DAVIS, Calif. —
Ryann Bennett led the way with 20 points as UC Davis women's basketball won a back-and-forth battle against Long Beach State on Thursday, Mar. 5. The Aggies secure a top four seed in next week's Big West Tournament and look to clinch a double-bye on Saturday.
Score: UC Davis 59, Long Beach State 56
Location: Davis, Calif. (University Credit Union Center)
Records: UC Davis 22-8 (15-4), Long Beach State 5-24 (4-15)
OPENING TIP
- Bennett's 20 points marked the seventh time this season the sophomore has scored 20+ in a game.
- Megan Norris was close behind with 15, getting there on three made threes, tying a season-high.
- Nya Epps was the third and final double-digit scorer, scoring 11 to go along with five rebounds and two steals.
- Avery Sussex was active on the defensive end with four steals.
- Both teams battled all night long, with the game being tied eight times with six lead changes.
WHAT HEAD COACH JENNIFER GROSS HAD TO SAY
"Down the stretch I thought that Nya did a good job of getting our team's energy right. After that, we were able to get some defensive stops, hit a couple shots, and pull it out."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Two minutes into the first quarter, Epps took the lid off the basket to open the scoring for both teams.
- Davis was led through the middle part of the period off layups from Bennett and Norris, responding to each Beach basket to hold a 13-11 advantage.
- Long Beach tied things at 13 apiece with two minutes to go, but Norris' first three helped spark a 5-0 run to give the home team an 18-13 lead after one.
- Norris carried the scoring run into the start of quarter number two, cashing on her second three and a layup to give the Aggies a 10 point lead.
- A 9-0 Long Beach run tied things up at 27 late in the half, but Victoria Baker cashed in her first points of the night from beyond the arc.
- With less than a second remaining, JaQuoia Jones-Brown sunk in a layup as the Ags held a 32-29 lead.
- Coming back onto the court for the second half, the back-and-forth affair continued with Bennett scoring three of the first four buckets to start the third.
- Despite a late three from Sussex to put her on the board, an 18 point quarter from LBSU put them up by as much as five, giving them a 47-43 lead going into the fourth.
- With 7:40 to go in regulation and the road team up seven, Sussex would cut into the deficit with another triple.
- A layup from Bennett one minute later tied things at 50 apiece.
- As the clock ran down to under a minute left, with the Beach up 55-54, Norris hit a clutch three to snatch the lead right back.
- A pair of free throws from Bennett gave her team a three point advantage, and a perfect defensive set on the final possession sent the Aggies home with a 59-56 victory.
UP NEXT: The Aggies will now prepare for the 2026 regular season finale with a home matchup against UC Irvine on Saturday, Mar. 7 at 2:00 p.m. PT. It'll also be Senior Day for Davis, as the team will honor Epps, Norris, Baker,
Helen Matthews and
Ally Fitzgerald in a pregame ceremony. Both teams will have a double-bye and potential regular season championship on the line, and it'll be available to watch on ESPN+ and listen to on 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 No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 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/.
