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The team to beat in Big West women’s basketball showed why it’s earned that distinction on Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Paced by conference player of the year candidate Morgan Bertsch, first-place UC Davis led by as many as 25 points in the third quarter before settling for a 68-56 win over host Hawaii.
Bertsch, a lanky 6-foot-4 junior forward, poured in 27 points in just 23 minutes, shooting 13-for-20 from the floor, as the Aggies more than doubled up the Rainbow Wahine in paint points, 38-16.
Two consecutive bye dates did not help the Wahine overcome the team that coach Laura Beeman called “by far the best in our conference,” as seventh-place UH (10-15, 3-9) fell behind big early and never really threatened.
With Bertsch sitting down the stretch, Sarah Toeaina scored a three-point play and Julissa Tago followed with a 3 to bring the Wahine within 13 with less than five minutes remaining.
Tago hit another off a screen to make it 66-55 with two minutes to go. UH had a chance to trim it further but committed some turnovers.
The Aggies (22-4, 12-1 BWC) shot 50.9 percent from the field in completing a home-and-home season sweep over UH, having won by 24 points in Davis last month.
Toeaina, who had an upset stomach minutes before tip-off, led the Rainbow Wahine with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists in playing the full 40. Tago added 13 points.
“We knew we were going to have kind of a tough matchup inside and outside with their 3-point shooting and having a post like Bertsch,” Toeaina said. “But early on the game we kind of let the ball get into their hands a little too much with our turnovers and some of our shot selection. But it was good to turn it around in the second half and show a fight in us that we’ve shown throughout the season.”
Freshman Lauren Rewers started at center and had the unenviable task of containing the mobile Bertsch. To her credit, she tied her season high of eight points on 3-for-5 shooting.
“It’s a learning experience, personally,” the 6-4 Rewers said. “But the coaching staff does a great job preparing us and we have to keep growing.”
The Wahine trailed 40-18 at halftime, having been outscored 21-8 in the second quarter.
“I would’ve loved to have seen what the score would’ve been if we’d played two halves of basketball,” Beeman said. “The first half was one of the worst displays of effort that I have been a part of. I’m not blaming the girls for the loss, I’m not blaming the girls for the lack of … whatever it was. We need to, as a collective group, figure out why we started out so poorly. But when we played, we made it a game.”
UH tried to press to get back in it late, but it seemingly gave up easy baskets as many times as it forced a turnover.
“They just kind of surgically take you apart,” Beeman said.
With four games to play before the Big West tournament, UH is now only a game ahead of 2-10 teams Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State in the fight to qualify. The last-place team stays home. UH must play at LBSU on Saturday.
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