UC Irvine Hits The Road To Battle Cal State Northridge, Hawaii
January 20, 2014 | Women's Basketball
THIS WEEK
Big West Conference Games
UC Irvine at Cal State Northridge · Thursday, Jan. 23 · 7:00 p.m. · Matadome
Audio Live Stats Video
UC Irvine at Hawaii · Saturday, Jan. 23 · 7:00 p.m. · Stan Sheriff Center
Audio Live Stats Video
QUICK HITS
UCI remains on the road, traveling to Cal State Northridge Thursday (Jan. 23) at 7:00 p.m. in the Matadome and Hawaii Saturday (Jan. 25) at 7:00 p.m. PST in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Matadors hold a 22-20 series advantage over the Anteaters, winning the last five meetings.
Northridge won both contests last season, taking a 59-48 victory in Northridge and a 68-52 win in Irvine.
The last time the teams played in the Matadome, Kelly Meggs, Jennifer Tsurumoto and Vanessa Aguilar led the Anteaters with nine points each, while Camille Buckley had a game-high 12 rebounds off the bench. The duo of Ashley Guay (24) and Marta Masoni (20) led the Matadors, scoring most of their points from long range. The pair combined to hit 10-20 from beyond the arc. Violet Alama had a team-best seven rebounds.
In that game, UCI out-rebounded Northridge, 45-28, but it was the Matadors who converted on opportunities scoring 24 points on 28 Anteater turnovers.
Cal State Northridge is 7-11 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Matadors have won two straight and three of the last four games. Last week, Northridge swept Cal Poly and UCSB for the first time in its Big West history.
Northridge head coach Jason Flowers played for the UC Irvine men's basketball team for two seasons (1998, 1999) before transferring to UCLA.
Hawaii holds a 22-8 series record advantage over the Anteaters.
UCI's last win in Hawaii was a 60-52 victory on Jan. 15, 1995.
The 'Bows defeated the Anteaters 56-46 in Honolulu then UCI snapped a six game losing streak with a 64-52 victory over Hawaii in Irvine.
Last time the teams tangled away from the mainland, Jasmine Bernard led the Anteaters with 16 points in 21 minutes of action. Buckley did not play in Hawaii last year. Hawaii was led by Ashleigh Karaitiana with 16 points. Kamilah Martin recorded eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Hawaii had at least one point from 11 different players.
Hawaii is 8-7 overall and 2-1 league mark. The 'Bows will entertain UC Davis Thursday before welcoming the Anteaters.
This week's games feature two of the best guards and two of the best forwards in the Big West. UCI's Jennifer Tsurumoto is seventh in the Big West in scoring with a 15.8 average and is 10th in assists (3.19). Cal State Northridge guard Ashlee Guay ranks 12th in points (13.8) and fifth in assists (4.00). Hawaii's Kamilah Jackson leads the league in double-doubles with 10 and is sixth in scoring (16.3) and second in rebounds (10.4). UCI's Camille Buckley ranks 10th in scoring (14.4) and third in rebounds (8.6). Buckley has six double-doubles.
The Anteaters are 8-9 overall and 1-2 in the Big West. UCI is one win shy of the 2013 win total (9-21).
With this week's road swing, UCI will have played 15 of the first 19 games on the road. The Anteaters will then return home to host four in a row and seven of the last 11 contests.
The Anteaters are 4-0 at home this season and join Cal Poly (6-0) as the only Big West teams to remain undefeated on their own court this year. The Anteaters are 3-8 on the road and 1-1 in neutral sites this season.
Last week, UCI dropped a 75-58 contest at Cal State Fullerton. Jennifer Tsurumoto led the team for the third straight game with 18 points. Methlyn Onogomuho recorded seven points and a team-high nine rebounds.
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