lauren-saiki-2017-wbb-usu

UC Irvine Heads to UNLV for Tuesday Afternoon Showdown

UC Irvine (1-0) at
UNLV (1-0)
Date:
Tuesday, Nov. 14
Time: 12 p.m. (PST)
Location: Cox Pavilion (2,500) - Las Vegas, Nev.
Audio // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team looks to build off an impressive season-opening win over Utah State when it hits the road to square off against UNLV on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. (PST) at Cox Pavilion.
 
TIP-INS
• UCI, which will take on four Mountain West opponents in non-conference play, is set to face its second-straight MWC team.
• UC Irvine defeated Utah State, 87-84, on a buzzer-beating half-court shot from Deijah Blanks.
• The game-winning play was featured at No. 1 on Friday night's SportsCenter Top-10.
• It was the Anteaters' first season-opening win since 2013-14, when they went 17-15 and advanced to the Big West semifinals.
• The 'Eaters have a new look this year with 10 newcomers (five true freshmen and five redshirts).
• UCI brings back only four letterwinners, but that group includes two of the team's top three scorers from the 2016-17 season.
• Among the returnees are All-Big West selections Andee Ritter (Honorable Mention) and Brooke Bayman (Freshman Team).
• Ritter made 87 3-pointers last year, obliterating the previous school record of 64, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga in 1988-89.
 
WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would move to 2-0 for the first time since 1995-96.
• The 'Eaters would snap a six-game losing streak to UNLV and earn their first win vs. the Lady Rebels since Feb. 16, 1996.
 
LET'S GET IT STARTED
UC Irvine didn't disappoint in its season opener last Friday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters erased a 13-point deficit in the final minutes, and junior Deijah Blanks capped the rally with a half-court shot that banked in at the buzzer for the 87-84 victory over Utah State.
 
Blanks went 4-for-5 from the field and was one of four 'Eaters to finish in double figures with 13 points. Her game-winning play, which started with a steal from sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah, was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10. Freshman Tahlia Garza scored a team-best 16 points (7-12 FG) to go along with eight rebounds, while classmate Jordan Sanders notched 15 points, six boards and three blocks in her collegiate debut. Sa'Dullah added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

UCI held a 45-35 advantage on the glass, including a lopsided 19-7 edge in offensive boards. The Anteaters also won the battle in points off turnovers (26-17), second-chance points (14-8) and bench points (33-18).
 
UC Irvine trailed for most of the night but used a late 16-3 run, capped by a Sanders jumper, to even the score at 84-all with nine seconds on the clock. Utah State called a timeout and advanced to the front court before Sa'Dullah came up with a huge steal. She had the ball knocked out of her hands, but it went right to Blanks whose half-court heave went in at the buzzer for the thrilling win.
 
UCI earned its first season-opening victory since the 2013-14 campaign when it topped South Dakota at home, 68-64. That was also the last year the Anteaters had a winning record at 17-15. In addition, UCI's 87 points were the most by an 'Eater squad in a season opener since 1979-80 when they put up 107 against UC Santa Cruz.

A GLANCE AT UNLV
UNLV (1-0) rallied from a 21-point deficit with just 5:27 left in the game to claim an 88-80 season-opening victory over Portland State on Friday, Nov. 10. Katie Powell led the Lady Rebels with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Nikki Wheatley added a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards. UNLV returns 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's squad that went 22-11 and made the WNIT. The Lady Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. UNLV
Former Big West member UNLV leads the all-time series, 31-4. This is the third year in a row the two teams will face each other. On Dec. 12, 2016, the Lady Rebels defeated the Anteaters, 62-46, at the Bren Events Center, for their sixth-straight victory in the series. Andee Ritter paced UCI with 10 points and six rebounds.
 
TEAM EFFORT
In last week's 87-84 win over Utah State, four 'Eaters scored in double figures, led by freshman Tahlia Garza's 16 points. The last time UCI had at least four in double digits was in a 74-71 overtime triumph at Cal Poly on Feb. 18, 2017. Ten of UCI's 13 available players also saw playing time against the Aggies with only Garza logging more than 30 minutes.
 
PATROLLING THE BOARDS
The 'Eaters, who led their opponents in rebounding only six times last year, started off the 2017-18 campaign with a dominant performance on the boards. They outrebounded Utah State, 45-35, and held a lopsided advantage on the offensive glass (19-7). Tahlia Garza and Yazzy Sa'Dullah led the effort with eight and nine rebounds, respectively.
 
THREE'S COMPANY
Junior Andee Ritter broke a 28-year old single-season school record with 87 3-pointers made last year. She easily surpassed the previous standard of 64, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga in 1988-89. The Medford, Ore., native also drained a single-game school-record tying seven threes at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017, and currently ranks ninth all-time with 102 career triples. Dating back to the 2016-17 campaign, she has connected from long distance in 11 consecutive contests.
 
FAMILY TRADITION
Senior Sabrina Engelstad is the daughter of former UC Irvine great Wayne Engelstad (1984-88), who still ranks fifth in program history with 1,530 career points and seventh with 698 career rebounds. Wayne was also a 1988 Associated Press honorable mention All-American.
 
NEW LOOK
Ten players will be suiting up in an Anteater uniform for the first time this year. Second-year head coach Tamara Inoue and her staff have brought in five true freshmen and five redshirts who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. UC Irvine returns only four letterwinners in Andee Ritter, Brooke Bayman, Sabrina Engelstad and Sydney Hua.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events center this weekend to host Portland (Nov. 17) and Idaho State (Nov. 19).
 

 
 
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