Box Score Irvine, Calif. – UC Irvine played at home for the first time in 26 days and suffered a 72-54 loss to Cal Poly at the Bren Events Center Saturday afternoon.
UCI falls to 3-13 overall and 0-2 in the Big West, while Cal Poly improves to 8-7 overall and 1-1 in league action.
UCI was led by guard Raelyn Cheung-Sutton with 14 points and five assists. Forward Shereen Sutherland had nine points and Mokun Fajemisin had eight points, a team-best seven rebounds and tied her career-high with five blocks. The Anteaters struggled from long distance going 1-9, while Cal Poly knocked down 8-26.
Cal Poly's Gabby Grupalo, who had a previous career-high of five points, led all players with 25 points off the bench. She went 8-16 from the floor, including three three-pointers in 31 minutes of action. Hannah Gilbert had a career-high 18 rebounds to go with 11 points and two blocks. Beth Balbierz also added 11 points and Lisa Marie Sanchez totaled 10 points. The Mustangs out-rebounded UCI 55-40.
UCI jumped out to a 12-2 lead behind four points by Mokun Fajemisin, but the Mustangs would follow with a 10-4 spurt to close within 16-12 at the end of the first period.
Cal Poly would score 10 of the first 12 points of the second period to take their first lead of the game 22-18 at 5:56. The teams would be tied three times before Teirra Hicks recorded a free throw to put UCI on top 32-31 with 51 seconds to play. The Anteaters would turn the ball over with seven seconds on the clock and Cal Poly capitalized as Dye Stahley drove down the floor and hit a layup as time expired to give the Mustangs the 33-32 lead at the half.
In the third quarter, UCI freshman Andrea Ritter hit her first collegiate basket at 3:50 to draw UCI within 43-42. Cal Poly would score the final 11 points of the period to lead 54-42 heading in to the fourth quarter.
A Shereen Sutherland jumper at 6:20 narrowed the margin to 60-50, but the Mastangs would rattle off seven in a row to bring the gap back to 17 (67-50) with 2:35 to play.
After traveling to UC Davis on Thursday (Jan. 14), UCI will entertain Long Beach State Saturday (Jan. 16) at 2:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
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