2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship Second Round - No. 3 seed UC Davis 70, No. 7 seed UC Riverside 59

Box Score | UCD presser | UCR presser | Game highlights
HENDERSON, Nev. — No. 3 seed UC Davis pulled away in the closing minutes to defeat seventh-seeded UC Riverside, 70-59, and advance to the semifinal round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship at Lee's Family Forum.

The Aggies improve to 23-9 on the year. This marks the 11th penultimate round out of the last 12 iterations, including the 2020 Championship that was halted prior to the finale. UC Davis is set to take on No. 2 seed and regular season co-champion UC San Diego in the semifinal in a rematch of the 2025 finale, taken by the Tritons. 

UC Davis claimed victory in both regular-season contests this season, including a triple overtime affair in Davis, the longest game in UCD program history.

Sophomore Avery Sussex led UC Davis with a standout performance, scoring 23 points with an 11-of-13 outing from the line to go along with three steals. fellow second-year player Ryann Bennett scored 15 while distributing six assists while All-Big West First Team performer Megan Norris brought down a game-best 14 rebounds to go along with 12 points for the double-double. 

UC Davis established an early lead by shooting .667 from the field in the first quarter, while holding UC Riverside to .235 in the first 10 minutes to open up the 19-9 lead. However, the Highlanders fought back in the second frame, closing the gap to six-point differential after capitalizing on six second-quarter turnovers by the Aggies. 

The Aggies kept the advantage after the third quarter but UCR roared back in the fourth, making it a one-point game after Taylor Swanson's successful trip to the line with 5:22 remaining set the score at 52-51 in favor of UC Davis. A 10-2 spurt for the Aggies followed with the score at 70-59 when the final horn sounded. 

UCR was paced by Hannah Wickstrom's game-high 26 points, shooting 8-of-22 from the field and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. The Big West's leading scorer also contributed significantly on defense, recording eight steals and a team-high seven rebounds. 

The Highlanders close the 2025-26 campaign at 11-21.