DAVIS, Calif. – Megan Norris enjoyed her best night as an Aggie, scoring a career-high 22 points and grabbing a career-high 15 boards to power UC Davis to a huge 82-62 win over UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night inside the University Credit Union Center.
The Aggies (11-9, 7-3 Big West) have now won seven of their last eight games and sit just a game outside of first place in the Big West standings. It was the third-best shooting night of the season for UC Davis (51.7%), and the most efficient of the conference campaign.
UC Davis' win was powered by a second quarter for the record books. The Aggies set a new program record for points in a quarter by scoring 35 points on an unbelievable 15-of-16 from the floor. This culminated in a 24-0 run that gave the hosts a 30-point lead at the half.
Jennifer Gross' defensive game plan was stellar as her team forced the conference's top offense into its worst shooting night of the season (28.6%).
Norris was absolutely fantastic as the offense flowed through her for the entirety of the night. The Menlo Park native dropped a career-high 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc. She controlled the glass with her career-best 15 rebounds and also played the creator role, dishing out four assists.
Delivering an electrifying performance was Evanne Turner who also went above the 20-point mark as he poured in 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting. The guard hit two threes and went 7-of-8 from the free throw line in her brilliant scoring display. Turner also handed out a game-high six assists.
Tova Sabel made her way into double-digits, scoring eight points in the historic second quarter to finish with 11 in the contest.
How It Happened
The Aggies found the shooting touch early in the contest when consecutive three-pointers from Turner, Harris, and Norris sparked an 11-2 run to start the game. UC Davis showed some energy on the defensive end as well, holding the Gauchos to just 1-of-7 through the first five minutes of the contest. However, the visitors were able to draw a few fouls to get to the charity stripe seven times in the period, whittling the lead to two.
The Aggies' first quarter defense was outstanding as UCSB went just 4-of-13 in the opening 10 minutes, allowing them to build an 18-16 lead after one.
It was a memorable second quarter for Davis' team, scoring a program record 35 points during the interval. The explosion started with back-to-back buckets from Norris and a three-point play from Sabel, making it a double-digit lead for the hosts. UC Santa Barbara was held scoreless for over seven minutes and Jennifer Gross's side started to pour it on, rallying for a 24-0 run to take a 42-16 lead with 4:36 left in the half.
The Aggies just couldn't miss during the record-breaking scoring run, hitting 11 straight field goals to finish 15-of-16 from the floor in the second period, taking a 53-23 advantage into the locker room. Norris was absolutely dominant in first half action, nearly posting a double-double before the whistle blew for halftime with her 13 points (6-of-8) and nine rebounds.
UC Santa Barbara started to find its footing after the halftime break by posting a 15-3 run over a five-minute span. The Gauchos ultimately out-scored the Aggies 27-5 over a nine-minute stretch, cutting the lead to single digits. A couple free throws from Turner and a timely three-point play from Norris would push the lead back to double-digits (63-50) as the teams enter the last 10 minutes. Alyssa Marin led the comeback by going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
On her special night, Norris restored some momentum for her team in the fourth quarter by burying her third triple to give herself 22 points in the game. UC Davis managed a 7-0 run in the final minutes to keep the visitors at bay and hold off their comeback attempt with the 82-62 win.
Game Notes
» Megan Norris notched an impressive double-double for the Aggies with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
» The Aggies shot well from three point range, knocking down 11 of 26 long range attempts.
» The Aggies held the Gauchos to only 28.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The Aggies never trailed after taking an 18-16 first quarter lead.
» UC Davis recorded 17 total assists in the game.
» UC Davis had a 41-38 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Aggies were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording 10 blocks as a team.
» Megan Norris led the Aggies with 22 points and Evanne Turner added 21.
» UC Davis got a game-high 15 rebounds from Megan Norris.
UP NEXT
The Ags are back inside the University Credit Union Center this Saturday to host Cal Poly. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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