UC Davis Aggies women's basketball

The UC Davis Aggies Women's Basketball team represent the University of California, Davis in Davis, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Mountain West Conference (MW).

History UC Davis formerly was part of NCAA Division II. In the Golden State Conference, they won the regular season title twice in 1978 and 1980. They later joined the Northern California Athletic Conference and played there for the next decade before joining the California Collegiate Athletic Association in the late 1990s.

After taking part in an NCAA Division II program, the UC Davis women's basketball team transitioned to the NCAA Division I level in 2003–04, officially competing as a member of the Big West Conference in 2007–08.

Entering the 2020–21 season, the Aggies have won five Big West Conference regular season titles (2009–10, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20) and two Big West Tournament titles (2011, 2019) in their combined 13 Division I seasons. UC Davis is one of the three schools in league history to win at least four consecutive Big West regular season titles, joining UC Santa Barbara (1996–2005) and Long Beach State (1985–1989).

The Aggies have twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament (2011, 2019) as the automatic qualifier out of the Big West Conference. They have earned five berths to the WNIT, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2018 and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2017.

, UC Davis has posted a 248–160 (.608) overall record as a Division I program, including a 135–69 (.662) record in Big West Conference play.

National Affiliations AIAW Division III: 1971–72 to 1980–81 NCAA Division II: 1981–82 to 2002–03 NCAA Division I: 2003–04 to present (provisional from 2003 to 2007)

Conference affiliations Golden State Conference: 1977–78 to 1981–82 Northern California Athletic Conference: 1982–83 to 1997–98 California Collegiate Athletic Association: 1998–99 to 2003–04 Independent: 2004–05 to 2006–07 Big West Conference: 2007–08 to present

Season records

1971–72 14–3 — — Deanna Sciaraffa NCAIC Champions1972—73 —————1973–74 —————1974–75 9–7 —— Pam Gill —1975–76 13–7 —— Pam Gill —1976–77 5–11 —— Pam Gill —1977–78 15–8 12–2 1st Pam Gill —1978–79 17–8 10–4 3rd Pam Gill —1979–80 20–9 10–2 T-1st Royal Morrison —1980–81 23–8 11–3 2nd Pam Gill AIAW Division III Quarterfinals1981–82 11–16 7–7 4th Pam Gill —1982–83 14–12 9–5 3rd Pam Gill —1983–84 15–12 11–3 2nd Pam Gill NCAC Shaughnessy First Round1984–85 7–19 6–8 3rd Pam Gill NCAC Shaughnessy First Round1985–86 17–10 10–2 1st Pam Gill NCAA Division II West Region First Round1986–87 16–12 8–4 T-2nd Ellen O'Connor NCAC Shaughnessy Final1987–88 18–11 10–2 T-1st Pam Gill-Fisher NCAA Division II West Region First Round1988–89 20–6 12–2 2nd Jorja Hoehn NCAC Shaughnessy First Round1989–90 20–8 11–3 2nd Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region First Round1990–91 26–5 13–1 T-1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Final1991–92 25–3 11–1 1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Final1992–93 19–7 9–3 T-1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region First Round1993–94 22–7 9–3 2nd Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Second Round1994–95 25–4 11–1 1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Final1995–96 25–4 14–0 1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Final1996–97 29–3 14–0 1st Sandy Simpson NCAA Division II Elite Eight1997–98 23–7 12–2 T-1st Jorja Hoehn NCAA Division II West Region Final1998–99 25–4 18–2 1st Sandy Simpson NCAA Division II West Region Final1999–00 17–8 14–6 2nd Sandy Simpson —2000–01 16–11 12–10 T-6th Sandy Simpson —2001–02 18–9 14–8 4th Sandy Simpson —2002–03 17–10 13–9 4th Sandy Simpson —2003–04 16–12 11–11 T-6th Sandy Simpson —2004–05 9–18 ——Sandy Simpson —2005–06 16–12 — — Sandy Simpson —2006–07 13–16 —— Sandy Simpson —2007–08 19–12 9–3 2nd Sandy Simpson WNIT First Round2008–09 11–18 7–9 5th Sandy Simpson Big West Tournament First Round2009–10 21–11 11–3 1st Sandy Simpson WNIT First Round2010–11 24–9 10–6 4th Sandy Simpson Big West Tournament ChampionsNCAA Tournament – First Round2011–12 17–13 9–7 4th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament First RoundWNIT First Round2012–13 12–18 7–11 7th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament First Round2013–14 15–16 9–7 T-4th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Quarterfinals2014–15 15–16 8–8 T-5th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Semifinals2015–16 19–13 10–6 4th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Championship Game2016–17 25–8 14–2 1st Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament SemifinalsWNIT Sweet Sixteen2017–18 28–7 14–21st Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Championship GameWNIT Elite Eight2018–19 25–7 15–1 1stJennifer Gross Big West Tournament Champions NCAA Tournament – First Round2019–20 17–12 12–4 1st Jennifer Gross Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic2020–21 13–3 9–1 1st Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Champions NCAA Tournament – First Round2021–22 15–13 8–8 7th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Semifinals2022–23 16–14 12–7 4th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Quarterfinals2023–24 20–14 13–7 5th Jennifer Gross Big West Tournament Finals

Coaches Source

All coaching records as of the 2022–23 season. Deanne Sciaraffa 1971–1972 1 14 3 .824Pam Gill-Fisher 1975–19791981–19861987–1988 12 164 129 .560Royal Morrison 1979–1980 1 20 9 .690Ellen O'Connor 1986–1987 1 16 12 .571Jorja Hoehn 1988–1997 9 205 51 .801Sandy Simpson 1996–19971998–2011 14 251 153 .621Jennifer Gross 2011–present 12 252 162 .609

Head coach Pam Gill–Fisher was a student-athlete (basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, and field hockey), coach, and administrator, at UC Davis. She was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame twice, once as a student-athlete in 1984 and once as a coach and administrator in 2012. She led UC Davis women's basketball to a total of 164 wins over 12 seasons, earning Northern California Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honours in 1986. She also served as head coach for the Aggies' women's volleyball and tennis teams, including an NCAA Division II national title in tennis in 1990.

Jorja Hoehn ranks second in wins with 205 victories in nine seasons, won the WBCA 1995 Division II National Coach of the Year, and Northern California Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996. The Aggies reached the NCAA Division II West Regional Final six times and reached the NCAA Tournament in eight of her nine campaigns. She was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sandy Simpson coached the team for 14 seasons and holds the school record for coaching victories with 251. He played for the Aggie men's team and was an assistant for the women's program before becoming the interim head coach for the 1996–97 where he was named the Northern California Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1997. He was the interim coach again in 1998–99, earning the California Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year, and was named the permanent head coach in 1999. He was the coach during the transition to Division I and earned the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2010. In 2008, he led UC Davis to a second-place finish in the standings and advanced to the Big West Tournament championship game, becoming only the second team in league history to reach the championship game and earn a postseason berth in its first year in the conference. In his final season, led fourth-seeded UC Davis to the Big West Tournament Championship over top-seeded Cal Poly in 2011 and the program's first berth in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Jennifer Gross served as an assistant and associate head coach under Sandy Simpson from 2004 until he retired in 2011. She has since won both the Big West Conference Championship and the Big West Conference Coach of the Year in five consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2021 and was a finalist for the WBCA 2018 National Coach of the Year Award. She was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003 as a student-athlete for her four seasons with the Aggies from 1993 to 1997, setting school records for career assists (448), steals (300), and three-pointers made (163). Gross, along with her assistant coaches, Joe Teramoto, Matt Klemin, & Des Abeyta lead the program to 2 Big West Championships in 2019, and 2021. On February 8, 2025, Gross became the winningest coach in program history, when her Aggies beat CSU Fullerton. This was Gross's 252nd win, passing the previous head coach, Sandy Simpson. Gross is currently married to assistant coach, Joe Teramoto and they have 2 kids, Josh and Amelia.

Postseason NCAA Division I tournament results UC Davis has advanced to the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament three times, all as an automatic qualifier from the Big West Conference. The Aggies are 0–3 in NCAA Tournament play. 2011 #16 First Round #1 Stanford L, 86–59 Stanford, California2019 #15 First Round #2 Stanford L, 79–54 2021 #12 First Round #5 Missouri StateL, 70–51 San Antonio, Texas

Women's National Invitation Tournament results UC Davis has made six appearances in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Aggies are 5–6 all-time in the WNIT, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2018 and a "Sweet 16" appearance in 2017. The wins over Utah and Colorado State in 2017 were the program's first postseason wins as a Division I program. The five WNIT victories overall are the most of any Big West Conference school as of 2019–20, while the Elite Eight berth in 2018 marked the furthest that any Big West Conference school had advanced in that tournament under its current format that began in 1998. 2008 First Round Gonzaga L, 81–60 Spokane, Washington2010 First Round California L, 74–69 Berkeley, California2012 First Round Oregon State L, 66–48 Corvallis, Oregon2017 First RoundSecond RoundSweet 16UtahColorado StateWashington State W, 72–62W, 58–57L, 71–62 Salt Lake City, UtahFort Collins, ColoradoPullman, Washington2018 First RoundSecond RoundSweet 16Elite Eight IdahoWyomingKansas StateIndianaW, 82–62W, 74–64W, 71–69L, 81–66Davis, CaliforniaLaramie, WyomingManhattan, KansasBloomington, Indiana2026 First Round Pepperdine L, 68–71 Malibu, California

NCAA Division II Tournament results UC Davis made 12 appearances in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament with a 12–12 record. The Aggies advanced to the Elite Eight of the 1997 NCAA Division II Tournament, reaching the semifinals before falling to Southern Indiana, 70–62, and finishing third nationally with a 76–61 win over Bentley in the third-place game. 1986 First Round Cal State NorthridgeL, 68–57 Northridge, California 1988 First Round Cal Poly Pomona L, 88–52 Pomona, California 1990 First Round Stanislaus State L, 78–70 Davis, California 1991 First RoundRegional Final Stanislaus StateCal Poly PomonaW, 64–45L, 58–56Turlock, CaliforniaPomona, California 1992 First RoundRegional Final Cal Poly PomonaPortland StateW, 69–49L, 83–56Pomona, CaliforniaPortland, Oregon 1993 First Round Portland State L, 64–61Portland, Oregon 1994 First RoundSecond RoundCal Poly PomonaCal State San BernardinoW, 58–56L, 85–62 Pomona, CaliforniaPortland, Oregon 1995 First RoundSecond RoundCal State Dominguez HillsPortland StateW, 52–42L, 82–71Portland, Oregon 1996 Second RoundRegional FinalChico StatePortland StateW, 80–52L, 70–66Davis, California 1997 Second RoundRegional FinalElite Eight 1st RoundElite Eight SemifinalElite Eight 3rd PlaceCal Poly PomonaSeattle PacificWest Texas A&MSouthern IndianaBentley W, 79–52W, 74–69W, 73–70L, 70–62W, 76–61Davis, CaliforniaDavis, CaliforniaGrand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North Dakota 1998 First RoundSecond RoundRegional Final Cal Poly PomonaMontana State BillingsSeattle Pacific W, 72–61W, 69–66L, 91–82 (OT) Seattle, Washington

AIAW Division III tournament results The Aggies made one appearance in the AIAW National Division III basketball tournament, with a combined record of 0–1.

1981 First Round Concordia (OR) L, 52–68

References

External links