Bertsch leads UC Davis past Rainbow Wahine

UC Davis forward Morgan Bertsch scored 17 of her 24 points in the first half and the Aggies ran away from Hawaii 70-55 in today’s Big West women’s basketball game in Davis, Calif.

Bertsch, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, connected on seven of 10 shots from the field in the first half and finished with eight rebounds and UC Davis improved to 11-4 overall and 2-0 in Big West play. UCD guard Rachel Nagel added 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting in the rematch of last season’s Big West tournament championship game.

UH guard Sarah Toeaina led the Rainbow Wahine (4-10, 0-2) with 13 points and tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Guard Olivia Crawford hit three of UH’s six 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.

The Wahine face Cal State Fullerton in their Big West home opener on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

UH made its first two shots of the afternoon then went 6-for-31 over the remainder of the first half and closed at 29.5 percent for the game. UC Davis shot 44.3 percent and built a 34-16 advantage in the paint.

UH took an 11-6 lead before UC Davis connected on seven consecutive made baskets in a 17-4 run bridging the first and second quarters.

Leah Salanoa’s 3-pointer from the top of the key triggered a 9-2 UH burst that cut the deficit to four with 30 seconds left in the second quarter.

But after Pele Gianotti hit two free throws with 3 seconds left, UH turned the ball over and Bertsch banked in a baseline jumper at the buzzer to extend UC Davis’ lead to 37-29 at halftime.

The Aggies broke away again with a 9-0 run late in the third quarter and led by as many as 19 in the fourth.