THIS WEEK
Big West Conference Games
UC Irvine at Cal Poly · Thursday, Mar. 7 · 4:30 p.m. · Mott Gym
Radio Live Stats Video
UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara · Saturday, Mar. 9 · 2:00 p.m. · Thunderdome
Radio Live Stats Video
QUICK HITS
UCI closes out the regular season on the road, traveling to Cal Poly Thursday (Mar. 7) at 4:30 p.m. in Mott Gym then at UC Santa Barbara Saturday (Mar. 9) at 2:00 p.m. in the Thunderdome.
Both games this week are the first game of a double-header.
UCI swept the schools from the central coast last year for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Cal Poly leads UCI, 28-17 in the series records all-time after taking the first meeting of the year 64-46 in Irvine.
The 18-point loss is the second worst conference loss this season.
UCI scored its first point of the game at the 12:02 mark of the first half, but Cal Poly had already built a 13-2 lead at that point. The Mustangs would score seven straight to extend the lead to 28-8 at 6:28. Cal Poly would hold its largest lead of 21 at half time, 36-15. UCI's 15 first half points are the fewest scored in a half since the Anteaters scored 14 at Wyoming on Dec. 21, 2011. Cal Poly's Ariana Elegado went 5-7 from three-point range and matched the Anteaters with 15 first half points.
UCI junior forward Jasmine Bernard came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points, going 5-9 from the floor. Forward Lauren Spinazze had eight points, while guard Vanessa Aguilar recorded six points, which tied her career-high. UCI's starting five managed just 10 points, including six points by forward Camille Buckley who also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
UCI shot 28.3 percent (15-53) from the floor, the third worst shooting performance of the year. Cal Poly was 27-59 (45.8%) from the field, knocking down eight three-pointers to UCI's 4. The Mustangs out-rebounded UCI, 45-32.
The Mustangs enter the week 18-9 overall and 12-4 in the Big West. The Mustangs are 11-3 at home this year. Cal Poly is currently in second place, trailing league-leading Pacific by one game heading into the final week of action.
UCSB holds a 57-26 series advantage over the Anteaters. UCI has won just three times in the last 30 meetings against the Gauchos.
The Gauchos enter the week 13-15 overall and 9-7 in the Big West. The Gauchos, who will entertain Long Beach State on Thursday, have been better on the road this year, going 4-8 at home and 8-5 mark on the road. They are 1-2 on neutral courts.
In the first meeting with UCSB, the Gauchos won 51-46 at the Bren Center to kick off the Big West schedule. Camille Buckley would score five straight points to cut the score to 37-33 with 7:32 remaining in the game, but the Gauchos would answer with a 7-1 run to gain a 44-34 lead with 2:23 on the clock. Buckley paced UCI with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Jennifer Tsurumoto also recorded 11 points, while Kelly Meggs had 10 points. Nicole Nesbit led USCB with 14 points followed by Sweets Underwood and Melissa Zornig each recording 11 points.
UCI is currently tied with Cal State Fullerton for the final eighth spot in the Big West Tournament with a 5-11 record. Several tie-breaking scenarios exist depending on the results of this week's games. Seeding may not be determined until after the 9:00 p.m. PST game between the Titans and Hawaii in Honolulu concludes.
The Anteaters are 9-19 overall and after winning four straight, dropped two games last week, falling to UC Davis (47-43) and Pacific (65-53).
Davis scored the last 13 points of the game to overcome a nine-point deficit. Jasmine Bernard came off the bench to lead UCI with 13 points and three steals. Jennifer Tsurumoto had 12 points and Camille Buckley had a game-high 15 rebounds to go with seven points and four steals.
Versus Pacific, Buckley recorded her 12th double-double with a career-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Anete Klintsone totaled a season-high 10 points, while senior Pernilla Hanson added seven points, eight rebounds and three steals on senior day.
Camille Buckely is tied for seventh in the country for most rebounds in a game with 22 against UC Davis.
The Anteaters rank 22nd nationally in fouls per game with a 13.4 average. UCI opponents have only gotten to the free throw line 483 times this year.
In Big West games only, UCI is fourth in scoring defense holding opponents to a 58.9 mark.
Junior guard Kelly Meggs leads the team with 49 three-pointers, which ranks fifth all-time in the UCI season record books. She has 87 career treys, one shy of entering the top 10 in career three-pointers made. She has knocked down at least one trey in each of the last 14 games. Meggs is sixth in the Big West in three-pointer made at 1.8 per outing.
Junior forward Camille Buckley leads the team with an 11.5 scoring and 9.8 rebound average. She ranks 12th in scoring and second in rebounding in the Big West overall. She also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (.465).
In league games-only, Buckley leads the conference in rebounding at a 11.6 clip and is the only player to average a double-double with an 12.1 scoring mark. Buckley averages a league-best 4.4 offensive and 7.2 defensive rebounds per game.
Buckley has 12 double-doubles this year which is tied for the most in the Big West.
Jennifer Tsurumoto ranks fourth in the Big West in minutes played, logging 32.7 per outing.
UCI's 21 steals against Seattle on Dec. 1 is still the most in the league this year.
The Big West tournament starts at UC Irvine this year with first round and quarterfinal games on Mar. 12 and 13 at the Bren Events Center.
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