BAKERSFIELD, Calif. —
Nya Epps makes it back-to-back career games for UC Davis women's basketball, dropping 28 points in a road win over Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Score: UC Davis 69, Cal State Bakersfield 59
Location: Bakersfield, Calif. (Icardo Center)
Records: UC Davis 10-4 (3-0), Cal State Bakersfield 5-9 (0-4)
OPENING TIP
- The Aggies start conference play 3-0 for the second straight season.
- In addition to a new career-high, Epps' 28-point day marks the third time the senior has gone for 20+ points in a game this season.
- Epps was effective at the foul line, going 10-for-14 on the day.
- Comparatively, the Roadrunners only went to the line six times as a team.
- Megan Norris also went for double-digits with 15 points.
- Her 13 boards also gave her a double-double, her eighth of the season and second straight contest with a double-double.
- UC Davis controlled the inside game all day long, scoring 30 paint points compared to Cal State Bakersfield's 20.
- The Aggie offense was effective with a 46.8% shooting clip on the day, going 8-for-11 (72.7%) in the third period alone.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first period was a defensive battle, with both teams putting 15 points each on the board.
- After seeing Epps take the first six points of the contest, the Roadrunners responded with back-to-back buckets to push them up 13-6.
- The Aggies responded with foul shots from Ryann Bennett and a three from Victoria Baker to cut the lead to two.
- Late layups from Norris and Baker tied things up at 15 apiece at the end of the first.
- Quarter number two began with a flurry of buckets from Bakersfield as they retook the lead.
- Tegan Young got on the board with a layup halfway through the period, helping push her team to a five-point advantage with under five minutes remaining in the half.
- The Runners' used a layup to cut the deficit to two, but the lone three of the contest from Young gave her team a 31-26 lead heading into halftime.
- Coming out of the locker room, CSUB continued to attack, with their first possession of the half being a three-ball that cut into the Aggie lead.
- But a triple from Avery Sussex sparked her team's offense, leading to a 9-0 run halfway through the period that gave the road team its first double-digit lead of the day.
- In the last four minutes of action, both clubs battled back and forth before a late three from the Roadrunners made it 53-46 for Davis through three quarters.
- After a made free throw from Sussex opened the fourth, Bakersfield saw a three from Marley Langi put them within five.
- But a combined effort from Epps, Norris, and Bennett kept the Aggies' foot on the gas, giving them a 63-53 lead halfway through the period.
- A quick 6-0 run from the home team put them within two possessions, but that would be as close as it would get, with a trey from Epps tying her career-high with a minute remaining and a pair of foul shots set a new best as her team secured a 69-59 victory.
UP NEXT: UC Davis will resume conference play next weekend when it returns home to face off against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Their matchup against the Gauchos will be on Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:00 p.m. PT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and KDVS 90.3.
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/.
