Teams: UC Davis vs. UC Riverside; vs. Cal State Fullerton
Records: Aggies, 10-14 (5-8); Highlanders, 11-12 (4-8); Titans 7-17 (3-9)
Where: The Pavilion — Davis, Calif.
When: Thursday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m.
Who to watch: Senior Cortney French is UC Davis’ three-point specialist.
The Aggies took down the Titans with 39 points coming from beyond the arc, 12 of which were from the hands of French.
If the Aggies come in with the same confidence from beyond the three-point line as they did last time they matched up with the Titans, they will be in good shape. French’s hot hand can easily put up high numbers on the board for UC Davis.
Did you know: The last time UC Davis faced off with Cal State Fullerton, it put 88 points on the board and shot 60 percent from the field, its highest shooting percentage and point total this season.
The Aggies shot 30-50 and 13-22 from beyond the three-point line for almost 60 percent from the arc.
Interestingly, this was one of UC Davis’ poorer games in terms of free-throws, dropping below 70 percent from the line. This was the first time — and has occurred five times since — the Aggies failed to shoot 70 percent from the charity stripe.
Preview: As the season winds down, UC Davis has found itself stuck around the same standing in the Big West Conference. The Aggies’ 5-8 conference record has fluctuated up and down, but they have remained relatively constant in their seventh-place slot.
The Aggies added two losses to their record with the brutal road trip to Hawai’i then to Cal State Northridge.
Last Thursday, UC Davis fell to Hawai’i by a 59-48 score then dropped a nail-biter to the Matadors in a 51-49 game that came down to the wire.
The good news for UC Davis is that it has just as good a record in away games as it does at home. The bad news is that record is a 4-7 mark.
This weekend, the Aggies will have the chance to add two more wins to their record. UC Davis has played UCR and CSU Fullerton already this year and emerged with wins after both games.
The Highlanders are 4-8 in the Big West and UC Davis took them down 61-49 the last time it played on the home court of UCR. The Aggies have gone 2-4 since that matchup and will be hungry for a win.
Against the Titans, UC Davis’ offense exploded for an 88-point outburst, getting 16 point contributions from freshmen Aniya Baker and Alyson Doherty.
CSU Fullerton is 3-9 in the Big West and is 1-9 in away games despite a respectable 6-6 at home. The Aggies will have the home court advantage in the matchup with the Titans.
For the game on Saturday afternoon, the Aggies will hope to have the same spark that fuels their offense and gives them a win. Two victories this weekend would go a long way for the Aggies, who, after this weekend, will have just three games left in the season.
— Matthew Yuen
