HENDERSON, Nev. -- It came down to the final seconds in a thrilling contest between UC Davis and top-seeded Hawai'i, but the resilient Aggies made the big plays down the stretch to pull out the 51-48 win and advance to the Big West Conference Championship title game.
UC Davis (20-13, 13-7 Big West) will make its seventh appearance in the Big West Conference Championship game. The Aggies last lifted the trophy in 2021 when they defeated UC Irvine to reach the NCAA Tournament. With today's victory, UC Davis registers its sixth 20-win season since ascending to the Division I level. Tomorrow, Davis' team will take on the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Long Beach State and UC Irvine, with a ticket to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Evanne Turner hit the big shot in the final minute, a step-back jumper from beyond the arc to send her team to the championship game. The senior climbed the UC Davis women's basketball scoring list after her 13-point display, passing Sydnee Fipps to move up to third all-time. Turner solidifies herself as a top-three scorer in program history with 1,644 points for her career.
For the second straight game,
Tova Sabel led the offense with 14 points. The Swedish guard drilled three triples in another solid shooting performance for the junior.
Mazatlan Harris hit some crucial shots all day, including two free throws with six seconds remaining, to complete her game with 13 points.
How It Happened
The Aggies started off hot from beyond the arc as Sabel and Turner connected on their first three-point attempts of the contest. It was a low-scoring start to the game and Hawai'i was on the better end of it, taking a 9-8 lead after one.
Things started to heat up in the second period as UC Davis found the shooting stroke from long range. Megan Norris hit back-to-back threes before Harris found the bottom of the net with six seconds left on the clock and this barrage of three-pointers from sparked a 9-0 run for Davis' team, giving Jennifer Gross' squad a 23-20 lead at the break. Both team's shot below 30% in a first half that proved to be a defensive battle.
Scoring was hard to come by in the third quarter as well with both teams going without a basket for three straight minutes to start the second half. A triple from Sabel and five straight points from Harris made it a nine-point advantage, forcing a timeout from the Hawai'i bench after all the momentum had shifted to the UC Davis side. The stoppage failed to halt the Aggies' three-point attack, however, as Sabel buried her third triple of the game to extend the lead to 15.
The Rainbow Wahine replied with an 8-0 run to cut the to five, but another bucket from Sabel helped keep the one-seed on its heels. Despite Sabel's nine-point quarter, Hawai'i ended the third quarter on a 12-2 run to make it a three-point (39-36) ballgame heading into the final 10 minutes.
Hawai'i used this momentum to quickly take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Victoria Baker answered the call with a strong put-back to restore her team's advantage. The teams traded baskets in a see-saw battle that resulted in a tie-game (46-46) with two minutes left. Two free throws gave Hawai'i the lead, but Turner provided the heroics with a step-back three-pointer to give the Aggies a one-point lead with a minute to go. UC Davis' defense came up clutch in the dying seconds, coming with a pair of stops before Harris knocked down a pair of free throws to clinch the 51-48 win and advance to the championship game.
Game Notes
» The Aggies shot well from three point range, knocking down 11 of 26 long range attempts.
» The Aggies held the Rainbow Wahine to only 30.8 percent shooting from the field.
» Tova Sabel, Mazatlan Harris, and Evanne Turner combined to account for 78 percent of the Aggies points.
» The UC Davis defense forced 16 turnovers.
» UC Davis cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Tova Sabel led the Aggies with a game-high 14 points.
» UC Davis got a team-high seven rebounds from Megan Norris.
UP NEXT
The Ags will await the winner of the other semifinal contest between Long Beach State and UC Irvine for tomorrow's championship game at the Dollar Loan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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