UC Irvine (0-6) at
Nevada (4-2)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 1
Time: 6:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Lawlor Events Center (11,536) - Reno, Nev.
Watch | Live Stats
UC Irvine (0-6) at
Portland State (2-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 3
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Peter W. Stott Center (1,500) - Portland, Ore.
Watch | Live Stats
UC Irvine Game Notes
The UC Irvine women's basketball team will make its final non-conference road trip this week, starting with a visit to Nevada for a 6:30 p.m. tilt on Thursday, Dec. 1. The 'Eaters then head to Portland State where they are set to take on the Vikings at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3.
TIP-INS
• UC Irvine (0-6) is searching for its first win in the Tamara Inoue era.
• Coach Inoue inherited eight letterwinners and brought in four newcomers for the 2016-17 campaign.
• Junior Sabrina Engelstad was named to the LMU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend.
• Engelstad recorded UCI's first double-double of the year with 11 points and 14 rebounds at Loyola Marymount.
• Over the first six games, senior Shereen Sutherland is averaging a team-best 9.5 points and 8.3 boards.
• Sophomore Andee Ritter has made a 3-pointer in every game and leads the Anteaters with 11 on the year.
• Freshman Brooke Bayman (15) and senior Irene Chavez (10) have dished out nearly half of the team's 51 assists.
• Despite falling to Saint Louis, 79-69, the 'Eaters scored their most points in a season opener since 2011-12.
LAST TIME OUT: A short-handed UC Irvine 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 last Saturday at the LMU Thanksgiving Classic. UCI 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. Shereen Sutherland paced the Anteaters with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sabrina Engelstad also reached double figures with 10 points, while Brittany Glassow finished with a season-high six points, eight boards and three assists. Irene Chavez and Chloe Kellum added five points each with Chavez contributing a team-best four assists.
SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK: Nevada (4-2) hosted the Nugget Classic last weekend and split its two games, falling to Navy, 79-62, before topping Memphis, 75-67. Stephanie Schmid leads the Wolf Pack with 16.8 points per outing, while Riana Everidge has registered 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. UNR was picked to finish 10th in the Mountain West Conference Preseason Poll.
SERIES RECORD VS. NEVADA: UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with former Big West member Nevada, 14-8, and has won the last two. In the most recent meeting, the 'Eaters defeated the Wolf Pack, 68-64, at the Bren Events Center on Dec. 6, 2015. UCI is 6-5 when playing in Reno.
A GLANCE AT PORTLAND STATE: Portland State (2-2) won its second-straight game with a 79-71 road victory at Seattle last week. The Vikings will head to the University of Portland before welcoming the Anteaters to the Peter W. Stott Center on Saturday. Sidney Rielly, who has three-consecutive 20-point scoring games, leads PSU with 21.0 points per outing. Ashley Bolston is also averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 5.8 assists per contest. Portland State was picked to finish 10th in the Big Sky Preseason Poll.
SERIES RECORD VS. PSU: UCI trails in its all-time series with Portland State, 7-3. The two teams last met on Nov. 11, 2011, with the Vikings coming from behind to snag the 80-76 victory on their home floor. The 'Eaters will be looking for their first road win in the series as they are 0-4 when playing in Portland.
FAMILY TRADITION: Junior Sabrina Engelstad is the daughter of former UC Irvine great, Wayne Engelstad, who played for the Anteaters from 1984-88. Wayne ranks among the top-10 in school history with 1,530 points and 698 rebounds. Sabrina is now following in her father's footsteps as she took on a starting role after senior Mckenzie Piper went down with an injury. The 6-foot-4 forward has responded to the challenge with four-straight double-figure scoring games. She began the streak with a season-high 13 points at Utah State, and went on to record UCI's first double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-best 14 rebounds at Loyola Marymount.
ON THE BOARDS: The Anteaters have won the battle on the boards twice this year, pulling down a season-best 45 at Utah State (Nov. 17) and 42 at Loyola Marymount (Nov. 25). Senior Shereen Sutherland led the effort against the Aggies with a career-high 15 rebounds, while junior Sabrina Engelstad grabbed 14 vs. the Lions.
POINTS AT A PREMIUM: The 'Eaters set a program record for the fewest points scored and allowed in a quarter in the same game last Friday. After Andee Ritter hit a 3-pointer just 14 seconds into the opening period at Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine was held scoreless the rest of the way to finish with three points in the first 10 minutes. UCI did get going in the second frame and eventually returned the favor, holding the Lions to just five points in the fourth. The previous record for the Anteaters was six points given up in the first quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 30, 2016.
A NEW MONTH: UC Irvine will look to turn the tables in December with six of its eight games being played in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center. That is in stark contrast to a winless November that saw the 'Eaters hit the road for five of their six contests. UCI is hoping to snap the third-longest losing streak in program history as it has lost 17 in a row dating back to the 2015-16 season.
EARLY CHALLENGES: UCI opened the campaign against two teams that have been featured in the national rankings. Gonzaga (4-2) was ranked as high as No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll following a win over then No. 11 Stanford. Saint Louis (5-1) was also receiving votes for the first three weeks. In addition, the 'Zags were third 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 a season-best 43 percent. It marked the most points for UCI in an 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.
FREQUENT FLYERS: UCI began the 2016-17 campaign at home, but is now at the tail-end of a season-long seven-game road trip. During that stretch, the Anteaters will have visited five different states, traveling to Gonzaga, Utah State, Idaho State, Nevada and Portland State.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center where it will start a seven-game homestand by hosting Sacramento State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10.
