LMU THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
UC Irvine (0-4) at
Loyola Marymount (1-3)
Date: Friday, Nov. 25
Time: 2:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Gersten Pavilion (4,156) - Los Angeles, Calif.
Watch | Listen on KUCI | Live Stats
Fresno State (1-2) vs.
UC Irvine (0-4)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 26
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: Gersten Pavilion (4,156) - Los Angeles, Calif.
Watch | Listen on KUCI | Live Stats
UC Irvine Game Notes
The UC Irvine women's basketball team will make the short trip to Los Angeles for its fourth-straight appearance in the annual LMU Thanksgiving Classic this weekend. The 'Eaters are set to open the tournament against host Loyola Marymount at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25. UCI then returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Nov. 26, for a 1 p.m. neutral-site showdown with Fresno State.
TIP-INS
• UC Irvine (0-4) is searching for its first win in the Tamara Inoue era.
• Inoue inherited eight letterwinners and brought in four newcomers for the 2016-17 campaign.
• Despite falling to Saint Louis, 79-69, UCI scored its most points in a season opener since 2011-12.
• This is the fourth-straight year the 'Eaters are in the LMU Thanksgiving Classic.
• They own a 1-5 record in the previous three tournaments with their lone win coming against LMU in 2013-14.
• Over the first four games, senior Shereen Sutherland is averaging a team-best 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds.
• Sutherland pulled down a career-best 15 boards at Utah State on Nov. 17.
• Sophomore Andee Ritter has made a 3-pointer in every game and leads the Anteaters with nine on the year.
FOLLOW THE 'EATERS: Fans can listen to every UC Irvine women's basketball home game, along with select road games, on KUCI 88.9 FM/KUCI.org. Darren Preston is the Anteaters' play-by-play announcer. All home games will also be streamed live on BigWest.tv.
LAST TIME OUT: UC Irvine trailed by only four with six minutes to play, but Idaho State made the final push to hold on for the 65-54 victory last Saturday at Reed Gym. UCI shot 36.8 percent from the field and made five 3-pointers. Juniors Teirra Hicks and Sabrina Engelstad each recorded their second-straight double-figure scoring game. Hicks netted a season-best and game-high tying 14 points. Engelstad also had 10 points as she went 3-for-3 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior Shereen Sutherland added nine points and eight rebounds.
Senior Irene Chavez made a pair of threes for a season-best six points, while classmate Brittany Glassow pulled down a season-high five boards.
A GLANCE AT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT: Loyola Marymount (1-3) earned its first win of the season on Sunday, Nov. 20, when it defeated San Diego State, 60-53, on the road. Senior forward Jackie Johnson leads the Lions with 14.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, while sophomore forward Cheyanne Wallace has registered a team-best 15.0 points per outing. LMU was picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.
SERIES RECORD VS. LMU: UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Loyola Marymount, 11-7. The Anteaters had won three in a row before the Lions' 95-50 victory in the most recent meeting in Los Angeles on Nov. 28, 2015. UCI is 5-5 when playing at LMU.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Fresno State (1-2) won its season opener against NAIA member Biola, but came up short in its next two outings, falling to Utah, 65-55, and CSUN, 61-57. This weekend will mark the Bulldogs' first road trip as all three of their games have been at home. Junior center Bego Faz Davalos has led the way with a team-best 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per contest. The 'Dogs were picked to finish third in the Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll.
SERIES RECORD VS. FRESNO STATE: UCI trails in its all-time series with former Big West member Fresno State, 19-3. The Bulldogs have won 18 in a row as the Anteaters' last victory in the series came in 1983. The most recent meeting between the two teams was in 2010 with Fresno State holding on for a 67-63 triumph at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.
ON THE BOARDS: For the first time this year, the 'Eaters won the battle on the boards, 45-39, at Utah State on Nov. 17. The 45 rebounds are a season high for UC Irvine. Senior Shereen Sutherland led the effort with a career-best 15 boards.
EARLY CHALLENGES: UCI opened the season against two teams that are currently featured in the national rankings. Gonzaga (3-0) is 25th in the Associated Press Poll as it cracked the top-25 following a win over then No. 11 Stanford. Saint Louis (4-0) was also receiving votes to come in at No. 36. In addition, the 'Zags were second in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll, while both teams were predicted to win their respective conferences.
MOVING FORWARD: Although UC Irvine fell to Saint Louis in its season opener, there were several positives to come out of that game. The 'Eaters surpassed last year's average of 56.5 points per outing by putting up 69, while shooting 43 percent against the Billikens. It marked the most points for UCI in a season opener since it dropped 76 vs. Portland State in 2011-12. The Anteaters also won the battle in the paint (35-34) and forced 19 turnovers.
START TO FINISH: The 'Eaters have gotten out to several strong starts, scoring first in three of their four games. They have also led for 41 percent of the time in the opening quarter. UC Irvine is now looking to maintain that level of play throughout the game as the second half has been a different story, where it has held only one lead that lasted for 11 seconds.
FREQUENT FLYERS: UCI started the 2016-17 campaign at home, but is now in the midst of a season-long seven-game road trip. During that stretch, the Anteaters will visit five different states with Gonzaga (Nov. 13), Utah State (Nov. 17), Idaho State (Nov. 19), Nevada (Dec. 1) and Portland State (Dec. 3) on the schedule. UC Irvine also makes its fourth consecutive appearance in the LMU Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 25-26.
DEFEND THE BREN: The Anteaters will be rewarded for their early travels as they close out their non-conference slate with six-straight home games. Overall, they are set to play 15 contests in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center. To preview head coach Tamara Inoue's first season, the UC Irvine Athletics Department is pleased to offer complimentary admission to all women's basketball games for the 2016-17 regular season.
FUTURE 'EATERS: UC Irvine signed five prep standouts to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. Tahlia Garza (6-2, Center, Archbishop Mitty HS), Dani Guglielmo (5-9, Guard, Archbishop Mitty HS), Jordan Sanders (5-11, Forward, Kickapoo HS), Alexus Seaton (5-10, Point Guard, Arlington Heights HS) and Haleigh Talbert (5-4, Guard, Euless Trinity HS) will join the 'Eaters in 2017-18. Garza is the 16th-ranked recruit in the nation at her position.
In addition, UCI has four transfers sitting out the 2016-17 campaign, and all four will be eligible next year -- Autumn Baumgartner (5-7, Guard, Georgetown), Deijah Blanks (5-9, Guard, Utah Valley), Yazzy Sa'Dullah (5-7, Guard, West Virginia) and Lauren Saiki (5-3, Point Guard, West Virginia).
UP NEXT: UC Irvine closes out its season-long seven game road stretch next week when it travels to Nevada (Thursday, Dec. 1) and Portland State (Saturday, Dec. 3).
