Score:Â UC Davis 77, San Diego State 83
Location:Â Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 1-1, San Deigo State 2-0
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The short story: 26 points from both
Tova Sabel and
Nya Epps helped fuel a late fourth quarter run that forced overtime, but UC Davis women's basketball's attempts at an exciting early season comeback fell just short on a Friday night against San Diego State.
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OPENING TIP
- Epps' 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting was a career high for the Aggie guard and she added three rebound and was 2-for-5 from beyond the arc
- Sabel, who played a team-high 41 minutes was 10-for-18 from the line, finishing 7-for-18 from the field and she had a team-high eight rebounds and two assists
- Megan Norris added 13 points, snagging seven boards going 5-for-7 from the field, adding two assists to the mix
- Mazatlan Harris snagged seven boards and recorded a team-high five assists
- The Aggies were strong in the paint all night, outscoring the Aztecs 40-to-34 in the paint, and with 38 rebounds UC Davis had three more boards then San Diego State
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Through the first quarter, San Deigo State and UC Davis traded blows, and a three-point basket from Ally Fitzgerald on the final shot of the period pulled the Aggies withing 16-14 heading into the second
- Midway through the second quarter, San Diego State nearly pulled away breaking double digits at 26-16, but free throws from Sabel and Epps, coupled with a Harris basket in the paint meant that UC Davis had pulled back the Aztecs to only a five-point deficit, 33-28, heading into the break
- San Deigo State nearly pulled away for good in the third quarter, holding a 48-36 lead with three minutes to go in the quarter
- But over the final three minutes, Epps was on fire hitting a pair of baskets to keep the Aggies within striking distance, and despite the Aztecs holding a 50-43 lead heading into the final quarter UC Davis had plenty of fight left
- As late as 3:47 San Deigo State held an eight-point lead at 61-53
- It was here UC Davis found the fight they needed to erase the deficit
- Sable hit a layup at 2:49 and less then 20 seconds late Epps picked the pocket of San Diego State's Meghan Fiso and finished off a layup to make it 61-58
- Another Epps bucket just under the minute mark got the Aggies within one point at 63-62, but UC Davis would need all 30 seconds left
- The Aztecs had an answer, which Sabel's layup at 34 seconds acted as the Aggie response to make it 65-64
- Neither team found a bucket for the next 20 seconds, but Sable found herself on the free throw line twice over a five-second stretch, hitting three out of four to five UC Davis a 67-65 lead with just five seconds left in the game, the first lead for the Aggies since the first quarter
- But on the final play of regular time, San Deigo State's Erin Houpt drew a foul and after hitting both free throws, tied the score up at 67-67, forcing overtime in Davis
- UC Davis went blow-for-blow with San Deigo State over the first three minutes of the extra period
- The Aggies got as close as 72-71 at 1:51, but that would be the closest they would get as the Aztecs pulled away over the next two minutes to come away with an 83-77 win
GAME NOTES
- Head coach Jennifer Gross has 238 career wins. The Cal Aggie Hall of Famer sits just 13 wins away from tying Sandy Simpson, who owns the school record for all-time wins as head coach at 251
- Sable now has 1,116 career points and she moves into 16th all-time in program history for career points scored
UP NEXT: The Aggies hit the road for the first time this season with a pair of games, first at RV Stanford on Nov. 13, before heading to Montana State on Nov. 17.
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