Another twist: UC Davis women get knocked out of NCAA tournament by Missouri State

UC Davis women’s basketball coach Jennifer Gross took a deep breath at the start of her online news conference Monday night. The 12th-seeded Aggies were knocked out of the NCAA tournament by a 70-51 loss to fifth-seeded Missouri State.

The loss in San Antonio ended a roller-coaster season. The Aggies went two months between games because of coronavirus precautions. When they finally hit the court, they found themselves in a familiar spot: The Aggies won the Big West tournament and earned the highest NCAA seed in team history.

Gross needed to take a breath as the end of the season hit her.

“Anytime you end the season it’s disappointing,” Gross said. “I know our players are pretty emotional right now because when you pour so much of yourself into something, it hurts. I just want to say to my team, I couldn’t be more proud of everybody. They’ve given to each other, to this program, to this season. They faced just one roadblock after another and found a way to persevere.”

If perseverance was the theme of the Aggies’ season, it also played into the game with Missouri State. The Bears built a 15-point lead early in the second quarter but the Aggies chipped away, closing to a 33-25 gap at halftime.

UC Davis hit two 3-pointers early in the third quarter and a two-pointer from Kayla Konrad gave the Aggies a 34-33 lead with 7:37 to play. But the Bears had size and talent in the post. They snapped up 20 offensive rebounds, which led to myriad second-chance points as Missouri State romped the rest of the way.

The Bears’ size was felt on the other end of the floor as well. The Aggies went 13 for 32 from 3-point range but made just 5 of 27 shots from closer range and they gave up 13 steals.

“We knew that was gonna be a key to the game,” Gross said of Missouri State’s post play. “We’ve got to limit our easy post catches and we’ve got to rebound. It wasn’t for a lack of effort. I really applaud our kids. They pushed, they shoved. The ball just didn’t go our way. Not only do they have size at their starting spots, but they bring more size in off the bench. I think we were a little gassed and that played a part in it too.”

Evanne Turner scored 16 points and Konrad had 13 for the Aggies. In her farewell game, senior Cierra Hall struggled to get going early, taking her first shot late in the first quarter. The Big West Women’s Basketball Player of the Year heated up nicely, scoring 14 points (making 4 of 6 3-pointers and a pair of free throws) to go with seven rebounds and four assists.

The senior didn’t get emotional talking about the loss. Her team spent two months in lockdown, unable to practice or play games. The teammates spent their first couple days in San Antonio in quarantine, unable to spend time together. They were tested daily for the coronavirus. And in spite of all that, they had a second-half lead in the NCAA tournament.

Some teams say it’s not enough to just make it to the tournament, but Hall was just happy UC Davis got to play basketball.

“It would have been easy when things got shut down for 59 days to say OK, let’s pack it in. That was never a thought in anybody’s mind,” Hall said. “And to get back to the position we are, we had 100% sacrifice, 100% heart, everybody was dedicated to winning and celebrating all the little moments. Everybody’s hearts were in it and you couldn’t even tell we only played a certain amount of games. Everyone was just so happy to get to play.”

Hall, a science major, leaves as one of the most decorated players in program history. She’s likely done with UC Davis basketball, but her coach’s eyes lit up when she was asked if she’d like to have Hall join the team as an assistant coach.

“She’s too busy becoming a scientist or going to med school or doing research that’s important. She’s gonna be saving this world,” Gross said. “I don’t know if she’s interested (in coaching). I tell you what, if she’s interested, she’d be my first hire. I’ll work on that but right now I think she’s got her sights set on curing the next virus.”

Now that she’s not busy with basketball, maybe Hall can set her sights on curing COVID-19 instead.

This story was originally published March 22, 2021 at 8:07 PM.