UC Davis women top Northridge for Big West basketball crown
For the second time in their Division I history, the UC Davis women won the Big West Conference regular-season title.
Dani Nafekh scored a team-high 19 points, 14 in the second half, and the Aggies (23-6, 14-2) pulled away from host Cal State Northridge (17-13, 10-6) for 63-55 victory on Saturday, UCD reported.
Finishing the regular season with a 23-6 overall record and a 14-2 mark in league play, UC Davis clinches the top seed in next week’s Big West Tournament and the conference’s automatic bid to the WNIT. The Aggies, who last won a Big West regular season crown in 2010 before clinching the league’s tournament title in 2011, will play in the postseason for the fifth time in 10 seasons as a Division I program and the first since their WNIT bid in 2012.
With a double-bye into the semifinals of the Big West tournament in Anaheim, top-seeded UC Davis will open against the lowest remaining seed on Friday at noon.
Northern Colorado 102, Sacramento State 74 at the Nest – The Bears (22-7, 14-4 Big Sky Conference) shot 63 percent against the Hornets (10-19, 6-12) on Friday night, Sac State reported. No. 9 seed Sac State will face No. 8 Weber State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament on Monday at 12:05 p.m. in Reno.
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UC Irvine 79, UC Davis 49 in Irvine – In a game that decided the Big West regular-season title, Siler Schneider scored a team-high 16 points as the Aggies (19-12, 11-5) lost to the Anteaters (19-13, 12-4), UCD reported. UC Davis will be seeded second in the Big West tournament in Anaheim.
Northern Colorado 70, Sac State 67 in Greeley, Colo. – DJ Miles sank four crucial free throws in the final minute to help the Bears (11-18, 7-11 Big Sky) beat the Hornets (12-17, 9-9).
No. 7 seed Sac State will play No. 10 Idaho State in the first round of the Big Sky tournament on Tuesday at 5:35 p.m. in Reno.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 10:36 PM with the headline "UC Davis women top Northridge for Big West basketball crown."