DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis women's basketball heads across the causeway for its 65th annual matchup with Sacramento State in the Causeway Cup on Monday, Nov. 24, at 6:30 p.m. PT. The team will then travel to the Bay Area for the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off Tournament hosted by the University of the Pacific. Tournament action begins Friday, Nov. 28, against Jacksonville State at 1:00 p.m. PT before wrapping up at 1:00 p.m. PT the next day against Milwaukee.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Nov. 24  — at Sacramento State | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswbb (X/Instagram)

Nov. 28  — vs. Jacksonville State (Tiger Turkey Tip-Off) | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswbb (X/Instagram)

Nov. 29  — vs. Milwaukee (Tiger Turkey Tip-Off) | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswbb (X/Instagram)

Game Notes

GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: The Aggies are 3-2 on the season following a loss to Stanford on Thursday night. Ryann Bennett led the way with 19 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc, tying her career-high of five makes that she previously set against UC San Diego on March 8. Megan Norris stayed active defensively with four blocks on the night, extending her conference lead with 14 total blocks on the season. This is five more blocks than the second leading blocker in The Big West. The Aggies shot over 90% from the free throw line for the second time this season, going 12-for-13 for 92.3%.
• Weekly Honors: After scoring a career-high 21 points on Monday and matching it on Friday, Ryann Bennett was named the Big West Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 10. The honor marks the first time in her career that Bennett has been given a weekly honor.
• Best in the (Big) West: UC Davis ranks near the top of the Big West Conference in many categories, ranking third in team offense (71.6 PPG) and second in three-point percentage (.362 Pct.). The Aggies are also number one in the conference with 10.8 made threes per game. Defensively, the team sits first among conference opponents with 30 rebounds per game. Averaging 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, Megan Norris sits at the top of both categories among conference opponents. Her 18.34 PPG average puts Ryann Bennett second in the conference in scoring. A 20-point night against Weber State and 15 points against Boise State put Nya Epps tenth in the Big West at 13.6 PPG. The Aggies also continue to be efficient from beyond the arc, putting two in the top four in the conference for three-point field goal percentage. Bennett ranks second in the Big West with 48.3% from three, and Sussex is fourth at 40.7%.
• Rising Through The Ranks: Making her first start of her career in the team's season-opener against Jessup, Avery Sussex has continued to make her impact felt for the Aggies, setting a number of new career-highs. Against Boise State on November 14th, Sussex got her moment in the spotlight with a career-high 23 points and five made threes on seven attempts for an unbelievable 71% from beyond the arc. These performances have elevated Sussex among her peers in the Big West Conference, currently ranking tenth with 13.8 PPG and fourth with a .478 shooting percentage from three.
• Preseason Honors: After landing on the All-Big West Second Team and All-Tournament Team a season ago, redshirt senior Megan Norris was named by the conference as one of seven players to be selected to the Big West Preseason Coaches Team. In 33 games for the blue and gold last season, Norris led the Aggies with 251 rebounds, the most in a single season in school history, while also finishing first on the team with 52 blocked shots.
• A Look Back on 2024-25: 2024-25 was a year of milestones for the Aggies, seeing many career and single-season records fall across the board. Against Cal State Fullerton on February 8th, head coach Jennifer Gross made history by becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history, passing her former mentor, Sandy Simpson. A First-Team All-Big West performer, Tova Sabel made her mark in the program record book by becoming just the 21st player to ever score 1,000 career points as an Aggie. Over the summer, she also signed a professional contract with Fila San Martino Di Lupari in Italy. Long-time Aggie Mazatlan Harris also signed a pro contract during the offseason, joining McEvoy's Cavan Eagles in Ireland.
• 2024-25 Recap: UC Davis finished 21-12 last season, slotting in as the third seed in the conference tournament before losing in the championship game to UC San Diego.
• 2025-26 Poll: Aggies were picked third in the Big West preseason coaches' poll, receiving 83 votes and three first-place votes.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• Sacramento State is 5-1 on the season, winning it's last three games against Big West opponents UC San Diego, Long Beach State, and Cal State Fullerton.
• The Hornets return two starters and six letter winners overall from last season's squad that finished 15-18 overall and 7-11 in Big Sky play.
• Senior guard Benthe Versteeg is the leading returning scorer after averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while earning All-Big Sky first-team, Big Sky All-Defensive Team, and Big Sky All-Tournament honors for the second straight year.
• Forward Fatoumata Jaiteh also returns after starting 27 of her 30 appearances a season ago, averaging 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while finishing tied for second on the team with 45 steals.
• The Aggies are 34-30 all-time against the Hornets, winning the last seven editions of the rivalry, including getting a 76-45 victory at home last season.
• Jacksonville State is 2-3 on the year, getting a victory over New Orleans University on Saturday.
• The Gamecocks are led by the stingy defense of Mya Barnes and Mina Djurdjevic, who are tied for the team lead in blocks with five. Barnes also leads the defense with five steals.
• Offensively, Adriana Jones leads the way with 10.8 points per game.
• Friday's matchup will feature the first time UC Davis has faced off against Jacksonville State.
• Milwaukee is 2-5 on the year following a loss to Butler. The Panthers play host school Pacific on Friday before their game against UC Davis.
• Jorey Buwalda is the leading scorer for Milwaukee, averaging 11.6 points per game on 36.4% shooting.
• Buwalda has also been the defensive anchor for the team, blocking eight shots across the first seven games. Against Western Michigan on Nov. 13, she blocked two shots in a close matchup.
• The Aggies and Panthers will battle for the first time ever on Saturday.

SEASON NOTES

• This season marks year 15 for UC Davis head coach Jennifer Gross. Last season, Gross made Aggie history by becoming the winningest coach in program history, passing her mentor, Sandy Simpson, with 252 wins. She currently sits at 261 wins and counting.
• Gross returns all of her coaching staff from last season, including long-time associate head coach Joe Teramoto, now in his 20th year on staff, and 15th-year assistant coach Matt Klemin.
• Also returning is former Tennessee Volunteer Vicki Baugh, who works primarily with the post players, Director of Operations Mia Gallo, and Video Coordinator Dejza James.
• Despite the departure of names such as Tova Sabel and Sydney Burns, the Aggies bring back a number of big contributors from last season, including 2025 Second-Team All-Big West player Megan Norris, All-Freshman Ryann Bennett, and All-Defense Nya Epps.
• Other returners from last season include Sahana Kanagasabay, Ally Fitzgerald, Avery Sussex, Theoni Tsami, and Victoria Baker.
• Additionally, the team has also brought in a trio of talented freshmen, Carrington Davis from Rialto, Sophie Lentfer from Anchorage, Alaska, and Emmy Ersdala from Sweden, who was also a member of the Swedish National Team.
• Transfers Tegan Young and Helen Matthews have also been brought in to strengthen an already experienced Aggie squad. Young comes in after two years at Manhattan University, and Matthews is a graduate transfer who joins the team after five seasons at Wofford.
• This is the final season for UC Davis in the Big West before the team transitions to the Mountain West in 2026-27, and the team looks to end its long tenure in the conference on a high note with a championship and another appearance in March Madness.