LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — Ryann Bennett scored 26 points and the UC Davis women’s basketball team used a dominant first half to set the tone in an 85-66 victory over Cal State Northridge in a Big West Conference game on Thursday at the Matadome.

The Aggies, improving to 9-4 overall and opening conference play with a win, led wire-to-wire after establishing an early double-digit advantage. They outscored the Matadors 23-15 in the first quarter and 16-11 in the second to take a 39-26 lead into halftime, a cushion that proved insurmountable for the struggling Northridge squad, which fell to 5-7.

Bennett, a 5-foot-8 guard from Long Beach, California, was the catalyst throughout, adding three assists and two steals in 30 minutes of action. Her performance was a bounce-back effort after being held to 13 points in the Aggies’ previous outing, a loss to Northern Colorado.

The most important stretch of the game came early in the third quarter when Cal State Northridge showed signs of life. After a Saray White layup cut the UC Davis lead to 28-20, the Aggies responded with a decisive 11-3 run to quell the threat. Bennett ignited the surge with a driving layup, followed by a three-pointer from Avery Sussex and another three from Bennett herself, pushing the advantage to 39-23 and effectively sealing the contest.

UC Davis displayed balanced scoring behind Bennett. Avery Sussex of Coquitlam, Canada, contributed 13 points and five assists. Nya Epps from El Cerrito, California, added 12 points and three assists, while Tegan Young of Leominster, Massachusetts, and Megan Norris of Menlo Park, California, each chipped in 11 points. Norris also tallied four assists and two blocks.

Cal State Northridge was led by Saray White’s 18 points. The Sacramento native also recorded three assists and a block. Jite Gbemuotor, from Delta State, Nigeria, scored 13 points for the Matadors, who struggled to find consistent offense against a disciplined UC Davis defense.

The Aggies shot efficiently from the field, though specific percentages were not immediately available, and shared the ball effectively, compiling 19 assists as a team. Their defensive pressure also generated 12 steals, leading to numerous transition opportunities.

Cal State Northridge managed to outscore UC Davis 22-25 in a higher-paced third quarter but could not sustain the momentum, as the Aggies closed the game by winning the fourth quarter 21-18.

The game was played before an announced crowd of 415 at the Matadome. According to Interstat’s ELO system, UC Davis entered the game with a 93.40 percent probability to win.

UC Davis continues its road trip with a game at Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. Cal State Northridge will travel to face UC Santa Barbara, also on Saturday.