Norris leads the way as Aggie women overwhelm Cal State Bakersfield in Big West basketball action
Late 3-pointers lead to 76-68 win as UCD moves to 9-2 in league play
Megan Norris became the second-leading rebounder in UC Davis women’s basketball history to lead the Aggie women to a 76-68 Big West Conference win over Cal State Bakersfield Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 733 at the University Credit Union Center.
Norris had 18 rebounds and 11 points along with three steals and two assists as UCD advanced to 9-2 in league play and 16-6 overall.
Bakersfield fell to 2-9 and 7-14, but not before giving the Aggies a battle.
Make no mistake, this victory was not a thing of beauty. The Aggies turned the ball over 24 times to just 12 for their visitors, keeping the game closer than it might have been without so many mistakes.
But Aggie head coach Jen Gross was pleased with the win nonetheless.
“There were a couple of times where we just needed to take a breath and regroup after our defensive energy dropped off a bit,” explained the Aggie coach.
“We managed to adjust and I was happy that when we needed someone to step up, someone did. This is a good win against a solid Bakersfield team that continued to put pressure on us.”
The Aggies trailed 13-12 early, but Victoria Baker and Norris each had a trey and UCD enjoyed a 39-27 lead at the half.
Bakersfield twice cut the lead to five points in the third quarter, but then a barrage of 3-pointers from Ryann Bennett, Emmy Ersdala, Avery Sussex and Nya Epps moved the Aggies comfortably ahead down the stretch.
Sussex and Bennett led the Aggies with 14 points apiece, while Epps added 13. Bennett led everyone on the floor with eight assists and also had three steals.
The Aggies resume Big West action Thursday at 6 p.m. at UC Santa Barbara and Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cal Poly, before returning home Thursday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m. against UC San Diego.
In other Big West action Saturday afternoon, UC San Diego stopped Cal State Northridge, 82-67, UC Riverside dropped Cal Poly, 70-66, and Cal State Fullerton edged UC Santa Barbara, 62-60.
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com