UC Santa Barbara wins 73-59 with strong third quarter
Members of the UC Davis women’s basketball team headed into the Big West Conference Tournament with a 14-2 conference record, including 10 straight wins to close out the regular season. The Aggies were not required to play until the semifinals, since they secured the top record going into the tournament.
Facing the 15-15 Gauchos from UC Santa Barbara, the Aggies were supposed to have the advantage. However, the Gauchos came prepared, and, thanks to a 23-point third quarter, were able to build a large advantage that the Aggies were unable to overcome, eventually winning the game 73-59.
Junior guard Rachel Nagel led the team in scoring with 18 points to go with five rebounds and an assist. Sophomore forward Morgan Bertsch and junior forward Pele Gianotti each pitched in 12 points of their own. This scoring was not enough to match the onslaught from the Gauchos, as two of their players rallied with 21 and 23 points.
However, there is still more basketball to be played: While the NCAA tournament is out of the picture now the Aggies lost the semifinal, they secured a berth to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) by their regular season success. The women’s basketball team will play University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 17 at 5 p.m.
Regardless of the WNIT’s outcome, the Aggies can still build off of the successful year, since most of the team is eligible to return for next season.
Written by: Bradley Geiser — sports@theaggie.org
