UC San Diego rallies late to drop UC Davis, 65-63, in Big West women's basketball
Aggies go 0-2 in disappointing weekend, look to rebound Thursday at Cal State Bakersfield
After a pair of two-point losses in a disappointing weekend, UC Davis head women's basketball coach Jen Gross said it's just a matter of playing for 40 minutes and finishing games down the stretch.
On Thursday, the Aggies dropped a 55-53 decision at UC Riverside, then came home Saturday afternoon and suffered a 65-63 setback at the hands of UC San Diego to drop to 9-6 in Big West play and 15-10 overall.
UCSD is now 9-5 and 13-13.
"When we're playing well, we're a very good basketball team, but we had a couple of lapses today when we had the lead and you can't do that in this league," Gross noted after Saturday's loss.
"We can't worry about where we are in the standings. We have five games left and we need to get back to playing our best basketball before the conference tournament in Henderson. We need to not look ahead and just concentrate on getting back to doing what we do best. In a long season, there are going to be some ups and downs, but we need to get into the right mindset and control what we can control."
The Aggies closed the second quarter strong to take a 34-26 lead into intermission, then pushed the count to 37-26 - their biggest lead of the night - when Victoria Baker nailed a 3-pointer in the opening 13 seconds of the third quarter.
It was all downhill from there.
The Tritons went on a 9-0 run to pull within 37-35, but the Aggies responded to take a 50-43 lead into the final 10 minutes.
San Diego dominated the fourth quarter, taking advantage of UCD turnovers on a 15-2 burst, then hit six straight free throws in the final 23 seconds to preserve the victory.
The Aggies had 26 turnovers to just 11 for their visitors, a ratio that cost them dearly down the stretch.
Tova Sabel had four 3-pointers in a 25-point afternoon as the only Aggie in double figures and added 14 rebounds and two blocks in a standout performance.
Things won't get any easier for UCD as the Aggies finish with four of their final five games on the road, beginning Thursday at Cal State Bakersfield and Saturday at Cal State Northridge.
UCD comes home for the final time March 1 at 2 p.m. against Hawaii, then finishes on the road at UC Irvine and UC San Diego.
The top eight teams earn a bid to the Big West tournament March 12-15 in Henderson, Nevada, with No. 1 and No. 2 earning double byes and No. 3 and No. 4 earning single byes.
Teams who finish No. 5 through No. 8 will have to win four games in four days to claim the tournament title and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that comes with it.
In other Big West action Saturday, Hawaii solidified its grip on first place with a 49-44 win over UC Irvine, advancing to 13-2 in league play.
Elsewhere, Cal Poly crushed Cal State Northridge, 75-34, Cal State Fullerton stopped Cal State Bakersfield, 78-68. and UC Riverside dropped UC Santa Barbara, 51-42.
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com
Sabel had the kind of fabulous game she is known for throughout the Big West. Despite her 25 points, the Ags had a stretch in the second half when their shots simply wouldn’t drop, six in succession by my count. On the bright side, we saw more outstanding play from Ryann Bennett… lightning speed, behind the back hand shifts and direction changes on the dribble, and a some incredible passes. The Chiefs could have used her last weekend. Also, it’s good to see Vic Baker in a starting role. Going in, her shooting percentages were top notch, and I have always admired her for playing the game with zeal and energy. This young woman gives it all she has, every game.