DAVIS, Calif. — 12 points and a career-high 18 rebounds from
Megan Norris gave her another double-double, but it wasn't enough as UC Davis women's basketball fell at home to UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Score: UC Davis 47, UC Santa Barbara 55
Location: Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 10-5 (3-1), UC Santa Barbara 12-2 (4-1)
OPENING TIP
- Norris' double-double is her ninth of the season. It also marks her third straight double-double, going back to the Aggies' road matchup with CSUN.
- 18 rebounds also broke her previous career-high of 17, which was set against Jessup in the season opener.
- Ryann Bennett was the other Aggie who scored in double figures, going for 11 on the night.
- Davis was able to keep Santa Barbara off the foul line through much of the night, only giving up four free throws through the first three quarters.
WHAT HEAD COACH JENNIFER GROSS HAD TO SAY
"It was a tough night for us on offense. I was really proud of our defensive effort. Sometimes, teams can let their offensive struggles affect their defensive energy, but I thought we really stayed focused on doing what was in our control. We understand that we're in this for the long haul, we're gonna have some bumps in the road, so as a group, we need to stay focused on improving every day. We have to come back tomorrow ready to get better, and if we continue to have that mentality like we have all season, then we'll be fine."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A jumper from Avery Sussex and three from Nya Epps opened the scoring for the Aggies, giving them a 5-4 lead two minutes into the contest.
- Back-to-back layups from Bennett continued to fuel their offense, but hard-fought buckets from the Gauchos tied things up at 13 at the end of a defensive-heavy first quarter.
- Coming out of the break, UCSB sparked its offense with a 6-0 run.
- Scores from Bennett and Sophie Lentfer cut the deficit to one, but Gaucho threes continued to keep them up by as much as seven in the period.
- A last-second layup from Norris put the Aggies back within five, 24-29, heading into halftime.
- Coming out of the locker room, Davis looked to get the offense going with a jumper from Norris opening the second half.
- But a 7-1 run from the Gauchos through the next six minutes of action gave them a 36-27 lead.
- In the final minutes of the third, Tegan Young scored five of the home team's seven points to put them within six, 34-40, entering the fourth.
- On the first possession of the final quarter, Sussex drained a triple to put her team back within one possession.
- However, the Gauchos responded with a 6-2 run, jumping to as much as a 12-point lead.
- Two late layups from Norris solidified her double-double, but the Aggies would fall 47-55 to the Gauchos.
UP NEXT: The Aggies will have a quick turnaround as the team hosts Cal Poly on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 2:00 p.m. PT. This game will mark the debut of the Aggies' light blue Lake Tahoe-inspired uniforms. 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/.
