The games between the Aggies and Tigers have a recent history of turning into battles, and this was no different. Having dropped two road games in a row, the UC Davis women’s basketball program got back in the win column this weekend with a 65-61 victory over host Pacific. This was the only game for UC Davis this week, and being well rested paid off. Just like the match-up earlier this season, in which the Aggies pulled out a dramatic 59-51 win, this one came down to the wire. “We knew it was going to be a battle because it was a key game for both teams,” Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “We came with a lot of focus, energy and passion.” UC Davis put up a strong first half, but were matched blow for blow by the Tigers. The Aggies’ largest lead came five minutes into the game when senior Kasey Riecks drained the first of her trio of three-pointers in the game to make the score 10-4. The... ...

Teams: UC Davis at Pacific Records: Aggies  15-10 (7-6); Tigers 14-10 (7-5) Where: Alex G. Spanos Center — Stockton, Calif. When: Saturday at 4 p.m. Who to Watch: UC Davis had two disappointing games this past week, but senior Samantha Meggison had a career weekend. In the Aggies’ loss to Long Beach State, Meggison dropped a career-high 20 points, marking only the second time this season a UC Davis player has scored over 20 points. Meggison then followed this performance with 19 points on Saturday, the bulk of which was her 11 free throws, also a career high. Did you know? The UC Davis women’s basketball program finished last season at 10-6 in Big West play, good for 4th in the conference. After this past tough week, they hold a 7-6 league record that places them 5th in the tight race for the title. With three games remaining, the Aggies will be fighting for one of the top four positions, and with it, the home-court advantage for the first round... ...

There’s a first time for everything, and unfortunately for the UC Davis women’s basketball program, this weekend was the first time this season it lost both games on its road trip. UC Davis had beaten both Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge at home earlier this season, but traveling to its opponents’ home courts brought different results. “It’s different when you go on the road,” Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “Teams bring a different energy and they’re a lot tougher when they’re on their home court.” The Aggies fell to 15-10 overall and 7-6 in the Big West Conference, with three games remaining in regular season play. Thursday — Long Beach State 67, UC Davis 55 In a game that was very uncharacteristic of the Aggies, Long Beach State capitalized on the struggling UC Davis offense to avenge the match-up earlier this season. It was easily one of the worse shooting games of the season for UC Davis, as it shot 24 percent from the field — 28 and 20.7 percent... ...

Teams: UC Davis at Long Beach State; at Cal State Northridge Records: Aggies, 15-8(7-4); 49ers, 10-14(5-6): Matadors, 14-10 (8-3) Where: Walter Pyramid – Long Beach, Calif.; The Matadome – Northridge, Calif. When: Today at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. Who to Watch: Head Coach Jennifer Gross has stressed that this team is one that fights, battles and hustles for every ball. You can see this playing style in its fullest when Brianna Salvatore comes off the bench. The sophomore hailing from Villa Park, Calif. has earned playing time in every game and a burst of energy off a UC Davis bench that has been so strong for the Aggies this year. Salvatore’s tenacious play has brought her to fourth on the team in rebounds, all in her short amount of playing time off the bench. She grabbed four rebounds and shot 3-3 to total eight points against UC Riverside on Saturday. Did you know? Cal State Northridge has really turned things around this year. They finished last in the... ...

In a week that consisted of two double-header games with the men, the women’s basketball program split against two teams from southern California. UC Davis started the week with a frustrating performance against UC Irvine , but bounced back to take down UC Riverside on Saturday, 67-46. “In any single game there are things you’re going to do well and there are things you’re going to improve on, and there were stretches … where we played some of the best basketball we’ve played,” said Head Coach Jennifer Gross. “Our goals weren’t to go undefeated in conference they were to get better every single day and to continue to improve.” With the win, UC Davis moved to a record of 15-8 this season with a 7-4 Big West Conference mark which places them in a tie for third in the league –– half a game behind second-place Cal Poly. Thursday — UC Irvine 68, UC Davis 59 Senior Samantha Meggison’s first career double-double was the highlight for the Aggies, as they did... ...

Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Irvine; vs. UC Riverside Records: Aggies, 14-7 (6-3); Anteaters, 10-13 (6-4); Highlanders, 4-17 (2-7) Where: The Pavilion When: Thursday at 5 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m. Who to Watch: The Aggies lost two key players to graduation last year and have brought a new look to the team for the 2011-12 season. Freshman Sydnee Fipps has helped fill some of the gaps left by graduating seniors. Fipps has appeared in every game this year as a true freshman, averaging over 13 minutes a game. She is fourth on the team in three-pointers. In her latest appearance, Fipps contributed eight points and a couple of key rebounds that helped UC Davis steal a 57-55 victory from Cal State Fullerton. Did you know? Senior Hana Asano was scoreless in the last game against the Titans, but she still contributed to the offense with five assists. Asano leads UC Davis with 65 assists this season, and her career total is now at 271. She needs three more to... ...

The UC Davis women’s basketball team started the second half of Big West Conference play in thrilling fashion and pulled out a victory in the process. The Aggies squeezed out a win over Cal State Fullerton by a score of 57-55 in a game that was decided in the last 15 seconds. Junior Blair Shinoda’s shot in the final will be the one credited as winning the battle, but the entire game was a product of a joint effort from UC Davis. “Kelsey [Beard] hit a few threes that got the bench roaring. Sydnee [Fipps] was all over the boards,” Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “So it’s different players every single day that bring something unique to the game and I think that’s what makes us really special.” It seems UC Davis’ shots are starting to fall, as the Aggies shot over 40 from the field, including 67 percent from beyond the arc. Every UC Davis player who got playing time put points on the board except senior Hana Asano,... ...

Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 13-7 (5-3); Titans 9-11 (2-6) Where: Titan Gym – Fullerton, Calif. When: Today at 7 p.m. Who to Watch: Though Head Coach Jennifer Gross and her team stress their collaborative effort, junior Hannah Stephens has certainly had the hot hand lately. Stephens has tallied a total of 46 points over the last three games, including 17 and 16 point efforts against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, respectively. She also put up 15 points in the Aggies’ matchup with the Titans earlier this season, and could be a serious spark for the UC Davis offense. Did you know? The Aggies have built up quite a pattern with this Cal State Fullerton team. They have opened Big West Conference play with them since the 2008-09 season. The trend that has emerged shows UC Davis dropping the first matchup with the Titans then beating them later in the season. Seeing that UC Davis fell to CSU Fullerton already this season, it will look... ...

The UC Davis women’s basketball program has half the season under its belt and entered this week with a couple of important road games. The Aggies are 7-1 at the Pavilion this year, but have had a tough time on the road — going just 6-6 away from UC Davis. Head coach Jennifer Gross, however, focuses more on her team’s performance than the game’s location. “We came into this week feeling really confident and excited about where our team is, we’re improving every single day,” Gross said. “We know what it’s going to take to be successful and when we’re not bringing those things to the court, we’re going to struggle.” With a win over UC Santa Barabara and a loss to Cal Poly this week, UC Davis moved to 13-7 overall and 5-3 in the Big West Conference, good for a three-way tie at second place. Thursday — UC Davis 51, UC Santa Barbara 47 UC Davis brought a lot of fire into the game against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday,... ...

Teams: UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara; at Cal Poly Records: Aggies, 12-6 (4-2); Gauchos 8-9 (3-3); Mustangs 6-12 (3-3) Where: Thunderdome — Santa Barbara, Calif.; Mott Gym — San Luis Obispo, Calif. When: Thursday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. Who to Watch: It has been a season of milestones for UC Davis, and yet another Aggie is making a push for a historic mark. Junior Samantha Meggison tallied a steal against Pacific, which brought her career total to 150. She needs just six more to pen her name into UC Davis’s top 10 career steals list. Did you know? If the Aggies beat UCSB tonight, they will travel to San Luis Obispo to battle Cal Poly on Saturday with a four-game winning streak. Yet they will be looking to break a losing streak they have built over the past three years. The Aggies have not won at Mott Gym since the 2008-09 season. Preview: UC Davis has shot the ball well as of late, and they’ll be... ...

There’s a program on the UC Davis campus that is going under-recognized and it’s getting a bit frustrating. Women’s basketball — the most consistent major sport in UC Davis’ short Division I history — goes up and down the floor in an all-too-often sparsely crowded Pavilion. The program, which made its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season, is averaging just 513 fans per-home game. By contrast, the UC Davis men’s basketball team (which is currently 1-17 and statistically one of the worst teams in the nation) plays in front of an average crowd of 1,646. The obvious reality is that men’s basketball is simply more popular. Most fans prefer to watch powerful dunks, long-range threes and spectacular blocks — all of which are far more prevalent in the men’s game. But if you haven’t made it to a women’s basketball game this season, you are simply missing out. While you are not likely to see Hana Asano or Kasey Riecks throw down a two-hand jam, you will see a... ...

Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific Records: Aggies 11-6 (3-2); Tigers 9-7 (3-2) Where: The Pavilion When: Saturday at 2 p.m. Who to watch: Junior Hannah Stephens did not break the assists record or score her 1,000th point as some of her teammates did recently. She has, however, provided the Aggies with the steadfast and consistent level of basketball that UC Davis needs. Stephens drained two early threes in the game against Long Beach State, providing the spark that set the Aggies’ offense on fire in their best shooting game of the season. She finished with 10 points in the game. But where the Aggies have struggled, Stephens has stepped up. Though she is not the tallest of players, Stephens grabbed 10 rebounds against Cal State Northridge and collected six more against the 49ers. The San Mateo, Calif. native still ranks fourth on the team with 54 rebounds. Did you know? In the game against Long Beach State, senior Kasey Riecks contributed to the victory with 15 points. This strong performance... ...

The UC Davis women’s basketball program had a couple of eventful wins this week, improving their overall record to 11-6 and reaching some milestones along the way. After playing six of their last seven games away from the Pavilion, the Aggies returned home and did not disappoint the home fans. UC Davis had started off the conference at 1-2, but the two wins this week brought their league record up to 3-2 –– good for fourth place in the Big West Conference. In Saturday’s game, senior Kasey Riecks broke the 1,000 career points barrier, becoming just the 15th player in UC Davis history to reach this milestone. Thursday — UC Davis 55, Cal State Northridge 53 The game against Cal State Northridge was not the Aggies’ best performance, but they ended up scraping by with the victory in the end. At halftime, the score was 21-19 in favor of the Aggies, with UC Davis shooting 8-32 and the Matadors with a similar 8-31 mark. The Aggies struggled on offense, but their... ...