Score: UC Davis 63, Cal Poly 51
Location: Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 12-5 (6-1), Cal Poly 8-9 (3-4)
  
The short story: A 16-point, 10-rebound double-double from Tova Sabel led the UC Davis women's basketball team to their sixth straight home win against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Thursday, Jan. 16.
 
OPENING TIP 

• Sabel's double-double marks the fifth time in her career that she has hit this mark and the third time this season that she has recorded a double-double.
• Sabel's 16 points on the night also give her 1,072 as an Aggie, putting her in ninth all-time in the teams' Division I history, passing Kasey Riecks.
• Megan Norris led all scorers in the game with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting (62%).
• Ryann Bennett brought the energy off the bench, leading the second unit with six points in 18 minutes.
• The Aggie defense was strong, holding the Mustangs to 29% shooting throughout the contest.
• Davis also stayed aggressive on the boards, giving up only nine offensive rebounds.

WHAT HEAD COACH JENNIFER GROSS HAD TO SAY

"I was really proud of our composure down the stretch, and I thought we made really good decisions and took care of the ball at the end of the game when it counted."

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• After opening the game with a three from Megan Norris and layups from Tova Sabel and Sydney Burns, the Aggies held a slim 7-5 lead halfway through the first quarter.
• With the Aggies up 15-5 with two minutes remaining in the first, the Mustangs began to warm up, going on an 8-1 run to close the quarter, with the home team up 16-13.
• As the second quarter began, Cal Poly continued to ride their momentum, matching each Aggies basket before a jumper from Sabel and free throws from Burns gave Davis an eight-point cushion, 28-20, at the halfway mark of the period.
• But the Mustangs didn't let up, as they would ride a 12-2 scoring run to take their first lead of the game, 32-31.
• A layup from Nya Epps allowed her team to retake the lead going into halftime.
• Through the first five minutes of the second half, both defenses remained strong, with Cal Poly remaining within one at the media timeout.
• At the other end of the break, the Aggie offense finally caught steam, with five points from Ryann Bennett giving them a 48-40 lead going into the final quarter.
• In the fourth, both clubs found themselves locked into a stalemate once again, with Davis continuing to hold an eight-point lead.
• With four minutes remaining, the Aggies finally began to pull away, with layups from Norris and Epps putting it away for their teams' sixth conference win, 63-51.

 
UP NEXT: Davis will wrap up the weekend with a home matchup against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Saturday, Jan. 18. The special Pride Day game is set to tipoff at 2:00 p.m. PT in the University Credit Union Center. Read Full Article