Hot-shooting UC Davis runs past Cal Poly in women’s basketball
There wasn’t much the Cal Poly women’s basketball team could’ve done to slow down UC Davis on Saturday evening.
With the Aggies bringing in arguably the best frontcourt tandem in the Big West Conference in senior Alyson Doherty and freshman Morgan Bertsch, the Mustangs were forced into double teams inside the paint.
That extra attention paved the way for in a red-hot shooting performance from a veteran UC Davis team that made 12 3-pointers in a 75-57 victory over Cal Poly before a lively crowd of 1,840 inside Mott Athletics Center.
“Obviously, they’ve got so many weapons,” head coach Faith Mimnaugh said. “They shoot the ball well, a great inside game that demands double teams.
“They’re what I hope we can grow up to be one day.”
Leading 34-26 to start the second half, UC Davis (11-7, 4-1 Big West) got into a rhythm from the perimeter during the decisive third period. The Aggies turned in a 5-for-7 shooting effort over that 10-mintute stretch and Cal Poly never fully recovered.
Entering Saturday’s contest, UC Davis was shooting 33.7 percent from behind the 3-point line as a team, the second-highest mark in the Big West behind only UC Riverside (36.1).
It was the third time this season the Aggies made double-digit 3-pointers in a game. They made 13 in a win over Saint Mary’s on Dec. 3 and 11 in a loss to Albany (N.Y.) on Dec. 18.
“Even their point guard is almost a foot taller than our point guard,” Mimnaugh said. “They posted her up, we bring the double team and they kick out for a 3. They had us running all over the place today.”
Pele Gianotti scored 15 points and made five 3-pointers to lead three Aggies in double figures. Doherty, a second-team all-Big West performer last season, recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds despite being limited by foul trouble in the second half.
Cal Poly (10-8, 3-2 Big West) went to a full-court press for most of the fourth quarter but it couldn’t come all the way back in their first home loss since Nov. 17 against Santa Clara.
Senior guard Beth Balbierz scored 15 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, making 4 of 9 shots from behind the 3-point line. It was the 14th time this season Balbierz has scored in double figures and her first 20-point effort since the season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Junior forward Hannah Gilbert added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Mustangs. Sophomore Dynn Leaupepe scored 10 points and junior Amanda Lovely grabbed 10 rebounds.
“We had to turn up the heat and try to do something in the fourth quarter,” Mimnaugh said. “We’re not deep enough yet. Our bench is really working to try to improve, but we’re not at the same level as Davis is.”
Things don’t get any easier for the Mustangs moving forward.
Cal Poly goes back on the road next week for games against UC Riverside at 7 p.m. Thursday and Long Beach State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
UC Riverside entered Saturday as the only remaining unbeaten team in the Big West. The Highlanders have three of the top four scorers in the conference in Brittany Crain (19.2), Rejane Verin (17.8) and Annelise Ito (13.6).
“Personally I think they’re the best team in the conference at this stage,” Mimnaugh said. “They pose a lot of problems.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 9:14 PM with the headline "Hot-shooting UC Davis runs past Cal Poly in women’s basketball."