Box Score Davis, Calif. -- Another stellar performance by Mokun Fajemisin was not enough as UC Irvine lost to UC Davis, 79-69 at the Pavilion Saturday
Fajemisin went 6-18 from the floor and 8-8 from the line for her game-high 20 points, one shy of her career best.
UCI (4-20, 1-8) forward Shereen Sutherland added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, while guards Raelyn Cheung Sutton and Irene Chavez each had eight points. Guard Tierra Hicks came off the bench late in the game and recorded seven points and forwards Methlyn Onogomuho and Brittany Glassow had six points apiece.
UC Davis (11-10, 6-3) had five players in double-digit scoring led by Rachel Nagel with 15 points, hitting 6-9 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. Sydnee Fipps and Alyson Doherty totaled 14 points followed by Kelsey Harris with 13 points and Celia Marfone with 12 points. Harris had a game-high seven rebounds.
Three-pointers were once again a problem for the Anteater defense as UCD hit 10-20 from long distance. For the game, the Aggies shot 53.8 percent (28-52) from the floor and 13-14 from the line (92.9%). UCI went to the free throw line 34 times, making 26 (76.5%). The Anteaters shot 36.4 percent (20-55) from the field, recording three three-pointers.
UC Davis had its largest lead of the first half, 31-19 at 5:35 after hitting three consecutive three-pointers. UCI would rally scoring the next 10 points, eight by Mokun Fajemisin to narrow the margin to 31-29 at 2:19. The Aggies would out-score UCI 6-2 to hold a 37-31 advantage at the break.
The Anteaters scored the first four points of the half to creep within 37-35, only to watch UC Davis answer with another three-pointer to go back up by five (40-35) at 17:47. A layup by Raelyn Cheung-Sutton got the Anteaters to 42-41 at 15:34, but UCI would not score again for four minutes as the Aggies went on a 16-2 run to pull away 58-43 with 10:31 remaining. UCI would out-score UCD 10-3 to narrow the margin to 77-68 on a three-pointer by Tierra Hicks with 43 seconds left. A layup by Rachel Nagel for Davis and free throw by Brittany Glassow for Irvine ended the scoring, 79-69.
UCI returns to action next Saturday (Feb. 14), hosting UC Riverside at 2:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
