Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal Poly
Records: Aggies 8-10 (3-2); Mustangs 11-8 (5-1)
Where: The Pavilion — Davis, Calif.
When: Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.
Who to watch:
Junior Sydnee Fipps has already scored 982 points in her illustrious UC Davis career. Fipps looks to become just the 16th player in the history of the program to reach the 1000-point milestone — the first since alumni Kasey Riecks in 2011-12. There is a good chance Fipps will surpass the mark at home against Cal Poly on Jan. 30, as the gritty, physical forward scores a team-leading 17.4 points per game.
Preview:
The Aggies went cold in paradise.
Riding a three-game winning streak, the UC Davis women’s basketball team headed across the Pacific Ocean to take on the Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine in Honolulu on Jan. 23.
Poor shooting and a big Rainbow Wahine run spanning the first and second halves were the Aggies’ downfall.
Leading 19-14 late in the first half, UC Davis (8-10, 3-2 Big West) was undone by a 17-3 Hawai’i run. The Wahine (8-10, 3-1) were led by Kamilah Jackson, who scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second half to put the game out of reach for the Aggies. Jackson, a first-team All-Big West performer a season ago, also added nine rebounds.
The Aggies were paced by junior forward Sydnee Fipps and sophomore forward Alyson Doherty, who chipped in 17 points and 11 points, respectively. Fipps, who didn’t shoot well from the floor (3 of 11), was aggressive going to the basket and drawing fouls, going 10-14 from the foul line.
Fipps and sophomore forward Celia Marfone led the Aggies on the glass with five rebounds apiece, but the Aggies were outrebounded as a team 38-27.
UC Davis actually played solid defense, holding Hawai’i to 37 percent shooting from the floor. However, the Aggies were unable to get into any sort of rhythm offensively and shot just under 36 percent from the field.
One bright spot was freshman Taylor McGuire, who averages 1.2 points a game for the Aggies but knocked down two second-half threes.
Up next, UC Davis looks to get back to its winning ways against a dangerous Cal Poly team on Jan. 30.
The Mustangs (11-8, 5-1) have dominated conference play, winning their past three Big West games. Most recently, Cal Poly beat up on UC Riverside on Jan. 25, winning 89-72.
Last season, the Mustangs placed second in the Big West standings, won the Big West conference tournament and reached their first ever NCAA tournament.
This year, the team, currently sitting atop the Big West standings, boasts a three-headed scoring machine in the form of Molly Schlemer (17.5 ppg.), Ariana Elegado (16.7 ppg.) and Jonae Ervin (12.9 ppg.).
Luckily for the Aggies, the game will be played at the Pavilion, away from Cal Poly’s Mott Athletic Center, where the Mustangs are undefeated (8-0) this year.
— Scott Dresser
