BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- UC Davis has hit its stride in the month of January, grabbing its fourth consecutive victory after yet another dominant showing, defeating Cal State Bakersfield 62-46 on Saturday afternoon in the Icardo Center.
The Aggies (8-8, 4-2 Big West) didn't have their best shooting night from the perimeter, but used some tenacious defense and won the battle inside to build a massive halftime advantage. History was made in the contest as Cal State Bakersfield scored just 13 points in the first 20 minutes, which matches the lowest number of points surrendered in a half for the UC Davis women's basketball program.
Evanne Turner delivered one of her best performances of the year, finishing just one point short of her season-high. The Fontana native dropped 22 points on 8-of-19 shooting, making four three-pointers and grabbing five rebounds.
Reaching double figures for the ninth straight game was Tova Sabel, who dropped 13 points and recorded six rebounds on the day. Megan Norris flirted with a double-double by scoring nine points and tallying a team-high eight boards.
UC Davis pulled down 41 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Cal State Bakersfield's 34, led by Norris' eight boards.
Jennifer Gross' defensive game plan worked to perfection, holding Cal State Bakersfield to only 32.1% shooting from the field and just 20% from beyond the arc. The Aggies also limited Shaunae Brown to 5-of-17 shooting in the game. The Roadrunners did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with seven offensive rebounds and managed nine second chance points while UC Davis cleared 35 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
Evanne Turner enjoyed an excellent start to the contest by pouring in UC Davis' first seven points of the game to spark a 9-2 run in the early minutes. The Aggies' defense was suffocating in the opening period, holding the Roadrunners to just seven points and 3-of-14 from the field. Turner finished with nine first-quarter points to power UC Davis to a 13-7 lead after one.
Sabel got involved in the second quarter by quickly dropping a pair of buckets to widen the Aggies' advantage. Nailing her second three-ball of the game was Turner, pushing her total to 12 points while forcing a timeout from the hosts. Both teams went cold near the end of the period, but
Bria Shine hit a triple from the corner and
Nya Epps finished off a tough layup to cap off UC Davis' 9-0 run to close the half, leading 29-13.
By holding Cal State Bakersfield to just 13 points after two quarters, the Aggies match their best-ever defensive showing in a half.
The scoring run carried into the second half when Sabel buried her second three-pointer to get the team in rhythm. A basket from
Sydney Burns followed by Turner's five consecutive points made it a 19-0 run and forced the Roadrunners into another timeout early in the third quarter.
Lena Svanholm made her return from injury and quickly got her name on the scoresheet by swishing a fade-away jumper to make the score 42-18 halfway through the third.
The two teams traded baskets for majority of the fourth quarter and UC Davis would cruise to the 62-46 victory, its fourth straight win.
Game Notes
» The Aggies held the Roadrunners to only 32.1% shooting from the field.
» The Aggies never trailed after taking a 13-7 first quarter lead.
» UC Davis had a stellar day defensively, holding Cal State Bakersfield to 20% from three-point land.
» UC Davis had a 41-34 edge on the boards in the win.
»
Evanne Turner led the Aggies with a game-high 22 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high eight rebounds from
Megan Norris.
UP NEXT
The Ags make their return to the University Credit Union Center on Jan. 18 when they host Cal State Fullerton. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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
