Concordia Irvine (5-6) at
UC Irvine (1-12)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 29
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch | Listen on KUCI | Live Stats
UC Irvine Game Notes
The UC Irvine women's basketball team returns to action after a week off from competition as it hosts Concordia in its non-conference finale on Thursday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
TIP-INS
• UCI, which is at the tail-end of a seven-game homestand, is searching for its first victory at the Bren Events Center.
• The 'Eaters earned their first win of the season and of first-year head coach Tamara Inoue's career at Nevada.
• Andee Ritter is tops in the Big West in 3-pointers made (31) and steals (28).
• Ritter, who is averaging 2.4 3FG made per contest, is on pace to break the single-season school record of 64.
• Shereen Sutherland leads the Anteaters with 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per outing.
• She notched her second career double-double with 20 points and 12 boards at Portland State on Dec. 3.
• Sabrina Engelstad is averaging 11.4 ppg as she has reached double digits in 10 of the last 11 contests.
• Brooke Bayman has six-straight games with three or more assists and is averaging 4.3 helpers during that stretch.
• Bayman (43) and senior Irene Chavez (37) have accounted for over half of UC Irvine's 144 assists.
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 or KUCI.org. Darren Preston is the Anteaters' play-by-play announcer. All home games will also be streamed live on BigWest.tv.
CHALK TALK: Fans are invited to join the UCI coaching staff for a chalk talk before every home game. The chalk talk will begin 30 minutes prior to tip-off at the Stewart Room in the Bren Events Center.
GIVING BACK: UC Irvine women's basketball gave back this holiday season, taking part in several charity events. UCI adopted a family who came out to the Southern Utah game (Dec. 19) where they sat courtside and got a chance to meet the players and coaches afterward. The team surprised the family with gifts as well. The 'Eaters also spent time sorting the food pantry and toys at Families Forward and participated in the annual Big West Stuff-a-Bus Toy Drive. In addition, Sabrina Engelstad was one of the Anteaters' student-athletes who joined the UC Irvine Police Department in delivering gifts to children receiving care at the UC Irvine Medical Center.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Concordia (5-6), which is an NCAA Division II affiliate, has lost three in a row, most recently falling to Concordia (Oregon), 84-74, and Seattle Pacific, 76-64, at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic in Washington. Junior guard Sopavy Seng leads the Eagles with 12.9 points per game, while senior forward Gaby Johnson is averaging 11.4 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per contest.
SERIES RECORD VS. CONCORDIA: UC Irvine and Concordia met for the first time two years ago with the Anteaters pulling out the 78-72 victory at the Bren Events Center (Jan. 4, 2015). That was the last time UCI had five players reach double figures in scoring in the same game. Methlyn Onogomuho led the way with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Janis Peterson paced Concordia with a game-high 27 points.
THREE'S COMPANY: Sophomore Andee Ritter has made a conference-leading 31 threes this season. She has connected from long distance in 12 of 13 games and has hit at least two triples in eight outings. The Medford, Ore., native is averaging 2.4 3FG per game, which puts her on pace to break the single-season school record of 64. Ritter needs just 13 more to crack the UCI single-season top-10 list. She has also been one of the Anteaters' top defenders as she ranks first in the Big West with 28 steals (2.2/game).
SENIOR LEADER: Shereen Sutherland leads UC Irvine with 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest. She has reached double digits in scoring eight times, while adding two games with 10-plus rebounds. The 6-foot-2 senior forward notched her first double-double of the season and second of her career with a 20-point/12-rebound effort at Portland State on Dec. 3. She has pulled down at least eight boards in nine of the team's 13 games, including a career-high 15 at Utah State.
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 the 6-foot-4 forward is second on the squad with 11.4 points per contest. She has 10 double-figure scoring games in the last 11 outings, including seven-straight from Nov. 17-Dec. 10. The streak began with a then season-high 13 points at Utah State. Sabrina went on to record UCI's first double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-best 14 rebounds at Loyola Marymount. She later poured in 16 points at Portland State, a current season best of 18 vs. Sacramento State and 17 vs. Bakersfield. Sabrina recently matched her season high with 18 points against Pac-12 member USC.
WE CAN DISH IT: Senior Irene Chavez and freshman Brooke Bayman have combined to dish out more than half of the Anteaters' 144 assists. Bayman has a team-best 43, and registered a season-high eight helpers against Bakersfield. She is averaging 5.7 assists over the last three contests. Chavez isn't far behind with 37 as she has six games with three or more assists, including a career-best nine at Nevada.
ON THE BOARDS: UC Irvine has won the battle on the boards four times this year, pulling down a season-best 45 at Utah State (Nov. 17), 42 at Loyola Marymount (Nov. 25), 41 at Portland State (Dec. 3) and 34 vs. Bakersfield. In three of those four games, the Anteaters had one player reach double figures in rebounding. Shereen Sutherland had a career-high 15 against the Aggies and 12 vs. the Vikings, while Sabrina Engelstad recorded a season-best 14 at LMU.
UP NEXT: UC Irvine starts Big West play next week when it hosts UC Davis at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5. The Aggies currently own the best overall record in the league at 8-3.
