Norris, Sussex lead way as Aggie women rally in fourth quarter to subdue Cal State Fullerton in Big West basketball action
UC Davis pulls away down the stretch for a 73-67 win to remain near top of the Big West standings
FULLERTON - Megan Norris turned in yet another standout performance as the UC Davis women rallied in the fourth quarter to take a tense 73-67 Big West basketball win from Cal State Fullerton Thursday night before a gathering of 154 in Titan Gym.
The win keeps the Aggies near the top of the Big West with a 5-1 league mark and 12-5 overall. Fullerton is now 4-3 and 8-9.
UC Irvine and UC San Diego share the lead, both at 6-0.
The Aggies will be at Irvine Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown.
In a game that was tight from start to finish, the Aggies trailed 19-17 at the quarter, 36-34 at half and 53-52 after three quarters.
Trailing 57-54 early in the final quarter, Avery Sussex pulled the Aggies even with a 3-pointer, then Tegan Young hit a layup and a free throw for a 60-57 advantage that the Aggies never relinquished.
The Aggies took control over the final two minutes, holding the Titans scoreless while Norris had a 3-pointer and Ryann Bennett sewed things up with a pair of free throws at 0:28.
Norris finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
Sussex hit six treys on her way to a 20-point night, while Bennett had 14 points and 10 assists and Young added 11 points and seven rebounds.
The game was ultimately decided at the foul line where UCD converted 14 of 17 attempts to just nine of 16 for Fullerton.
In other Big West action Thursday night, UC Riverside stopped Long Beach State, 77-59, UC Santa Barbara overwhelmed Cal State Bakersfield, 82-67, UC San Diego dropped Cal State Northridge, 60-48, and Hawaii routed Cal Poly, 86-46.
UC Irvine was idle.