DAVIS, Calif, — The UC Davis Aggies staged a remarkable comeback to defeat the reigning Big West Champions, downing the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine 61-51 at the University Credit Union Center Saturday.
The Aggies trailed by 10 points midway through the third quarter, but rallied behind a balanced scoring attack and a stifling defense in the second half to secure the win.
Tova Sabel led the way for the Aggies (13-10, 9-4) with 17 points and seven rebounds, shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. She was joined in double digits by Victoria Baker, who came off the bench to provide a spark with a season-high 12 points, to go along with four rebounds, and a team-high plus/minus of +16. Evanne Turner also contributed 11 points and four rebounds, while Nya Epps added 10 points, two rebounds, and two steals, showcasing her cutting ability on offense and her defensive presence on the perimeter.
The Aggies come from behind effort was ignited by this balanced attack offensively which flipped the script after scoring just six points in the second quarter.
Another key component in the Aggies ability to chip away at the lead was controlling the glass in the second half, as UC Davis ended up winning the rebounding battle tonight 35-33, with Sabel grabbing seven boards and Megan Norris and Bria Shine each pulling down four. After the first half, The Rainbow Wahine had 21 boards to the Aggies 14, and in the second half, UC Davis outrebounded Hawaii 21-12, limiting nearly all second-chance possessions for the opposition.
The Aggies also held the Rainbow Wahine to a dismal 29.6 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent from three-point range, forcing 12 turnovers and blocking four shots. Epps led the way with two steals for UC Davis while Megan Norris controlled the paint, tallying a game, and season-high three blocks for the center from Menlo Park.
How it Happened
UC Davis got off to a slow start, trailing 20-15 after the first quarter of play.
The Aggies could not find their rhythm in the second quarter, as Hawaii extended their lead to 31-21 at the half.
The third quarter saw the Rainbow Wahine get their largest lead of the game of 13 points but it was UC Davis who mounted a comeback stealing the entire momentum of the game in the third quarter, slicing the gap to 37-36 with a 7-0 spurt late in the period. Hawaii responded and held a 44-41 edge going into the final quarter. The Aggies hit three triples in the quarter, accounting for nine of their 20 points.
UC Davis opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run, capped by a
Nya Epps layup, to take a 47-44 lead with 8:36 remaining. The Aggies never looked back, as they pulled away for a 61-51 victory. UC Davis dominated the paint, scoring 16 of its 20 points in the quarter from close range. Epps and Sabel led the Aggies in scoring down the stretch, accounting for 14 of the Aggies 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
» The Aggies rallied from a three-point 44-41 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» UC Davis rallied from a 10-point 31-21 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
» The Aggies held the Rainbow Wahine to only 29.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The UC Davis bench made an impact by scoring 22 points to its scoring output.
» Victoria Baker and Nya Epps came off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively.
» UC Davis had a 35-33 edge on the boards in the win.
» Tova Sabel led the Aggies with a game-high 17 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high seven rebounds from Tova Sabel.
