Who? The Highlanders of UC-Riverside.
Where? Riverside, CA. The school gets its team name from its altitude, not the show with Adrian Paul or the Scottish Highlands, but they play with the more commonly known Highlands in their motif.
When? Saturday the 13th in Anaheim, CA.
How? Amber Cox poured in 27 points as the Highlanders denied UC-Davis their first chance to dance, beating the Aggies 71-67.
Upset? Certainly is. Third-seeded UC-Riverside took out second-seeded Cal Poly in the semis and the top seed UC-Davis in the finals. They were a game behind the Aggies in the regular season.
RPI: 172
SOS: 201
The trend this season appears to be that experienced programs rise to the top in their conference tournaments, no matter where their seeds are. Riverside picks up its third trip in nine Division I seasons.
First team All-Big West guard Alyssa Morris leads this all-California team with 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Junior forward Rhaya Neabors is the team's second leading scorer at 11.1 and has nabbed more than two steals per game, while her sister Rheya leads the team in assists with 4.5 and is second in rebounding with 5.4. Senior forward Marissa Rivera provides a presence inside, averaging 5.3 rebounds and just over a block per game to go with 10.2 points.
Their better out of conference wins are at Pepperdine and at home against Arizona. Though they scheduled aggressively, with games against Vanderbilt, Purdue, Oklahoma State, and Kansas, they couldn't pull wins out of any of those. They also have a pair of losses in the Treasure State against them, losing to both Montana and Montana State.