Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal Poly; UC Santa Barbara
Records: Aggies, 9-14 (5-7); Mustangs, 15-8 (7-4); Gauchos 16-7 (11-0)
Where: The Pavilion
When: Today at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 4:45 p.m.
Who to watch: The Aggies could use a repeat performance from sophomore Paige Mintun tonight against the Mustangs.
On Jan. 24, Mintun torched Cal Poly, scoring a game-high 22 points on 7-for-12 shooting while collecting eight rebounds in a 64-60 loss.
Did you know? Fans are encouraged to wear pink along with their Aggie blue Thursday night in an effort to support breast cancer awareness.
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Pink Zone has been raising breast cancer awareness for the past three seasons. A total of 1,200 teams participated in Pink Zone in 2008, raising nearly $1,000,000.
Preview: Behind some amazing defensive work, UC Davis is back on track after sweeping a two-game road set at UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.
On Thursday, the Aggies dominated the Anteaters, holding them to seven points in the first half on 10 percent shooting from the floor en route to an impressive 56-24 win. The victory snapped a five-game losing skid.
Saturday’s matchup with the Titans saw more of the same from the Aggies defensively, as UC Davis held Cal State Fullerton to only 16 points in the first period of play on 23 percent shooting.
The Aggies‘ defense also held senior Toni Thomas, the Titans‘ leading scorer, at bay as she scored only four points on 0-for-8 shooting.
“We played very well defensively,” coach Sandy Simpson said. “We have talked a lot about making choices. When you are up 20, you have the choice of just getting to the end of the game and letting up a little, or you can say, ‘Let’s extend this to 25. Let’s continue to play hard.‘ It takes a lot of resolve.“
The Aggies look to apply this methodology to this weekend’s action as they face two of the four teams that boast a winning record in Big West Conference play.
UC Santa Barbara may have won 13 of its last 14 contests and have a 12-1 overall record at home, but where it has struggled this season is on the road. The Gauchos are 4-6 overall away from the confines of the Thunderdome.
–Max Rosenblum
