Aggie women throw major scare into No. 24 Stanford before falling, 69-56
Harris, Burns, Sabel lead charge against perennial national power
STANFORD ... UC Davis threw a scare into No. 24 Stanford here Wednesday night, but couldn't hold off a late charge by the Cardinal and dropped a 69-56 non-conference women's basketball decision at Maples Pavilion.
Trailing by 10 midway through the third quarter, the Aggies caught fire and finally took a 47-46 lead when Tova Sabel hit a pair of free throws at 0:25 just after delivering a successful 3-pointer.
A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Courtney Ogden gave Stanford a 49-47 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
The game was still tied at 51 early in the fourth quarter before Stanford went on a 12-0 run to end UCD's upset hopes.
Stanford's Nunu Agara had seven points during the run and finished with 25 along with 10 rebounds in a dominant performance.
“I really feel like our team was ready to battle today, and we knew that’s what it would take," said Aggie head coach Jennifer Gross.
"It was a real disciplined and focused effort for 40 minutes and I’m proud of the way we competed today. I am disappointed that we didn’t get it done, but there is a lot to build on.”
The Aggies are now 1-2 in the young season, while Stanford moves to 4-0.
Mazatlan Harris played a big part in keeping the Aggies in the game, finishing with 17 points. Teammate Sydney Burns had 10 points, five rebounds, four steals and two assists in a standout effort to keep things close until the final quarter.
“The thing about Mazzie [Harris] is that she is just solid and does the right thing," Gross added.
"She is locked in and one of our best defenders each night, and I’m proud of how she has stayed true to who she is, but has added a little more each year. I’m happy with her performance tonight.”
UCD now heads to Bozeman to take on Montana State Sunday (1 p.m.) before returning home November 20 for a 6 p.m. Causeway Classic battle with Sacramento State.
Noted the Aggie coach, “We’ve got another challenging test on the road against a good Montana State team, but hopefully this game gives us the confidence that when we are at our best and come with the right focus, we can play with anyone.”
Reach Bob Dunning at bobdunning@thewaryone.com