HENDERSON, Nev. – Evanne Turner's outstanding long-range shooting display and the best scoring haul of her career powered UC Davis to a dominant 81-56 win over eight-seed Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the Big West Conference Championships at the Dollar Loan Center.
UC Davis (18-13, 13-7 Big West) witnessed an extraordinary performance from their First Team All-Big West recipient. With a remarkable career-high of 29 points, Turner was dialed in from long range, draining 7-of-10 shots from beyond the arc . Her 11-of-15 shooting performance etched her name into the annals of UC Davis women's basketball history, securing the record for the highest individual point total in a single Big West Tournament game.
This pivotal day also marked two program bests for the Aggies. Their 17 three-pointers matched a program record, underscoring their prowess from beyond the perimeter. Furthermore, during the second quarter, the Aggies erupted for an impressive 29 points, establishing a new school record for scoring in a single Big West Tournament quarter.
Tova Sabel reached double figures in her 12-point day while Megan Norris grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Sydney Burns made three triples in the contest to finish with nine points in her 23 minutes of action.
How It Happened
Turner opened the scoring with three-ball from the corner before Sabel buried a three-pointer of her own to give the Aggies an early 6-0 lead. Jennifer Gross' defense forced four straight Cal State Fullerton misses to help spark the scoring run. The threes continued to rain down when Mazatlan Harris found the bottom of the net from deep, forcing a timeout from the Titans' bench after pushing the lead to 9-2 at the 6:42 mark.
Cal State Fullerton regrouped following the stoppage and immediately rattled off an 8-0 run to snatch the lead from the Aggies. Five turnovers over a six-minute stretch plagued UC Davis during the run, but Sabel finally ended the scoring drought with her second three of the period, restoring her team's lead. Burns nailed a triple on the Aggies' final possession of the opening 10 minutes, extending the lead to 17-12.
The offense continued to flow in the second quarter when UC Davis posted a 15-0 run behind a Norris three-pointer and two Nya Epps layups, making it a 20-point advantage. The Titans went scoreless for the first five minutes of the second period as the Aggie defense applied some serious pressure, creating four turnovers while forcing eight straight misfires from their opponents.
Turner absolutely caught fire before the halftime break, knocking down four consecutive triples as the three-point barrage continued for Davis' team. In all, the Aggies shot 68% from the field while making 10 of its 16 attempts from deep to post their highest-scoring quarter ever at the Big West Tournament. UC Davis assisted on 15 of its 17 made field goals in the first half, creating open looks on nearly every possession to lead 46-26 at the break.
The hot-shooting continued from beyond the arc when Burns hit her second and third threes of the day to kick start the Aggies' offense in the second half. Turner brought her point total to 25 following her sixth and seventh three-pointers of the contest, powering her team to a 64-40 lead heading into the final period.
Norris and
Bria Shine drilled back-to-back triples in the fourth to make it 16 total three-pointers for UC Davis. It was smoothing sailing until the final whistle and the Aggies cruised to the finish line, advancing to the quarterfinal round of the Big West Conference Championships with their 81-56 win.
UP NEXT
The Ags will take on four-seed Cal Poly in the quarterfinal round tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the Dollar Loan Center.
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