Aggie women come up just short in Big West women's basketball loss to UC San Diego
84-79 semifinal loss ends UCD's NCAA dream, but possible WNIT bid looms
HENDERSON, Nevada - A frantic UC Davis rally fell short in the closing minutes as the Aggies were eliminated in the semifinal round of the Big West women’s basketball tournament by UC San Diego Friday afternoon at Lee’s Family Forum.
The 84-79 loss dropped UCD to 23-10 on the season after the Aggies finished third in the Big West regular season. San Diego, which advances to Saturday’s championship game against Hawaii, is now 23-8.
“I just wanted so badly for this team to win the championship,” said an emotional Aggie head coach Jen Gross at the post-game press conference, where she was accompanied by star senior Megan Norris.
“When I think of this team, the one word that comes to mind is pride. They worked so hard all year and were so deserving of this championship. I’m tremendously proud of everything they accomplished this year.”
Norris, whose stellar career saw her set UCD’s all-time rebounding record, echoed her coach’s heartfelt sentiments.
“I am so grateful to have been a part of this program for the last five years,” said Norris, who finished her final game with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
“This is family. Everyone knows what a special program this is.”
Added Gross as she gestured toward Norris on the podium, “I love you, Megan. You’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known. In the years to come, I’m not going to remember this game, but I am going to remember this team and how they came together. This is a special group. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They came to practice every day and did it at an elite level. They took so much ownership of the program.”
Gross noted that while the Aggie women will not be in the NCAA tournament, they might possibly earn a trip to the postseason WNIT, with pairings to be announced after the NCAA reveals its March Madness brackets.
Gross had high praise for Friday’s victors, a team the Aggies had defeated twice in close games during the regular season.
“Congratulations to San Diego,” said the Aggie coach. “They stepped up and played well. They made some big plays.”
The Aggies came out on fire in this one, racing to an early 11-2 lead as Norris, Ryann Bennett and Nya Epps all contributed on the offensive end, but just as quickly, the Tritons struck back, going on an electrifying 20-4 run to finish the quarter with a 22-17 advantage.
A basket by Victoria Baker narrowed the UCSD lead to 29-28, but again the Tritons responded to go into halftime with a 42-35 cushion.
San Diego led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but Norris on defense and Avery Sussex on offense rallied the Aggies one final time, with a basket by Sussex cutting the deficit to 63-60 with 7:24 remaining in the game.
Sussex, coming off a career-high 23 points in Thursday’s quarterfinal win over UC Riverside, outdid herself with 27 points, including five long-range bombs. Epps had another stellar effort with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
UCSD, however, responded to the Aggie rally with a 14-5 run to push the margin to 77-65 and UCD came no closer than five points the rest of the way.
UC San Diego head coach Heidi VanDerveer was gracious in victory.
“I have the utmost respect for Jen and how they run their program,” VanDerveer said. “They do everything the right way and are always well prepared. They bring out the best in us.”
Although UC Davis will join the Mountain West next season and UCSD will be moving to the West Coast Conference a year after that, both coaches say this is an intense, but respectful rivalry they’d like to continue as non-conference opponents.
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com
I read this one three times to savor the beauty and class of people involved. Thanks, Bob, for reporting about people who honor the game.