THIS WEEK
Big West Conference Games
UC Irvine at Long Beach State · Thursday, Jan. 9 · 5:00 p.m. · Walter Pyramid
Radio Live Stats Video
UC Riverside at UC Irvine · Saturday, Jan. 11 · 4:00 p.m. · Bren Center
Radio Live Stats Video
QUICK HITS
UC Irvine will begin Big West Conference action traveling to Long Beach State Thursday (Jan. 9) at 5:00 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid then returns home to battle UC Riverside Saturday (Jan. 11) at 4:00 p.m. in the Bren Center.
Thursday's meeting with the Forty-Niners is another installment of the Black & Blue Rivalry Series presented by Duke's of Huntington Beach. The Anteaters are looking for their first points as LBSU holds a 15-0 advantage.
Saturday's game at the Bren is the annual Girl Scout Cookie Rally. With a large expected crowd as well as a soccer tournament on Crawford Field, fans are encouraged to plan accordingly as the Mesa Parking Structure may be heavily impacted.
Over the last 11 years, UCI is 2-9 in the first conference game of the year. The Anteaters last win to start league play was Jan. 5, 2011 with a 70-65 victory at Cal State Fullerton.
Long Beach State posted the Big West's best non-conference record at 8-6. The Anteaters enter the conference opener with a 7-7 record.
The Anteaters and Forty-Niners played five common opponents in the preseason (Nevada, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, San Diego and Denver). Both teams went 3-2 against those common opponents with only difference being that UCI beat Nevada and LBSU defeated Pepperdine.
Long Beach State holds a 50-12 series led over UC Irvine all-time. The teams split a pair of contests last year with the 49ers winning 71-61 in Long Beach and the Anteaters capturing a 65-57 win in Irvine.
In the game at Long Beach last year, LBSU out-scored UCI 11-3 in the final four minutes to take the win. There were 14 lead changes throughout the contest. Camille Buckley and Kelly Meggs totaled a team-high 11 points for UCI, while Lauren Spargo came off the bench to lead the Forty-Niners with 16 points, going 5-6 from the floor including 3-4 from three-point range.
In the game at Irvine, Meggs went 5-10 from the field including a season-high 4-8 from three-point distance to lead UCI with 14 points. Buckley recorded 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Long Beach State's Alex Sanchez led all players with 18 points.
Long Beach's Anna Kim is the reigning Big West Player of the Week after scoring 22 points in 26 minutes of action against Denver last week.
The Highlanders enter the week 4-9 overall, dropping the last six contests. UCR will host Cal State Fullerton on Thursday before coming to the Bren. Like UCI, the Highlanders schedule has been road heavy, playing just two games at home this year.
Riverside holds a 30-14 advantage in the series records all-time.
In the last meeting with UCR, Jennifer Tsurumoto hit a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining to give the Anteaters the victory. Tsurumoto had a game-high 20 points. Buckly recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. UC Riverside was led in scoring by Brittany Crain (14) and Natasha Hadley (13). Hadley also totaled a team-high nine rebounds.
The Anteaters were picked eighth in the Big West Conference preseason poll as selected by media members.
UCI finished in a tie for eighth place last season with a 5-13 mark versus Big West opponents.
UCI's six non-conference wins this season is the most since 2010 when the club posted an 8-6 record against non-Big West opponents.
The Anteaters are 3-0 at home this season. The Anteaters played 11 of the first 14 games on the road.
Last week, UCI closed out 2013 with a 72-69 loss at Washington then ushered in 2014 with a 90-53 victory over La Verne.
Against Washington, Tsurumoto led the Anteaters with 17 points, shooting 6-12 from the floor including a career-best four three-pointers. Junior guard Madison McKenney came off the bench to go 5-10 from the field for 10 points.
The Anteaters had a season-high nine three-pointers against the Huskies.
UCI got to the line a season-low four times in Seattle, making two free throws.
Senior forward Jasmine Bernard recorded a career-high 24 points to lead UC Irvine past La Verne.
The Anteaters' 39-point victory was the largest since UCI beat Texas San Antonio, 92-44 on Nov. 26, 1999 in the Bren Center.
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