her team some momentum early in the contest.
 

The Aggies used the second period to increase their lead and entered halftime with a 36-23 edge. UC Davis dominated in the paint, scoring eight of its 16 points close to the basket. The Gauchos went just 6-for-25 in the first half as the UC Davis defense was applying some heavy pressure to keep UCSB out of its rhythm.

Following intermission, UC Davis continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 40-26 before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a three from Gray, to expand its lead further to 45-26 with 6:48 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Gauchos managed to find some life, but the Aggies still entered the fourth quarter with a 57-41 edge. UC Davis knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 21 total points.

UC Davis started tacking on points in the fourth almost immediately, going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Gray's layup, to grow the lead to 64-41 with 8:25 to go in the contest. UC Davis put the Gauchos away easily after going 11-for-15 in the final period, and the Aggies would cruise the rest of the way for the 80-59 win behind Baker's six fourth-quarter points.

Game Notes

» The Aggies made half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down nine of 18 shots.
» The Aggies held the Gauchos to only 29.4 percent shooting from the field.
» The Aggies never trailed after taking a 20-12 first quarter lead.
» UC Davis had a great day defensively, holding UCSB to 19 percent from beyond the arc on 16 attempts.
» The UC Davis bench came alive by scoring 31 points to its scoring output.
» UC Davis had a 39-22 edge on the boards in the win.
» The UC Davis defense forced 14 turnovers.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Campbell Gray led the Aggies with 13 points.
» UC Davis got a game-high 10 rebounds from Tess Sussman.

Up Next

UC Davis will play its regular season finale against conference-leading Long Beach State on March 4 inside Walter Pyramid. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.