Score: UC Davis 53, UC San Diego 55
Location: Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 15-10 (9-6), UC San Diego 13-13 (9-5)
  
The short story: Tova Sabel secured a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double in her second straight game, but the UC Davis women's basketball team falls in a close matchup to the UC San Diego Tritons. This loss also drops the Aggies to fourth place in the Big West standings.
 
OPENING TIP 

• Sabel grabbed a double-double for the second straight contest, the eighth of her career.
• Her 14 rebounds also marked a career-high for the senior guard.
• Ryann Bennett came in with a bench-high 29 minutes, leading the team with five assists to go along with nine points and three rebounds.
• Megan Norris led the defensive effort with a season-high tying three blocks, the eighth time this season she's hit that mark.
• The Davis defense stifled the Tritons from beyond the arc, holding them to 2-for-20 (10%) from three.
• The contest was a back-and-forth affair for both clubs, with 11 lead changes occurring throughout the game.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• A three from Sabel opened things up for the Aggies before six quick points from the Tritons gave them the early lead.
• In the final minute of the first, with UC San Diego up 14-12, a fastbreak three from Norris gave the home team the lead at the buzzer.
• To begin the second quarter, both teams locked up defensively, with the only two points scored in the first four minutes being free throws from the Tritons.
• Davis began to heat up with three triples from Sabel and one from both Avery Sussex and Ryann Bennett to build a 34-26 lead going into the break.
• Coming out of the locker room, Victoria Baker cashed her first three of the game to give the Aggies an 11-point lead.
• But UC San Diego refused to give up, stringing together a 9-0 run to get back within two.
• The Ags responded with an 8-2 run, entering the final quarter with a comfortable 50-43 lead.
• The Tritons opened the fourth with a 6-0 run, with a three at the six-minute mark of the period giving them their first lead since the opening quarter.
• In the final minute, with the road team clinging to a three-point lead, the Aggies used back-to-back midrange shots from Sabel to try and jump back in front, but they came up just short, losing 53-55.

 
UP NEXT: The Aggies will go back on the road for their next two, starting with a matchup against Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, Feb. 20. The game will tipoff at 6:30 p.m. PT and will be live on ESPN+ and KDVS 90.3.
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