About a dozen students camped out in front of the Pavilion to be the first in line for the March 6 women's basketball game against UC Riverside, a pivotal matchup in the Big West Conference.

The campout began at 8 o'clock the night before the game in response to a column by California Aggie sports editor Michael Gehlken. On March 3, he threw down the gauntlet: "Isn't that sad. The Pavilion has hosted Aggies basketball since 1976, and students have never been excited enough for a game to camp outside the arena's entrance. Well, this Wednesday night I'm doing it. Whoever wants in can join me."

The game was in no danger of selling out. But, said Chris Perry, one of the campers: "It should be!"

The women's basketball team delivered pizza for dinner for the campers, and they passed the time by reading, listening to music and playing foosball on one of The Aggie newsroom's tables, which had been hauled to the campsite. Oh, and they went to class, too.

The game ended with a UC Davis victory, 62-41, after the Aggies overcame an early double-digit deficit. With the win, the Aggies (18-10 and 12-4 in league) clinched the second seed for this week's Big West Tournament in Anaheim, and that entitles the Aggies to a pair of first-round byes, allowing the team to advance straight to the semifinals in the Aggies' first official NCAA Division I season and its first in the Big West Conference.

The Aggies' semifinal game is scheduled for March 14. The winner of the tournament earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.