DAVIS, Calif. -- A massive fourth-quarter lead nearly evaporated for UC Davis in the dying minutes of the contest, but the Aggies would hang on for their first Big West Conference victory of the season, earning the 63-59 win on Thursday night inside the University Credit Union Center.
The Aggies (5-8, 1-2 Big West) had three players score in double figures, led by Tova Sabel, who had 16 points. Megan Norris tacked on 13 points and Evanne Turner helped out with 13 points.
UC Davis shared the ball well in Thursday's game, racking up 19 assists on 24 made field goals. Individually, Sydney Burns led the way for the Aggies with five assists.
UC Davis' defense held UC Riverside to only 34.8 percent shooting from the field. The Aggies also limited Matehya Bryant to 3-of-14 shooting and six points in the game. The Highlanders did not have much luck cleaning up their misses on the offensive glass either, as they finished with nine offensive rebounds and managed four second chance points while UC Davis cleared 35 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
Opening the scoring for Davis' team was Evanne Turner, finishing off a crisp pass from Burns. Turner became the creator for the Aggies' next basket, finding Norris wide open underneath the basket for another score. However, five UC Davis turnovers in the first five minutes allowed UC Riverside to earn a 6-4 lead at the under-5 media timeout.
Turner netted her first three-pointer of the contest to tie things up and the two teams finished the first period all tied up at 11-11.
The Aggies came out firing in the second half when Victoria Baker's transition triple capped off a quick 5-0 run for the hosts. Baker started to take over in the second period, producing a highlight reel play with her emphatic block before running the floor to finish the layup on the other end to extend the lead to eight points.
It was a very efficient second quarter for the Aggies, going 8-of-14 from the field to build a 28-23 lead at the break.
UC Davis started to find its rhythm in the third quarter by rallying for a 13-2 run, using three-pointers from
Mazatlan Harris, Norris, and Sabel to push the lead to double-digits and force a UCR timeout. Back-to-back buckets from freshman
Ally Fitzgerald continued the excellent quarter before Turner hit her second three of the night to make it a 19-point advantage for Davis' team.
The Aggies' defense stiffened in the third frame, holding the Highlanders without a field goal for over seven minutes. The Highlanders were completely flustered by
Jennifer Gross' defensive adjustments, shooting just 18% (3-of-16) from the floor. This allowed UC Davis to out-score its opposition 23-9 to take an 51-32 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Five consecutive points from Sabel boosted the Aggies' lead above the 20-point mark. However, UC Riverside would storm back into the contest with an 18-2 run, cutting the lead to just eight points at the 2:12 mark.
The game would get particularly nervy for UC Davis as three straight turnovers allowed the Highlanders to cut the lead to three with 56 seconds left to play. The Aggies managed to come up with a huge defensive stop and Norris would make two free throws to clinch the team's first conference victory, 63-59.
Game Notes
» The Aggies held the Highlanders to only 34.8 percent shooting from the field.
» UC Davis never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Aggies put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 79 percent of made field goals.
» UC Davis had a 38-33 edge on the boards in the win.
» Tova Sabel led the Aggies with 16 points.
» UC Davis got five rebounds from both Bria Shine and Evanne Turner.
UP NEXT
The Ags are back inside the University Credit Union Center on Jan. 6 to host UC Irvine. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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