Score: UC Davis 53, UC Irvine 55
Location: Irvine, Calif. (Bren Events Center)
Records: UC Davis 18-11 (12-7), UC Irvine 20-9 (14-5)
The short story:
Tova Sabel reached 1,500 career points, but the UC Davis women's basketball team dropped a road contest to the UC Irvine Anteaters on Thursday, Mar. 6. The Aggies now sit fourth in the Big West Conference going into the final game of the regular season.
OPENING TIP
- Sabel's career day came off of nine points, three rebounds and two assists in only 23 minutes played on the night.
- Megan Norris led the team with 15 points off three made triples.
- Ryann Bennett also hit double-figures with 11 points in 28 minutes off the bench. She also had two steals in the contest.
- The defense had a strong outing for the Aggies, with 16 forced turnovers leading to 18 points.
- The game was back-and-forth all night long, featuring six ties and seven lead changes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Down 2-11 halfway through the first, Bennett sparked the offense with a solo 6-0 run to bring her team back into it.
- Despite the persistence of the Anteaters, a three-pointer from Norris kept it close to end the period, with the Ags down 15-16.
- At the start of the second, Norris splashed another three to tie things up before Avery Sussex gave the Aggies their first lead of the night with a midrange jumper.
- As both defenses tightened up, Irvine would go on a 7-0 run over the course of three minutes to take a five point lead.
- But Davis would answer right back, using a three from Ally Fitzgerald and a layup from Mazatlan Harris to tie the game at 25 apiece going into the locker room.
- The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams exchanging blows through the first five minutes before the Anteaters took a six-point lead.
- Once again, it was Norris who heated up the scoring, kicking off an 8-2 scoring run that was capped off by a layup from Sabel to give the Aggies a 39-38 lead going into the final frame of play.
- In the fourth, Sabel cashed in her first triple of the night to give her team a four-point advantage.
- After Irvine answered back with seven of nine points, Davis rattled off seven straight, capped off by a Norris three, to give them their biggest lead of the night.
- But the Anteaters continued to fight, using threes of their own to dissipate the Aggie lead and tie the game at 53 with just two minutes to play.
- UC Davis defended well, but a last second layup from Nikki Tom spelled defeat as the team would fall 53-55.
UP NEXT: The Aggies will wrap up the regular season with one more road game against the UC San Diego Tritons on Saturday, Mar. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT and will be live on ESPN+ and KDVS 90.3.
