THIS WEEK
Big West Conference Games
Hawaii at UC Irvine · Thursday, Feb. 20 · 7:00 p.m. · Bren Center
Radio Live Stats Video
Cal State Northridge at UC Irvine · Saturday, Feb. 22 · 4:00 p.m. · Bren Center
Radio Live Stats Video TV: ESPN3
QUICK HITS
UC Irvine will host Hawaii Thursday (Feb. 20) at 7:00 p.m. and Cal State Northridge Saturday (Feb. 22) at 4:00 p.m.. Both games will be played at the Bren Events Center.
Thursday's game is a "Think Pink" game to raise awareness about breast cancer. Cancer survivors will be honored prior to the game and pink wrsitbands will be sold for $1.00 to support the breast health center.
Saturday's game against Cal State Northridge will be carried by ESPN3.
UCI enters the week 12-12 overall and 5-5 in the Big West. The Anteaters are currently tied for fifth place in the league standings with UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton.
The Anteaters have won three of the last five outings and are 7-1 at home this year. UCI's lone loss in the Bren was a 84-79 decision to Cal Poly on Feb. 1.
Hawaii is 13-10 on the year and 7-4 in the Big West, which is good for third place among league members..
The 'Bows returned home last week and picked up wins against UC Riverside (67-64) and Cal State Fullerton (65-52).
Hawaii is 4-7 on the road this year.
Hawaii holds a 23-8 series record over UC Irvine, including a 85-59 victory in Honolulu earlier this season.
On Jan. 25, 2014, Hawaii shot 52.2 percent (36-69) from the field on its way to a 85-59 victory over UCI at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Camille Buckley had a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds for UCI. The Anteaters made a season-low two three-pointers (2-11) and shot 33.3% (19-57) from the floor for the game.
Hawaii had five players in double-digit scoring led by Shawna-Lei Kuehu with 18 points. Kamilah Jackson, Destiny King and Ashleigh Karaitiana each added 12 points, while Pua Kailiawa had 11 points. King led the team in rebounds with eight.
Cal State Northridge is the league's hottest team, winning three consecutive and six of the last seven games. The Matadors lead the league with a 9-3 mark and are 13-13 overall.
Northridge's Camille Mahlknecht is the reigning Big West Player of the Week after leading the Matadors to wins against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara last week, including collecting a school record 22 rebounds against the Gauchos.
Matador head coach Jason Flowers played for the UC Irvine men's basketball team for two seasons (1998, 1999) before transferring to UCLA.
The Matadors hold a 22-21 series advantage over the Anteaters, winning five of the last six meetings.
In the first contest this year in Northridge, UCI's Camille Buckley poured in a career-high 31 points as the Anteaters defeated the Matadors 83-73 on Jan. 23 at the Matadome.
Buckley also had 21 rebounds to go with her 31 points. Cal State Northridge was led by Ashlee Guay with a game-high 32 points, recording eight three-pointers. UCI held a 52-34 advantage in rebounds, while Northridge knocked down 14 three-pointers to UCI's three from long range.
UCI's 12 wins overall are a three-game improvement over last year (9-21). It is the third time the Anteaters have recorded double-digit wins in the last 10 years, recording 13 wins in 2011-12 and 15 in 2010-11.
The Anteaters' five wins in conference play matches last year's total (5-13).
Camille Buckley recorded her 11th double-double of the season with a game-high 28 points and 15 rebounds but it was not enough as UCI dropped an 87-75 loss at UC Riverside last Saturday in the lone contest last week.
UCI has out-rebounded opponents in four of the last five games. UCI is averaging 42.7 rebounds, while opponents pull them down at a 41.3 clip. The +1.4 rebound margin ranks second best in the league.
The Anteaters are averaging 72.8 points per game which is second in the Big West. The school record for scoring average is 70.1 set by the 1983-84 squad.
Buckley moved into 10th all-time at UCI in career free throws made (236). This season she is 144-183, which ranks third most in makes in a season at UCI and ninth in attempted. The school record for made free throws in a season is 159 (Jade Smith-Williams 2010-11) and attempted is 189 by Jade Smith-Williams (2010-11) and Stephanie Duda (2007-08).
The senior, who is ranked 18th nationally in rebounding, leads the Big West in boards at 11.0 per game and is one of two players to average a double-double on the year with a 17.0 scoring mark. She is ranked fourth among league players in points per game.
Both Buckley and Tsurumoto have scored a career-high 31 points this year. The last time an Anteater duo scored 30 or more in one season dates back to Jade Smith-Williams and Mikah Maly-Karros in 2009-10.
The Anteaters have scored 90 or more points three times this season, a feat which has never been done. UCI has recorded 90-plus twice in 1983-84 and 1979-80. In 1979-80, the Anteaters scored 100 or more in both contests.
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