Sabel, Norris, Bennett key 61-50 Aggie win over UC Riverside in Big West women's basketball tournament quarterfinal
Aggies advance to meet UC Irvine in Friday afternoon semifinal
HENDERSON, NEVADA ... After a slow start, No. 3 UC Davis built momentum and raced away to a convincing 61-50 quarterfinal win over No. 7 UC Riverside in the Big West women's basketball tournament before a gathering of 892 at Lee's Family Forum.
The win propels the Aggies into Friday's 2:30 p.m. semifinal against No. 2 UC Irvine.
The other semifinal, at noon Friday, features No. 4 UC San Diego against No. 1 Hawaii, the Big West's regular-season champion.
San Diego advanced with a 59-54 win Thursday over No. 8 Cal Poly.
Saturday's women's championship game is slated for 3 p.m., with the winner claiming the Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
All women's games are carried live by ESPN+ and also broadcast live by radio station KDVS, 90.3 FM.
The Aggies were down 12-4 early, but eventually went on an incredible 23-3 run and led 27-21 at the half.
Tova Sabel keyed the rally with a personal nine-point streak, hitting a pair of treys and adding a 3-pointer the old-fashioned way.
While the Aggies had a first-round bye, Riverside had won its first-round game on Wednesday, which may have factored in the Highlanders' fast start.
"We knew they were coming in with momentum and they came out with a ton of energy," said Aggie head coach Jen Gross.
"It was definitely hard at the start and that first game is always tough, but I'm really proud of how we responded."
Added Sabel, who led all scorers with 20 points, "It was not an ideal start, but our chemistry on defense really got us into the flow."
Riverside twice cut the Aggie lead to just three points in the second half, but Sabel, Megan Norris and Ryan Bennett took charge down the stretch as the Aggies built a 12-point lead near the end.
Norris sat out all but three minutes of the first half after drawing two early fouls, but contributed 15 points and five rebounds after intermission on 5 of 9 shooting from the floor.
Bennett, a freshman, added 10 points, nine assists and two steals in another all-around performance.
"I try to come in and give the team a pop," said Bennett, who watched this tournament in person last year as a high school senior from Long Beach.
Friday's semifinal with Irvine promises to be another down-to-the-wire thriller.
UC Irvine is 2-0 against the Aggies this winter, taking a 52-49 win in Davis, then going on a 9-0 rally over the final four minutes to stop UCD, 55-53, last weekend in Irvine.
"Irvine is a tough matchup and they got us twice, so we're excited for the opportunity," said Gross.
"We're having fun and the team that's still having fun at this time of year is going to do well. This is what we came here to do. Survive and advance."
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com
You gotta love this group. They are the most dangerous team in the tournament. The Aggies have the weapons to go all the way, and they have yet to play their best game.