DAVIS, Calif. - It was a defensive battle that saw UC Davis fall to Cal Poly 57-47 in a low-scoring contest on Saturday afternoon inside the University Credit Union Center.

The Aggies (11-10, 7-4 Big West) struggled to hit shots from the perimeter, going just 4-of-23 (17.4%) from beyond the arc, which marks their worst three-point shooting performance of the season. Cal Poly (11-10, 7-4 Big West) completes the sweep over UC Davis after delivering a very efficient shooting night, making six of its 12 attempts from three-point range while managing a team field goal percentage of 41%.

Megan Norris continued to shine despite the team's defeat, posting a team-high 16 points and eight boards. Norris pulled down five offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for UC Davis, grabbing 11 total offensive boards.

Sydney Burns was the only other Aggie to reach double-digits, dropping 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor.

Jennifer Gross drew up another solid defensive game plan that forced Cal Poly into 23 turnovers. Those takeaways turned into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor. Turner's three steals led the way individually for the Aggies.

How It Happened
Norris picked up where she left off in Thursday night's contest, scoring the first five points of the game after netting a layup and completing a three-point play. Cal Poly were the ones to enjoy a fast start, however, posting a 9-0 run in less than four minutes to build an early lead. 
 

 
Shooting woes plagued the Aggies in the first period as a 1-for-8 stretched allowed the visitors push their lead to six. By nailing a deep three-pointer from the wing, Evanne Turner got her team back on track, but the Mustangs came away with a narrow 13-12 lead after one.
 
Back-to-back triples from Toval Sabel and Mazatlan Harris gave UC Davis some momentum to start the second frame before both teams entered a scoring drought of over two minutes. Cal Poly maintained its one-point advantage but the Aggies' defense, which has been dominant nearly all season long, came up with some big stops to force the visitors into another lengthy scoring drought. UC Davis pressured Cal Poly into eight turnovers in the period, an after an "and-one" from Burns at the buzzer, the two teams entered the break knotted up at 26-26.
 
Norris dropped two quick buckets to get things started in her six-point third quarter. The Mustangs kept pace with the Aggies and following a three-pointer from Ania McNicholas, tied the game at 37-37 with 2:51 left in the period. Two free throws with 0.8 remaining gave the Mustangs a two-point lead (39-37) going into the last 10 minutes.
 
Burns immediately restored the Aggies' lead with a three-pointer on the team's first possession of the fourth. A flurry of UC Davis turnovers swapped the momentum over to the visiting side and Cal Poly took advantage, scoring on its next two trips down the floor to snatch the lead back. The defensive battle continued as both teams went scoreless for another three-minute stretch until Norris ended the cold spell with a tough basket inside.
 
 
In the end, UC Davis just couldn't find any offensive rhythm, going just 1-for-11 in the last five minutes and Cal Poly managed to escape with the 57-47 win in the low-scoring ball game.

Game Notes
» The UC Davis defense forced 23 turnovers.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Megan Norris led the Aggies with 16 points.
» UC Davis got a game-high eight rebounds from Megan Norris.
 
UP NEXT
The Ags hit the road on Feb. 8 to take on Cal State Fullerton. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 
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