Oldbanduhalum summed it up nicely. I'll add a couple of my thoughts. UH came out aggressive and we didn't match that intensity. UH was setting high screens and our perimeter defense was having a lot of trouble fighting through them and Hawai'i was hot hitting 7 of 13 3's in the first half. We looked shell shocked at the end of the first quarter down 12.

Even though we were down 14 at the half we were starting to show some life but Hawai'i drained another 3 and we were down 17. The big difference when we made our run was that our defense started playing tough defense. Once we got the lead under 10 you could feel the confidence coming back and, at that point, I knew we had a good chance.

Sofia Song was huge in my opinion. Good defense and a critical 3 to take the lead which demoralized Hawai'i. Cierra Hall battled inside for a couple of buckets and was physical on the boards. She matched Hawai'i's physicality. I love how competitive she is. Although she'll still miss some gimme's she's getting better and better on offense and is beginning to knock down some 15 jumpers. Nice to see her make the All Conference team.

So I think the biggest factor between the first half and the second for us was that we stepped up and played tough defense in the second half and Hawai'i wasn't getting the wide open looks they were getting on the perimeter that they got in the first half.

Bracketology is predicting that we'll be a 15 seed which will be a travesty if that happens. This is a team that has won 3 straight Big West Titles. I think they are a legitimate 11-13.

An incredible, gut check comeback to win the Championship. FANTASTIC!

Congratulations to the team and the coaches. It took a few years to get to go Dancing but they derived this and made it happen.

As good as the Ags have been in the past 3 years they have not been able to win the Big West Tournament yet.

Total domination by Hawai'i. Aggies got totally outplayed. Shocking really...

22-10 at the end of the first. Poorest quarter since early in the season.

Wow...Hawai'i is on a 17-4 run.

Hawai'i comes out as the aggressor and lead the Ags 13-6 with 4:35 to go in first quarter. The Aggie defense is missing at the moment and the Ags are playing tight.

It's going to be interesting to see how Lily and Stobbart do trying to fill the void left when Morgan is gone. I think next year's team will be very different. Morgan, of course, has been a rare talent for us since she is so quick and agile with length. Stobbart lacks that quickness and needs to improve her interior game and, although Lily has dominated in her high school, adapting to the speed and physicality of the D1 game will be a big adjustment for her. I think they will both be projects and it will take time for them to develop.

In regards to the Aggies getting offensive boards for themselves, then yes, they had far fewer chances to because they shot a better percentage. However, you never want to let an opponent dominate their own offensive boards because, even though they are missing shots, you are letting them have more and more chances to score. We essentially dodged a bullet because Irvine simply wasn't able to take advantage of their offensive rebounding to score second chance points.

If the Ags go Dancing they'll be playing outstanding teams that will take advantage of the Aggies if they do not block out and limit their opponent's second chance attempts. Giving up 20 offensive boards against an elite women's team would probably send the Aggies home with a loss.

Fullerton beat UCSB 64-58. Irvine and Fullerton will play for the title tomorrow at 9 pm televised live on ESPN2.

Good basketball game. Long Beach led most of the game but Irvine was very determined and played really hard in the second half.

I was watching this game on my laptop and watching Duke and North Carolina on tv at the same time. Duke won 74-73 in a great game. Zion Williamson is a total beast. You gotta love college hoops at this time of the year.

The Ags have been peaking for a while now and have been able to keep it going. Pure domination of their opponents of late. The only stat today that is really concerning is that they gave up 20 offensive boards and grabbed only 5 for themselves.

Hawai'i is the only team to have beaten the Aggies in conference play so they'll come into the game confident that they can take down the Ags. If the Ags continue to play the way they did today and do a better job on the boards, they will get to go Dancing.

The Aggies need to be prepared to match the energy that UCI will bring at the start of the game. They're playing tenacious basketball right now and they'll come out sky high. The Ags are a mature team that plays with poise and they'll need that today.

Go Ags!

More comments from the coaches and players:

“I’ll just repeat what I told this team in the locker room, how much I appreciate their effort today, which I thought was exemplary, but also the effort (the players) gave us all season,” said UCD head coach Jim Les.

“None of us had the season we wanted to have, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or for trying. Sometimes life doesn’t bounce your way — but they kept battling, especially that senior group.”

It was a tearful goodbye by Shorts, last year’s BWC Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection earlier this week:

“I’m thankful,” he said. “I’m thankful for my coaches. For my players. I appreciate what they’ve done for me. They let me showcase (what I could do).”

Les was asked about what Shorts meant to the program and him personally as a coach…

“Just so much respect for him,” the former Bradley standout player and coach said. “It’s easy to respect him as a player, but what he’s done for our program, for the guys. … Since the day he came in here, he put this team on his back. He did it with great moxie and character. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

“He’ll go down — this is my eighth season (at UCD) — as one of the best Aggies I’ve ever coached. Maybe one of the best (players) I’ve ever coached. He’s a warrior, works hard.”

“Big West basketball at its finest. That was a highly competitive game,” said Titan coach Dedrique Taylor, a former Aggie basketball standout. “You have to tip your cap to UC Davis for their competitive spirit, and obviously T.J. had his way with us.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/aggie-men-fall-short-in-big-west-opener-75-71-in-ot/

#1 Irvine rolls over #8 Riverside 63-44.

Nice comments by Coach Les about the seniors and TJ:

"I'll be forever indebted to that group (of seniors)," Les said in postgame press conference . "For the championships they've brought to this program, for the wonderful ambassadors they've been for this program and the quality student-athletes that are going to be, in whatever they choose, very, very successful."

Highlighting what Shorts II meant to the program throughout his two years at UC Davis, Les added that he "couldn't be more proud of him. He'll go down, and this is my eighth season, but he'll go down as one of the best Aggies' I've coached. Maybe one of the best I've ever coached."

https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2019/3/14/mens-basketball-shorts-ii-neufeld-lead-aggies-in-another-big-west-tournament-thriller.aspx

0-7 from 3...ugh...hope some start to fall in the second half!