IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team led for most of the first half but was unable to hold on as it dropped its season opener, 79-69, to Saint Louis Friday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
Senior Shereen Sutherland nearly had a double-double with a team-best 18 points and nine rebounds. She went 7-for-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
"I'm really proud of Shereen," first-year head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I expected great things from her and I was very impressed with the way she stepped up."
Freshman Brooke Bayman had a stellar collegiate debut with 13 points and four assists, while sophomore Andee Ritter added 13 points. Senior Mckenzie Piper also reached double figures with 11 points. Both Piper and Ritter drained a trio of threes.
UCI (0-1) shot 43.1 percent from the field and was 6-for-17 from behind the arc.
UC Irvine started strong, taking a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter. Saint Louis then went up, 7-5, before junior transfer Sabrina Engelstad answered with a layup. The 'Eaters proceeded to go on a 12-5 run, capped by a three from Piper, to pull ahead, 17-12, with 2:05 remaining. That score would hold over the final two minutes.
The Anteaters opened up a six-point lead in the second period as another Piper 3-pointer made it 20-14 at the 9:24 mark. UCI stayed out front until the Billikens knotted it up at 30-30 with 2:41 to go. It went back-and-forth from there with junior Teirra Hicks eventually beating the buzzer to send the two teams into the break locked in a 34-34 tie.
In the third frame, Sutherland got the scoring started, but it was the Billikens who took control, building a double-digit advantage. The visitors ended up outscoring the 'Eaters 26-15 in the quarter for a 60-49 lead.
SLU increased its cushion to 20 in the fourth before UC Irvine fought back with a 10-0 run that closed the gap to 77-67 with 1:28 to go. Bayman sparked the rally with a pair of three-point plays. UCI ultimately ran out of time, however, as Saint Louis held on for the 79-69 victory.
The Billikens (1-0), who were predicted to win the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title, were led by reigning A-10 Player of the Year Jackie Kemph's 20 points and eight assists. She went 5-for-9 from long distance. Jordyn Frantz also hit four 3-pointers en route to a 20-point performance.
UC Irvine will now head to Gonzaga to begin a seven-game road stretch on Sunday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
