Last-second trey sinks Aggie basketball hopes as Pepperdine advances in Women's National Invitation Tournament
71-68 loss in Malibu ends UC Davis season at 23-11
MALIBU - A promising and highly successful season that started November 3 with a 72-35 win over Jessup University ended in heartbreaking fashion Thursday night when the Aggie women’s basketball team dropped a last-second 71-68 decision to Pepperdine in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The loss, before a gathering of 438 at the Firestone Fieldhouse on the Pepperdine campus, ended the UC Davis season at 23-11. Pepperdine is now 20-12 and moves on to a second-round matchup with Utah Tech Sunday afternoon in Malibu. Had the Aggies won, they would have hosted Utah Tech.
This was a back-and-forth battle for the ages.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” said Aggie head coach Jen Gross, who has been directing UCD hoop fortunes for the last 15 years.
With a nod to departing seniors Megan Norris, Nya Epps and Victoria Baker, Gross noted each of their contributions and said she will miss this talented trio.
“That’s what you hope for as a coach, that you’re sad to see your seniors leave and you know you’re going to miss them, but they’ll always be a part of your life.”
Pepperdine coach Katie Faulkner was ecstatic with the last-second turn of events.
“March is fun,” Faulkner noted. “I am really proud of our togetherness. This is a team that thrives on growth and is dedicated to getting better.”
The Aggies led early at 18-11, but an 8-0 run gave Pepperdine its first lead of the night, a lead that changed hands eight times before the Waves emerged with a 39-36 lead at the half.
UCD regained the lead at 41-39 early in the third quarter on a 3-pointer from Epps and UCD enjoyed its biggest lead of the fourth quarter at 56-52 on a layup by Ryann Bennett.
At that point, however, Pepperdine went on a devastating 14-3 run and appeared to be in firm control with a 68-60 lead entering the final 90 seconds.
The Aggies had other ideas.
Noted Gross, “One of my mentors, Jim Sochor (former Aggie head football coach), always said to find joy in everything you do, so it was a great opportunity to get back into the game.”
Avery Sussex was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and sank all three free throws to cut the deficit to 68-63 with 1:28 remaining. Then, after a shot-clock violation on Pepperdine, it was Sussex again with a successful trey to trim the advantage to 68-66 with 39.3 seconds left, and suddenly it was game on.
Pepperdine tried to work the clock, but Epps swiped a Pepperdine pass and Gross called a timeout with 12.0 remaining to set up either a tying field goal or a game-winning trey.
The ball went quickly to Bennett, who hit a short bank shot to tie things at 68, leaving Pepperdine 6.8 seconds to respond.
And respond the Waves did, finding Taija Santa Maria for a step-back, 3-point dagger that left her hands just before the final buzzer sounded and the backboard turned red.
Speaking of Norris, Epps and Baker, Gross noted, “They are just amazing human beings, amazing players and great teammates. They are everything we look for when we recruit players to our program.”
That trio will certainly be missed, but the cupboard is by no means bare as UCD takes a bold step into the Mountain West Conference next season.
“It’s been such an incredible journey in the Big West and the thing I’ll miss most are the friendships with so many great coaches,” Gross said.
“But at the same time I’m excited about this opportunity and the new challenges and the future of UC Davis.”
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com