Jan. 8, 2005

Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. - Lara Gray scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds, and Ellen Porshneva scored a game-high 19 points, as UC Davis used a strong second half to beat Cal State Fullerton 70-55 in a nonconference women's basketball game played before 684 fans at The Pavilion on Saturday night.

UC Davis improved to 5-8 with the win while the Titans lost their seventh straight and fell to 1-10. Cal State Fullerton is a member of the Big West Conference which UC Davis becomes an official member of in 2007-08. The Aggies have beaten both future conference foes it has faced so far this year.

India McDaniel scored 14 points to pace the Titans while Meghann Keathley had 10.

UC Davis led just 26-24 at halftime but received 15 points after the break from Porshneva and 10 from Gray to help pull away from Cal State Fullerton. The Aggies also shot 52 percent (11 of 21) from the field in the second half and made 22 of 30 free throws.

"We were a little out of sync in the first half," said UC Davis coach Sandy Simpson. "In the second half, we were more patient and stronger in our penetration to the basket.

"I also thought we did as good a job on the defensive boards tonight as we have all season."

The Aggies trailed by as much as 17-11 in the first half before rallying to tie the game for the fourth time when it was 17-17 with 5 minutes, 31 seconds to play. With the score tied at 19-19, Amy Glassman came off the bench to hit a three-pointer and UC Davis wouldn't trail before intermission, getting a jumper from guard Kimberly Smith with 11 seconds to go which gave the Aggies its two-point halftime lead.

UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton combined for 23 turnovers in the first half, while the Aggies shot just 27 percent (8 of 30) from the field. Porshneva, however, scored the first four points of the second half as UC Davis opened a pair of 8-point leads less than three minutes in. The Aggies later led just 36-34 but an 8-0 run punctuated by six points from Porshneva helped them open a 44-34 lead with 11:01 left.

The Titans got no closer than seven points the rest of the way while UC Davis led by at least 10 points the final 6:43. The Aggies enjoyed 20-point leads on a pair of occassions down the stretch.

Gray hit 5 of 15 shots from the field and all four free throw tries to account for her 15 points while five of her rebounds came on the offensive end. Porshneva had eight boards to go with her 19 points. Jessica Campbell added 12 points while Smith finished with 10. UC Davis made 30 of 40 free throws in the game and held a decisive 51-34 advantage on the boards.

Charlee Underwood had 10 rebounds for Cal State Fullerton which made just 5 of 26 from three-point territory. The Titans only had four turnovers in the second half.

UC Davis returns to action on Monday against another future conference foe when UC Riverside visits The Pavilion for a 7 p.m. matchup.

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UC Davis Aggies Women's Basketball

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