UC Irvine (3-14, 1-2 Big West) at
Cal State Fullerton (3-13, 0-3 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 14
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Titan Gym (4,000) - Fullerton, Calif.
Video | Audio | Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team will make the short trip to Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Jan. 14, for a 6 p.m. Big West tilt. The 'Eaters are coming off their first conference victory as they defeated CSUN, 77-52, on Wednesday.

TIP-INS
• UC Irvine snapped a 12-game losing streak in Big West regular-season play with its win over CSUN.
• Andee Ritter (25) and Shereen Sutherland (24) combined for 49 points in Wednesday's victory.
• It was the first time the 'Eaters had two players reach 20 points in a game since Feb. 28, 2015.
• Ritter tied a single-game school record with seven 3-point field goals made at UC Riverside on Jan. 7.
• She is tops in the conference in 3-pointers (49) and steals (40).
• Sutherland leads the Anteaters with 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing.
• She has 10 double-figure scoring games this year, including two 20-point performances.
• Sabrina Engelstad is averaging 11.2 ppg as she has reached double digits in 13 of the last 15 contests.
• Brooke Bayman is tops on the team with 63 assists and had a career-best nine dimes vs. CSUN.
• UCI set a program and Big West record with 40 points in the third period of a 92-61 victory over Concordia.
• The 'Eaters are one of four NCAA Division I teams to notch 40 points in a quarter this 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 or 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 picked up its first Big West victory in dominating fashion as it never trailed in a 77-52 win over CSUN Wednesday evening at the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters ended the night shooting a season-best 50 percent from the floor (29-58), 61.5 percent from behind the arc (8-13) and 91.7 percent from the free throw line (11-12). UCI was also solid on the defensive end with 10 steals, while holding the Matadors to a 35.1 field goal percentage. In addition, the Anteaters outrebounded the Matadors, 37-to-31. Andee Ritter had a career and game-high 25 points on an 8-for-10 shooting performance, including 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Shereen Sutherland also had a career-best 24 points to go along with seven rebounds. Teirra Hicks and Sabrina Engelstad chipped in 10 points each, and Brooke Bayman registered a career-high nine assists.

SCOUTING THE TITANS: Cal State Fullerton (3-13, 0-3 Big West) remained winless in conference play with a 60-50 loss at Hawai'i on Thursday. Iman Lathan leads the Titans with 16.9 points per game, while Daeja Smith is also averaging 10.4 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per outing.

SERIES RECORD VS. CSF: UCI trails in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 37-36. The 'Eaters and Titans split their two regular-season games last year, with each team winning on the road. UCI topped CSF, 62-58, in Fullerton, before falling 66-53 at the Bren Events Center.

THREE'S COMPANY: Sophomore Andee Ritter is tops in the Big West with 49 threes (2.9/game). She currently ranks seventh in single-season program history, and is on pace to break the 28-year old record of 64. Ritter has connected from long distance in 16 of 17 outings and has hit multiple treys in 11 contests. The Medford, Ore., native tied a single-game school record with seven 3-pointers at UC Riverside on Jan. 7. She is the third 'Eater to drain seven triples in a game and the first to accomplish the feat in 12 years. Kathy Lizarraga set the original record back in 1988-89.

MORE ON RITTER: Ritter ranks second on the squad with 11.9 points per contest and has nine double-figure scoring games this year. She has found her groove recently, posting three of her team-best four 20-point performances in the last four outings. The 6-foot guard had 23 points at Nevada (Dec. 1), before finishing with 21 vs. Concordia (Dec. 29), 23 at UC Riverside (Jan. 7) and a career-high 25 against CSUN on Jan. 11. In Big West play, she is averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per outing, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range. Ritter, who was named the College Sports Madness Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 2, is also a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line this season.

STEALING THE SHOW: In addition to being UCI's top perimeter shooter, Ritter has anchored the defensive effort with a Big West-leading 40 steals. She had a career-high eight takeaways at Nevada on Dec. 1. That was just one shy of the single-game school record of nine, which was established by Erin Higashi on March 4, 1983. Ritter has also stepped up on the boards recently with a career-best seven rebounds against UC Davis (Jan. 5) and six vs. CSUN (Jan. 11).

SENIOR LEADER: Shereen Sutherland leads UC Irvine with 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. She has reached double digits in scoring 10 times, while adding two games with 10-plus rebounds. The 6-foot-2 senior forward recently had a career-high 24 points in a 77-52 win over CSUN on Jan. 11. In non-conference play, she notched her first double-double of the season and second of her career with a 20-point/12-rebound effort at Portland State. She has pulled down at least seven boards in 11 of the team's 17 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 third on the squad with 11.2 points per contest. She has 13 double-figure scoring games in the last 15 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 matched her season high with 18 points against Pac-12 member USC on Dec. 21.

WE CAN DISH IT: Freshman Brooke Bayman and senior Irene Chavez have combined to dish out more than half of the Anteaters' 197 assists. Bayman is tops on the team, and second in the conference, with 63 dimes. She has 12 games with three or more helpers, including a career-high nine against CSUN. Chavez has chipped in 44 assists. She had a career-high nine with no turnovers at Nevada on Dec. 1.

GO BIG OR GO HOME: Wins may have been hard to come by so far this year, but when the 'Eaters do get the victory, they do it in dominating fashion. All three of their triumphs have been by double figures as they are averaging 80.3 points and a +23.0 scoring margin in those outings.

BREAKING BARRIERS: UC Irvine notched the program's 15th 90-point game, and first since the 2013-14 season, with its 92-61 victory over Concordia on Dec. 29. The 'Eaters were the sixth Big West team to reach the 90-point benchmark this season and the fifth to do so in regulation. A huge third quarter sparked the win as the Anteaters set a program and conference record with 40 points in the period.
     • UCI is one of four NCAA Division I teams to score 40 points in a quarter this season.
     • The Anteaters' 40 points are tied for second in the nation as Oakland's 41 is the top scoring quarter this year.
     • The NCAA record for points in a quarter is 45 by Central Michigan on Nov. 15, 2015.
     • The 'Eaters crushed their previous best of 29, which they established at Portland State on Dec. 3.

DEJA VU: In each of the last two games, UC Irvine has held its opponent to six points in the first quarter and led by double figures at the end of the opening period. The 'Eaters were up on both UC Riverside (18-6) and CSUN (24-6) after 10 minutes of action. In addition, after 15 games without a halftime lead, UCI was on top at the break against both the Highlanders and the Matadors.

GETTING TO TWENTY: Andee Ritter owns a team-best four 20-point outings, and UC Irvine is 3-1 in those contests. She recently became the first 'Eater to post back-to-back games with 20 points since 2014 as she scored 23 at UC Riverside and a career-high 25 vs. CSUN. Shereen Sutherland also notched her second 20-point performance of the season with a career-best 24 against the Matadors. It was the first time UCI had two players reach 20 in a game since Feb. 28, 2015.

UP NEXT: UC Irvine will return to the Bren on Thursday, Jan. 19, when it plays host to UC Riverside at 7 p.m.