Dec. 18, 2004

Stats

DAVIS, Calif. - Ashlee Orndorff's short jumper with 33 seconds remaining on Saturday gave the University of Portland the lead for good as the Pilots held off UC Davis 66-63 in a nonconference women's basketball game played before 235 fans at Hickey Gym.

Portland, which was paced by 23 points from Orndorff, improved to 4-6 while UC Davis fell to 3-7. Sophomore Jessica Campbell collected 22 points to lead the Aggies while junior guard Jackie Turpin narrowly missed UC Davis' first triple-double since 1995, finishing with seven points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

UC Davis had a chance to at least tie the game twice in the final seconds, but Kimberly Smith missed on a pair of free throw attempts with 10 seconds remaining and Turpin was called for a turnover as the Aggies raced for a final three-point try after the Pilots had taken a 66-63 lead.

"I thought (Portland) did a good job and got the ball inside down the stretch," said Aggie coach Sandy Simpson. "You have to give them credit. They made the plays when they needed to."

UC Davis, which trailed 13-3 early in the game, battled back to just a one-point deficit at halftime, 32-31. The Aggies stayed close in the early minutes of the second half, taking their first lead of the game at 42-41 when Campbell scored with 14:33 to go. The lead changed hands four more times before UC Davis went on a 9-0 run to take a 61-53 lead with 5:28 to play after a three-pointer by Laura Thomas.

The Pilots responded with a 7-0 run of their own to slice the lead to just 61-60 with 2:33 left, and then after trailing 63-60, got to within a point again after a layup by Orndorff with 1:52 remaining. The teams traded missed opportunities before Orndorff scored her jumper with just over 30 seconds left for a 64-63 Portland lead.

The Aggies ran the clock down, sending Smith to the line after she was fouled driving to the basket. Whitney Grant converted a pair of free throws after Smith's misses for a 66-63 Portland lead, setting up UC Davis' final try to tie.

Forward Amy Boto scored 11 points and had eight rebounds for the Pilots while Jamie Medley added 10 rebounds. Campbell hit eight of 13 shots for UC Davis to help her score 22 points while sophomore Ellen Porshneva added 14 points. Turpin grabbed all 10 of her rebounds on the defensive end as she nearly tallied the the program's first double-double since Kari Sivesind accomplished it against Emporia State (Kan.) in 1995.

UC Davis, which had been off a week for final exams, returns to action on Monday at home against Hampton at 6 p.m. at The Pavilion. The Aggies will then host Saint Mary's on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Saturday's game marked the third straight UC Davis contest decided by three points.™

UC Davis Aggies Women's Basketball

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