LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A short-handed UC Irvine women's basketball team was unable to keep up with Fresno State in the second half as the 'Eaters suffered a 63-45 defeat in a neutral-site game Saturday at the LMU Thanksgiving Classic.
UCI (0-6) had nine players dressed and was without the services of two starters - senior Mckenzie Piper and junior Teirra Hicks.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with five ties and six lead changes, but the Bulldogs took a seven-point advantage at the break and never looked back, going up by as many as 19 in the final 10 minutes.
Senior Shereen Sutherland paced the Anteaters with 12 points and nine rebounds. Junior Sabrina Engelstad also reached double figures with 10 points, while senior Brittany Glassow finished with a season-high six points, eight boards and three assists. Seniors Irene Chavez and Chloe Kellum added five points each with Chavez contributing a team-best four assists.
Although UC Irvine did not get on the board until an Engelstad layup at the 5:22 mark, the 'Eaters held strong on the defensive end and quickly knotted it up at 4-4. Fresno State pulled back out front before UCI answered with a 4-0 spurt, capped by a pair of free throws from Sutherland, to take its first lead of the day at 8-7 with 1:33 remaining.
That lead would change hands three more times before the end of the quarter as Chavez hit a 3-pointer with six seconds on the clock, giving the Anteaters an 11-9 edge. The Bulldogs then banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer.
It continued to go back-and-forth early in the second period until Fresno State went on top, 21-18, at the 6:12 mark. The 'Dogs continued on a 12-2 run before Glassow hit three free throws over the final 10 seconds to cut the deficit to 30-23 at intermission.
UC Irvine struck first in the third frame, but then went cold as Fresno State scored eight-straight points. Chavez eventually ended a nearly seven-minute scoring drought to make it 38-27 with 2:48 remaining. The Bulldogs would go up by 16, but Glassow drained a corner three at the buzzer to close the gap to 43-30.
Both teams had their best offensive performances in the fourth quarter. UC Irvine scored 15 points and shot 53.8 percent from the field, but that was offset by the Bulldogs' 20 points on 50 percent shooting.
Candice White led Fresno State (3-2) with a game-high 21 points, while Bego Faz Davalos chipped in 15 points.
UCI returns to action next week when it closes out its seven-game road stretch at Nevada (Dec. 1) and Portland State (Dec. 3).
NOTES: UC Irvine went 5-for-6 from the free throw line, while holding Fresno State without a FT attempt in the first half … Sabrina Engelstad has four-straight double-figure scoring games … She is averaging 11.0 points during that stretch and is up to 8.0 points per outing on the season … Shereen Sutherland registered her second double-digit scoring game of the year and 23rd of her career … She has also pulled down at least eight rebounds in five of the Anteaters' six games … Andee Ritter has made a 3-pointer in every contest for a team-best 11 on the season.
