UC Davis women’s basketball team received a gift to start the New Year by claiming a 78-46 win over Simpson University on Jan. 2.
It was the first-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Simpson Red Hawks. Before this game, the Red Hawks lost the last fives games and currently have a 6-10 overall record. On the other hand, the Aggies won two of their last three games, and the key players, like junior Sydnee Fipps and Kelsey Harris, continued playing well. Both teams looked forward to ringing in 2014 with a victory.
UC Davis held a lead from the beginning of the game. In the first half, the Aggies started strongly and shot 50 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes. A 14-0 run by the Aggies which lasted seven minutes helped them end the first half with a 22-point lead.
The Aggies continued their good form in the second half. They scored eight of the first 10 shots and the lead eventually grew to 40 points with five minutes left in the game. Although the Red Hawks kept scoring and had a 10-2 run in the last few minutes, the Aggies closed the contest with the score of 78-46.
Four Aggies scored in double figures during the game. Fipps finished with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, notching her second-consecutive double-double and fifth-consecutive 20-point game. Harris scored a career-high 19 points in the last game against Sacramento State, and in this game, she added 17 points to go with a career-high five assists.
Sophomore Heidi Johnson collected a career-high 10 rebounds in the last game, and she continued her excellent play, scoring 14 points and adding eight rebounds. Sophomore Alyson Doherty had her best game after missing three-straight contests due to illness. She played 21 minutes and scored 14 points to go with five rebounds, two blocks and a pair of steals.
“We’re stroking the ball pretty good,” head coach Jennifer Gross said. “We just have to make sure we get shots every time down the court.”
On Jan. 9, the Aggies will start the Big West Conference play against Cal State Northridge at the Pavilion.
