THIS WEEK
Big West Conference Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 6 UC Santa Barbara vs No. 3 UC Irvine · Tuesday, Mar. 6 · 7:00 p.m. · Bren Center
UCI HOSTS GAUCHOS IN BIG WEST TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS: No. 3 seed UC Irvine will host No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara in a Big West Tournament quarterfinal game on Tuesday (Mar. 6) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Center.
The winner of Tuesday's game will play a semifinal game on Friday at the Honda Center. The highest remaining seeded team will play the lowest remaining seeded team at 12:00 p.m. with the other remaining teams facing off 30 minutes following the end of the first game.
CALLING ALL STUDENTS: 200 free tickets will be available for UC Irvine undergraduate students for this event. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the student entrance beginning at 6:00 pm at the student gate on the night of the game.
Other giveaways include:
The first 200 undergraduate students through the student gate will receive a $5 coupon to redeem at the Concessions Booth.
We will select one (1) lucky student to win a $50 gift card to the UCI Bookstore. A winner will be announced in the second half and must be present to win.
Catch the games at the Honda Center in style! Attend the women's basketball game on Tuesday, March 6 for your chance to win an 8-person VIP PACKAGE for all of the games that the Anteaters advance to at the Honda Center! The package will include limo transportation to and from the Honda Center, seating in a luxury suite at the Honda Center and snacks and beverages during the game for one (1) winner and seven (7) friends! (Limit one winner per tournament round for games the Anteaters participate in.) All current UC Irvine undergraduate students who attend the women's basketball game on Tuesday, March 6 will be entered into the contest. Winners will be announced in the second half of Tuesday's game and must be present to win.
VS THE GAUCHOS: UC Santa Barbara leads the series with the UCI, 56-26.
UCI is 2-0 against the Gauchos this season, taking the first game 61-53 in Santa Barbara and then defeating UCSB 72-65 in Irvine.
In the first meeting, Kassandra McCalister led all players with 21 points, hitting 6-10 from the floor including 4-5 from three-point range. She also added six rebounds and six assists. Jacquelyn Marshall hit 7-13 from the field, including three three-pointers on her way to 19 points. Methlyn Onogomuho had a game-high nine rebounds. UCSB was led by Nicole Nesbit's 14 points. Destini Mason had 12 points and Kirsten Tilleman recorded 10 points in the loss. UCI hit 7-16 three-pointers, while UCSB was just 1-11. The Anteaters were 12-21 from the free throw line and the Gauchos were 4-4.
McCalister recorded a career-high 36 points to lead all players in the second contest. She hit five three-pointers and went 15-16 from the free throw line on her way to her career-best. Her 36 points is tied for the second most by a Big West player this season, while her 15 made free throws and 16 attempts is the most by a Big West player this year. The Gauchos were led by Kirsten Tilleman with 16 points and nine rebounds followed by Sweets Underwood with 10 points and six boards. UCSB out-rebounded UCI 29-27.
The Anteaters hit a season-high 12 three-pointers and were 20-26 from the free throw line, while UCSB hit six treys and was 9-11 from the charity stripe. It was the Anteaters' first season sweep of the Gauchos since the 1987-88 season.
AT THE BIG WEST TOURNAMENT: UCI is 11-22 in Big West Tournament games all-time. The Anteaters have not won a Big West Tournament game since UCI defeated Utah State, 75-63 in the first round on Mar. 9, 2005.
UCI and UCSB have met four times in previous Big West Tournament action and are tied 2-2.
UCI vs UCSB At The Big West Tournament
Mar. 4, 1984 - Semifinals - UCI 74, UCSB 64
Mar. 9, 1985 - Semifinals - UCI 64, UCSB 41
Mar. 8, 1997 - Championship - UCSB 81, UCI 66
Mar. 14, 2003 - Second Round - UCSB 83, UCI 50
TRIO OF ANTEATERS PICK UP BIG WEST HONORS: Three UC Irvine players earn All-Big West Conference honors with Kassandra McCalister garnering first team honors.
Against Big West opponents, McCalister averaged 15.9 points per game, which is second best in the conference. She also ranked second in assists (3.93), third in three-point field goal percentage (.403), fifth in three-point field goals made (1.67), sixth in free throw percentage (.772) and steals (1.80) and 12th in rebounds (5.9). Overall, the senior guard leads the team in scoring (13.7), three-pointers (39) and assists (4.0). She has posted more than 27 points on three occasions this season, including a career-best 36 versus UC Santa Barbara. McCalister, who was named Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 16, 2012, has two double-doubles and had a career-high 10 rebounds twice. It is the first all-conference honor for McCalister and the 11th time an Anteater has been named to the first team.
Sophomore forward Jacquelyn Marshall was named All-Big West honorable mention. She ranked 13th in scoring (10.0) and rebounding (5.8), ninth in field goal percentage (.450) and fifth in blocks (1.00). She is averaging 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game overall. This is her first conference accolade.
Forward Methlyn Onogomuho becomes the ninth Anteater to be tabbed to the All-Freshman Team. In Big West games, she led the league in offensive rebounds (3.06) and was ranked ninth in rebounding average (6.4). Overall, she leads the Anteaters with a 6.0 rebound average which ranks eight in the league and has a 7.3 scoring average. Onogomuho also leads the Big West in offensive rebounds overall, pulling down 3.0 per outing.
NINE IS DEVINE: UCI ended the year in a three way tie for third place with UC Davis and Pacific at 9-7. They earned the No. 3 seed in a tiebreaker with a 3-1 record against the other two tied teams. UCI's nine Big West wins are the most since the Anteaters also went 9-7 in 2002-03. The Anteaters finished fourth in the league that year. It is UCI's highest conference finish since 1997-98 when they were second in the West Division. They finished third in 1994-95 when the league was not separated into two divisions. The Anteaters went on to win the Big West Tournament Championship in 1994-95 when they defeated Pacific, 65-53 in the title game.
ON THE RECORD: UCI is 13-16 overall, only the second time since the team went 17–12 in 2002-03 that the Anteaters have collected 10 or more wins. Last year, UCI was 15-15.
BIG WEST STATS: UCI ranks second in field goal percentage (.403), assists (13.66) and rebounding defense (37.4). The team is third in scoring offense (65.0) and fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.304), offensive rebounds (14.48) and blocked shots (3.31). The Anteaters are last in the Big West in field goal defense (.426).
HOME COOKIN: This year, the Anteaters are 7-6 at home, 4-10 on the road and 2-0 on neutral courts. UCI began the year, 5-2 at the Bren, but have finished the season, going 2-4 on their home court. UCI is averaging 69.6 points per game at home compared to 61.6 on the road. The Anteaters are better on the glass when they are on the road (38.4-36.6), getting out-rebounded 37.7 to 39.7 in Irvine.
MEGG-A PERFORMAMCE: Sophomore guard Kelly Meggs poured in a career-high 26 points to lead UCI to a 65-60 overtime victory against UC Riverside last week in the regular season finale. With the absence of UCI's leading scorer Kassandra McCalister who was resting an injury, Meggs stepped up hitting 7-17 from the field, including 5-13 from three-point territory and 7-8 from the free throw line. She also had a career-best six assist. Anete Klintsone totaled 16 points, hitting 12-13 from the free throw line. Kiara Belen and Methlyn Onogomuho each added eight points with Onogomuho and Jacquelyn Marshall had a team-best six rebounds.
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