SEATTLE, Wash. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team showed toughness and resiliency in an 84-79 road win over Seattle U Friday afternoon at the Connolly Complex.
 
The Anteaters (7-6) saw a 13-point lead dwindle down to one midway through the fourth quarter but they did not break as they answered with a 7-0 run and stayed out front the rest of the way.
 
Junior Deijah Blanks led the 'Eaters with a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds. She was 9-for-10 at the free throw line. Senior Sabrina Engelstad added a season-best 12 points (6-6 FT), while freshman Tahlia Garza had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Freshman Dani Guglielmo chipped in nine points on a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the arc. Junior Andee Ritter also had eight points and six boards, sophomore Brooke Bayman finished with seven points, and redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner recorded five points and a team-best four assists.
 
UCI shot 43.5 percent overall, 38.9 percent from long distance and 88.5 percent (23-26) at the charity stripe. The 'Eaters also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Redhawks, 43-27.
 
Seattle U (6-8) took an early 8-2 advantage before Blanks scored six unanswered points to start a 9-2 spurt that put UC Irvine on top, 11-10, at the 4:54 mark. The Redhawks answered with a three, but a Baumgartner layup quickly evened the score. After remaining in a 15-15 deadlock for nearly a minute, SU created some separation at the foul line where they pulled ahead 19-15. Ritter then came right back with a triple and Bayman closed out the first quarter with a pair of free throws to make it 19-all.
 
The home team scored the first six points of the second period and kept a 28-24 lead with 6:25 to go. Baumgartner then knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one, but Seattle U again responded with a 4-0 sprint to go up, 32-27. The 'Eaters stayed within striking distance as they continued to chip away, and a long ball from Guglielmo brought UCI within two (40-38) at the break.
 
UC Irvine came out strong in the third, scoring the first eight points to go on top, 46-40. The Anteaters continued to roll, extending their run to 19-4 for a 57-44 cushion at the 2:23 mark. Seattle then ended a two-minute scoring drought, but the 'Eaters still held a 60-49 edge at the end of the period.
 
The Redhawks turned the tables to start the fourth as they used a 16-6 spurt to make it 66-65 with 4:54 to play. Blanks pushed the lead back to four with an and-one, but SU was quickly able to come back within two. UCI would not break, however, as a pair of free throws from Blanks started a 7-0 rally that gave it a 75-67 advantage with 2:45 remaining. The Redhawks refused to go away, but the Anteaters kept their composure and went 7-for-8 at the charity stripe over the final minute for the 84-79 victory.
 
Alexis Montgomery, who ranks among the top-20 in the nation in scoring average, led Seattle U with 28 points.
 
UC Irvine will take a short break for the holidays before closing out its non-conference slate at Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday, Dec. 31.
 
NOTES: UC Irvine has scored more than 80 points in back-to-back games for the first time since December, 2011 … UCI won its fifth game in its last six outings and improved to 4-1 in December … The 'Eaters broke out of their third quarter slump where they had been outscored by 20 before today's game … Andee Ritter has made a 3-pointer in eight consecutive games … Tahlia Garza notched her second-straight outing with double-digit rebounds.