Following Riverside’s hard-fought 58-53 upset of #6 UC Santa Barbara, it’s round 3 of Aggies vs. Highlanders. Davis swept UCR in the regular season, winning by 13 at Riverside in late January, then using a strong 3rd quarter to grab an otherwise close win 3 weeks ago in Davis. In the later game, Riverside followed every team’s recent pattern against the Aggies, playing aggressively and physically. Expect more of that tomorrow.

The Highlanders are lead by the Big West’s leading scorer, Hannah Wickstrom, who torched the Gauchos for 26 points and 9 rebounds, a bit higher than her season averages of 23 and 7. Seneca Hackley and Kaylani Polk back up Wickstrom on the offensive end with 10 and 8 ppg, respectively. Former Aggie Bria Shine pulls down 5 boards a game to offer support on the glass.

UCD counters as it has all season, with 4 players averaging double figures: Ryann Bennett (15.3), Nya Epps (13), Megan Norris (12.3) and Avery Sussex (11.3). Norris also leads the Aggies - and the Big West - in rebounding at 12.6 rpg, with Epps, Sussex and Tegan Young, each adding 4 boards a game. Teams have been targeting Norris of late, sending multiple bodies to keep her off the boards, as well as using a rotation of their biggest players to push her off the block on offense. Tomorrow would be a great time for Tegan Young to step up on the boards, and for Bennett, Epps and Sussex to get rolling early.