DAVIS, Calif. — After three straight road wins last week, UC Davis women's basketball returns home on Thursday, Dec. 4, to take on Hawai'i in the team's Big West opener at 6:00 p.m. PT. The team will then resume non-conference play when they head up to Spokane on Saturday, Dec. 6, to take on Gonzaga at 6:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Dec. 4  — vs. Hawai'i | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Parking Information | @ucdaviswbb (X/Instagram)

Dec. 6  — at Gonzaga | ESPN+ | Live Stats | @ucdaviswbb (X/Instagram)

Full Game Notes

GAME NOTES

• Last Time Out: The Aggies are 6-2 on the season following a 2-0 weekend in the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off with wins over Jacksonville State and Milwaukee. Against the Panthers on Saturday, the Aggies hit a season-high 16 threes, with 11 coming in the first quarter. Megan Norris secured a second straight double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Ryann Bennett led the scoring with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Nya Epps rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, three assists, and three steals.
• 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. On Dec. 1, Megan Norris became the second Aggie to be named the Big West Player of the Week, receiving the award for the second time in her career. In the team's annual rivalry game against Sacramento State on Monday, Norris served as the defensive anchor for her team, blocking three shots and stealing four more while playing a career-high 41 minutes in an overtime victory for the Aggies. In back-to-back games against Jacksonville State and Milwaukee at the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off, Norris delivered strong offensive performances, posting a season-high 19 points against the Gamecocks and 17 against the Panthers. She added 11 and 15 rebounds, respectively, securing her third and fourth double-doubles of the season. Norris' four double-doubles also tie her for third in the nation in that category.
• Best in the (Big) West: A month into the season, UC Davis ranks near the top of the Big West Conference in many categories, ranking third in team offense (72.3 PPG) and second in three point percentage (.360 Pct.), the Aggies are also second in the conference with 10.3 made threes per game. Defen- sively, the team sits first among conference opponents with 29.4 re- bounds per game. Averaging 10.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, Megan Norris sits at the top of both categories among conference opponents. Her 18.5 PPG average puts Ryann Bennett second in the conference in scoring. The Aggies also continue to be efficient from beyond the arc, putting two in the top five in the conference for three-point field goal percentage. Bennett ranks third in the Big West with 41.7% from three and Sussex is fifth at 39.5%.
• 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, getting the first starts of her career this season while 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 seventh with a .366 shooting percentage from three.
• The Road to 1,000 Points: Now in her fifth season with the blue and gold, Megan Norris has continued to make strides as a leader for UC Davis, leading the Aggies in many statistical categories. Now up to 980 points in her career, she looks to become just the 22nd player in program history to score 1,000 or more points.
• Double-Double Machine: In addition to her scoring prowess, Norris has continued to dominate on the glass, racking up 84 rebounds through the first eight games of the season, including a career-high 17 rebounds in the season-opener against Jessup. Performances against Jessup, Idaho, Jacksonville State, and Milwaukee have given Norris a Big West best four double-doubles so far this season. Among NCAA centers, Norris is also tied for third in the country in double-doubles, sitting with the likes of Fatima Diakhate from Pitt and Katie Fiso from Oregon.
• A Star In The Making: Having already been named the Big West Player of the Week earlier this season, Ryann Bennett continues to get better in her sophomore sea- son after an All-Freshman campaign last season. In the annual Causeway Cup rivarly game against Sacramento State on Nov. 24, she willed her team to an overtime win with a new career-high of 25 points while playing over 44 minutes, also a career-high.
• 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

• Hawai'i is 4-3 on the season, going 0-3 in their host tournament, the Rainbow Wahine Showdown last week.
• With 13.1 points per game, freshman Bailey Flavell leads the Rainbow Wahine offense, going for a career-high 20 points against Lindenwood last Saturday.
• Senior Imani Perez is off to a great start on the defense, collecting both a team-high seven blocks and 31 rebounds for Hawai'i. 
• UC Davis leads the all-time series 18-14 over Hawai'i, winning the last matchup on March 1st, 74-66, in the Aggies' Senior Day last season.
• Gonzaga is 4-4 on the year. The Bulldogs will play Grand Canyon on Thursday before hosting the Aggies on Saturday.
• 100-point scorers Lauren Whittaker and Allie Turner lead the Bulldogs' offensive attack. Whittaker has gone over 20+ points four separate times this year, including a career-high 29 points against Colorado State on Nov. 13. Whittaker also leads the team in rebounds (65) and blocks (3).
• With nine steals each, Taylor Smith and Inês Bettencourt lead the defensive effort.
• The Aggies are 1-3 all-time against the Bulldogs, losing 55-73 in Spokane back in 2022.

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 264 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.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked #1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as #1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.