IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team won in dramatic fashion once again as it came from behind to top Pepperdine, 75-74, Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The 'Eaters (3-5) trailed by six at the half, and by as many as 10 early in the third quarter, but they ended up outscoring the Waves, 42-35, over the final 20 minutes.
 
It was a seesaw battle down the stretch as Pepperdine tied it up at 74-74 with 7.1 seconds left. UCI, which had no timeouts remaining, then drove the length of the floor and got the ball to junior Deijah Blanks, who previously hit a game-winner against Utah State. Blanks missed the 3-pointer but was fouled with 1.7 ticks on the clock. She ended up making 1-of-3 at the line to put the Anteaters ahead, and the home team then locked down on defense, forcing the Waves to miss a jumper on their final possession.

"I thought we really closed out the second half and everyone on the bench gave us significant minutes," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Deijah, who was our lucky charm last time, just has ice in her veins and will finish off any game. I'm really proud of our effort and defensive intensity in the second half."
 
Sophomore Lauren Saiki led UCI with a season-high 15 points to go along with seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. She committed only one turnover.
 
"Lauren Saiki is going to be a star here, if she isn't already," Inoue added. "We have to remember that she hasn't really played Division I basketball for two years. She went to West Virginia where she didn't play a lot, then sat out last year, so this is really her Division I experience and I think she's doing a phenomenal job. Every game it gets better and better to watch."
 
Freshman Jordan Sanders added 11 points and five boards, while junior Andee Ritter finished with 10 points and three steals. Sophomore Brooke Bayman and senior Sabrina Engelstad chipped in nine points each.
 
The 'Eaters shot 44.6 percent (29-65) from the field, 41.7 percent (5-12) from 3-point range and 70.6 percent (12-17) from the free throw line.
 
UC Irvine got on the board first with a driving layup by Sanders, but Pepperdine countered and took a 10-6 lead midway through the opening period. The Waves pushed their advantage to 16-8 over the final three minutes as they held the Anteaters without a field goal during that stretch.
 
UCI bounced back in the second quarter, going on a 10-5 run, capped by a Ritter 3-pointer, to close the gap to 21-18 with 7:38 remaining. The 'Eaters stayed within striking distance and made it a one-point game when Saiki knocked down a triple at the 3:44 mark (27-26). Pepperdine was able to hold onto the lead and used a late 6-2 spurt to pull ahead 39-33 at the break.
 
The Waves (3-3) increased their cushion to 48-38 just three minutes into the third frame before a 3-pointer from Ritter started a 13-3 UC Irvine run that knotted the score at 51-51 with 3:10 remaining. Pepperdine then ended a two-minute scoring drought but a jumper from Saiki and a Yazzy Sa'Dullah trey put the 'Eaters on top, 56-55, heading into the fourth.
 
UCI scored the first four points of the final period to take its largest lead of the night at the 8:15 mark. The visitors came back to even it up at 60-60 and eventually went up, 66-62. Saiki and Bayman answered with back-to-back layups, but Pepperdine reclaimed a four-point advantage (70-66) with 2:28 remaining. The Anteaters then dug deep for another rally as a pair of buckets by Sanders bookended a 6-0 run that gave them a 72-70 edge and set up the thrilling victory.
 
Tylinn Carter led the Waves with 23 points, 11 of which came at the charity stripe, and 10 rebounds. Yasmine Robinson-Bacote added 18 points and seven boards. Pepperdine won the battle on the boards, 46-33, and was 27-of-34 at the free throw line.
 
UC Irvine is back on the road next week, traveling to Southern Utah (Dec. 5) and San Diego State (Dec. 8).
 
 
NOTES: Lauren Saiki and Andee Ritter each had their team-leading fourth double-figure scoring game … Ritter has now reached double digits in three-straight outings … Saiki's seven assists were one shy of her season high, but her one turnover was a season low … Redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner extended her streak of games with a 3-pointer made to five … UCI owned the advantage in bench points for the sixth time in eight contests … The Anteaters committed a season-high 27 fouls … The 'Eaters improved to 3-1 at the Bren Events Center, marking their best start at home since 2013-14 when they were 4-0 ... UC Irvine snapped a two-game skid in its all-time series with Pepperdine, earning its first win against the Waves since 2010.