UC Davis roars past Chico State in non-conference women's basketball
Aggies catch fire in second quarter to overcome early deficit and take a convincing 74-42 win
Avery Sussex led the way as UC Davis overcame a slow start to crush Division II Chico State, 74-42, in a women’s non-conference basketball game Sunday afternoon at the University Credit Union Center.
The game was reminiscent of the long-ago days of the Division II Far Western Conference when these two were spirited rivals who faced each other twice each winter for decades.
While UC Davis has moved up to the Division I Big West Conference, Chico has remained a respected force in Division II, going 24-8 last season and reaching the NCAA West Regional.
Making this game even more intriguing is the fact that the Chico State women’s head coach is former UC Davis men’s basketball head coach Brian Fogel, who served five years in that position and is now in his 18th season leading the Chico State women.
All intrigue aside, Fogel had the Wildcats ready to play.
Chico came out hot, quickly taking an 11-6 lead over the heavily favored Aggies and enjoying an 18-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The Aggies, coming off a week of Fall Quarter finals, quickly found their footing and turned the game into the rout it was expected to be.
Over the next two quarters, the Aggies outscored their guests 44-11, putting together a 13-0 run in the second quarter and a 17-0 streak in the third quarter.
Sussex, a sophomore out of Coquitlam, British Columbia, had 10 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in just under 26 minutes on the court.
“I think she’s one of the best shooters we’ve had in the program,” offered UC Davis head coach Jen Gross.
“She’s really taken some great strides this year and is finding different ways to help our team. She’s a real spark out there.”
Megan Norris, UCD’s 6-foot-3 senior, nearly matched Sussex’s numbers with 10 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while being a dominating presence on defense.
Tegan Young led all scorers with 13 points, while Ryann Bennett had 12.
In all, nine Aggies broke into the scoring column with everyone seeing significant playing time.
“That’s important,” Gross noted.
“We knew this was going to be a battle because Brian (Fogel) has done such a great job up there and they made a ton of shots early. But a game like this allowed us to play some different lineups and get everyone in the game. We need everyone to be ready to play when their name is called.”
The Aggies are now 8-3, while Chico State is 6-3.
UCD will host Northern Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. in their final non-conference tuneup before resuming Big West play Jan. 1 at Cal State Northridge.
The Aggies are 1-0 in the Big West after knocking off preseason favorite Hawaii, 68-63, on Dec. 4.