IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team led by six with 30 seconds left in regulation, but Portland State made a late push to tie it up at the buzzer and kept the momentum in overtime as the 'Eaters ended up falling, 82-72, Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
Sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah led the Anteaters with 13 points and six rebounds. Senior Sabrina Engelstad added 10 points, while junior Deijah Blanks, junior Andee Ritter and freshman Tahlia Garza chipped in nine each. Ritter also pulled down a career-high nine boards. Sophomore Lauren Saiki contributed six points, five assists, four rebounds and a season-best four steals.
 
UCI (5-6) raced out to a 22-7 lead in the first quarter, but was then held to just eight points in the second.

The 'Eaters finished the game shooting 36.6 percent overall (26-71), 29.2 percent from beyond the arc (7-24) and 59.1 percent at the free throw line (13-22). They had a season-best 45 rebounds and 19 assists, but also committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
 
"I think we came out firing and did a great job of setting the tone," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Then, in the second quarter they threw a press at us and really got us hesitant. One of our biggest keys was to not let them dictate the speed, and we let that happen. It was definitely a great job by Portland State and Coach (Lynn) Kennedy. It's tough, but this is part of growing, and we will learn from this."
 
Portland State (5-5) got on the board first, but UC Irvine answered with a Sa'Dullah layup, and proceeded to go on a staggering 20-3 run. The Anteaters pulled ahead 20-5 on a bucket from Garza before the Vikings ended a five-minute scoring drought with a free throw at the one-minute mark. UCI ended up taking a 22-7 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
 
The 'Eaters dominated every facet of the first period as they shot 50 percent from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. They also held PSU to just one field goal on 7.7 percent shooting, and owned a 17-to-5 advantage in rebounds.
 
Portland State started to chip away in the second quarter, making it a 10-point game (25-15) with 4:07 remaining in the half. Sa'Dullah then accounted for the Anteaters' next five points as her triple put them up 30-17 at the 1:26 mark. The Vikings then closed on a 5-0 sprint to cut UC Irvine's advantage to 30-22 at the break.
 
PSU opened the third frame with a 3-pointer, and the two teams then went back-and-forth until the visitors hit back-to-back treys to start a 10-2 run that put them on top, 39-38. UCI reclaimed the lead on its next possession as Ritter came right back with a three of her own. The 'Eaters added on to that, finishing the quarter on a 13-5 spurt to pull ahead, 51-44.
 
The Anteaters increased their cushion to 10 (58-48) on a Haleigh Talbert triple at the 4:50 mark of the fourth period. Both sides were held to just two points over the next couple minutes as UC Irvine was still out front, 60-50, with 2:53 remaining. The Vikings then outscored UCI, 12-2, to knot it up at 62-62 with 11.9 seconds to go.
 
The 'Eaters called a timeout and advanced it to the front court. The ball ended up in Blanks' hands with the game on the line and she stepped up once again, getting to the rim for a layup with 6.7 ticks on the clock. With no timeouts, PSU pushed the ball up the floor and Sidney Rielly drained a baseline jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
 
Portland State carried the momentum into the extra period where it won the five-minute battle, 18-8. The Vikings pulled ahead by seven with 1:34 to play and extended their lead down the stretch as the Anteaters were forced to foul.
 
Rielly finished with a game and season-high 30 points (10-19 FG), while Ashley Bolston had 17 points for Portland State. PSU shot 38.6 percent from the field and was 22-for-28 (78.6 percent) at the foul line.
 
UC Irvine returns to the Bren on Tuesday, Dec. 19, when it entertains Chapman in its final home game of the calendar year. The 'Eaters and Panthers are set to tip-off at 7 p.m.
 
 
NOTES: Andee Ritter extended her streak of games with a 3-pointer made to six … It was the sixth time this season she has knocked down at least two shots from beyond the arc … She still ranks fifth in school history with 122 career triples, sitting just six behind Kristen Green in fourth … Ritter has also set a career high in rebounds twice in the last three games … She is averaging 7.7 boards during that stretch … Sabrina Engelstad had made seven consecutive free throws before her first two misses of the year late in the fourth quarter … Yazzy Sa'Dullah notched her fourth double-digit scoring game, and first since a 20-point effort vs. Illinois on Nov. 24.