UC Irvine (7-6) at
CSU Bakersfield (6-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 31
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: Icardo Center (3,495) - Bakersfield, Calif.
Watch // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team will conclude the 2017 calendar year on Sunday, Dec. 31, when it heads to CSU Bakersfield for its non-conference finale. The 'Eaters and Roadrunners are set to square off at 1 p.m.
 
TIP-INS
• The 'Eaters are 7-6 overall, surpassing their win total from 2015-16 (4) and 2016-17 (5).
• UC Irvine has won five of its last six games after an 84-79 victory at Seattle U on Dec. 22.
• Tahlia Garza recorded UCI's first double-double with 16 points and a season-best 12 rebounds in a 92-57 win vs. Chapman.
• The Anteaters scored 80+ points in back-to-back games for the first time since December, 2011.
• Lauren Saiki leads the 'Eaters and ranks third in the Big West with 54 assists (4.2/game).
• Deijah Blanks (22) and Yazzy Sa'Dullah (20) are responsible for UC Irvine's two 20-point efforts.
• Blanks scored the final points in UCI's late comeback wins vs. Utah State, Pepperdine and SDSU.
• In the season opener, Blanks made a buzzer-beating half-court shot for an 87-84 triumph over the Aggies.
• The Anteaters have held the advantage in bench points in 11 games with the non-starters combining for 25+ points 10 times.
• UCI is the only school to rank among the top three in the Big West in turnovers forced (19.5), steals (9.1) and blocks (4.2).
• The 'Eaters have a new look this year with 10 newcomers (five true freshmen and five returning redshirts).
 
BALANCED ATTACK
• Eleven of UC Irvine's 13 active players are averaging at least 13 minutes per contest.
• Nine Anteaters have also registered at least 5.0 points per outing.
• Through 13 games, the 'Eaters have had 10 different players lead the team in scoring.
 
WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would improve to 6-1 in its last seven games and 5-1 in the month of December.
• UCI would finish the non-conference slate above .500 for the first time since 2010-11.
• The 'Eaters would earn their fourth-straight road victory, marking their longest win streak away from home in 19 years.

SCOUTING BAKERSFIELD
CSU Bakersfield (6-6) extended its win streak to three games with a 65-59 victory at Boise State on Dec. 20. The Roadrunners will head to Cal Poly on Friday, Dec. 29, before hosting the 'Eaters. Senior forward Aja Williams leads the squad with 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest. Senior center Jazmyne Bartee is also averaging 5.5 points, 6.3 boards and 1.8 blocks per outing.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. CSUB
The 'Eaters trail in their all-time series with the 'Runners, 11-2. CSU Bakersfield has won the last four meetings including an 86-66 decision at the Bren Events Center last year (Dec. 17, 2016). This will be a preview of sorts for the 2020-21 season when CSUB becomes a member of the Big West Conference.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine showed its toughness and resiliency in an 84-79 road win over Seattle U last Friday at the Connolly Complex. The Anteaters 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. Deijah Blanks led the 'Eaters with a season-high 22 points and eight rebounds. She was 9-for-10 at the free throw line. Sabrina Engelstad added a season-best 12 points (6-6 FT), while Tahlia Garza had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
Dani Guglielmo chipped in nine points on a 3-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. Andee Ritter also had eight points and six boards, Brooke Bayman finished with seven points and 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 at the charity stripe. The Anteaters also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Redhawks, 43-27.

THE CLOSER
Junior Deijah Blanks has been the Anteaters' go-to player in clutch situations. It started in the season opener when she banked in a half-court shot at the final buzzer to give UCI an 87-84 victory over Utah State. Blanks also made the game-winning free throw with two seconds remaining to secure a 75-74 triumph against Pepperdine. The San Diego native then hit a game-tying jumper in the final 10 seconds before getting to the charity stripe with 0.2 ticks on the clock to seal a 67-65 win at SDSU. Most recently vs. Portland State, Blanks' layup put the 'Eaters on top, 64-62, with 6.4 seconds left in regulation, but the Vikings were able to answer and pull out an 82-72 overtime victory.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
The 'Eaters are 5-0 when freshman Jordan Sanders scores at least 10 points. In the team's seven wins, she is averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 44.6 percent from the field.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Junior Andee Ritter has made a team-best 24 3-pointers through 13 games (1.8/gm). She has already moved up four spots on UCI's all-time charts, most recently passing Megan Stafford for fifth with 125 career triples. Ritter is 13 away from cracking the top-three and is ultimately chasing Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92), who owns the school record at 198. Ritter already broke Lizarraga's 28-year old single-season program record with 87 3-pointers last year, and tied the Anteaters' single-game high with a career-best seven treys at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017.
 
OFF THE BENCH
UCI has netted 25+ bench points in 10 of its 13 contests, and has outscored its opponents by an average of 12.0 ppg. The 'Eaters posted their largest margin at Seattle where they held a lopsided 57-to-8 advantage in that category. Deijah Blanks leads the non-starters with 6.8 points per outing.
 
THREE'S COMPANY
UC Irvine is averaging six 3-pointers per game, and connected for a season-high 10 in a win over Portland. Seven 'Eaters have made at least four threes, led by Andee Ritter's 24. Sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah ranks second on the team with 13, while redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner has 12.
 
BOARDS & BLOCKS
The Anteaters, who led their opponents in rebounding only six times in 2016-17, have already won the battle on the boards on five occasions this year. They opened the campaign with a dominant performance against Utah State, outrebounding the Aggies, 45-35, and holding a lopsided 19-7 advantage on the offensive glass. UC Irvine also had the edge vs. Big 10 member Illinois (43-41), Southern Utah (43-38), Chapman (50-42) and Seattle U (43-27). In addition, UCI has been one of the top shot blocking teams in the Big West as it ranks third in the conference with 4.2 bpg. The 'Eaters are averaging 5.4 blocks over the last five games, and set a season high with eight at SDSU.
 
LET'S GET IT STARTED
UC Irvine didn't disappoint in its season opener at the Bren Events Center on Nov. 10. The Anteaters erased a 13-point deficit in the final minutes, and 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' game-winning play, which started with a steal from Yazzy Sa'Dullah, was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10. It was UCI's first season-opening victory since 2013-14 when it topped South Dakota at home, 68-64. That was also the last year the 'Eaters had a winning record at 17-15.
 
YOUTH MOVEMENT
UC Irvine's starting lineup, which has stayed the same over the first 13 games, features two true freshmen, two redshirt sophomores and one junior. Overall, the Anteaters have nine underclassmen, and only two seniors, both of who are in their second year at UCI.
 
NEW LOOK
Ten players are donning the Blue & Gold for the first time this season as second-year head coach Tamara Inoue and her staff have brought in five true freshmen and five Division I transfers who redshirted the 2016-17 campaign due to NCAA rules. UC Irvine returns only four letterwinners and two starters.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing three of its first four games in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center, UC Irvine hits the road for seven of its final 10 non-conference contests (including neutral-site). In December, the 'Eaters have only two home games, hosting Portland State (Dec. 16) and Chapman (Dec. 19). They will also travel to Southern Utah, San Diego State, Seattle and Bakersfield.
 
MITTY CONNECTION
Freshmen Tahlia Garza and Dani Guglielmo were teammates for four years at Archbishop Mitty High School. Assistant coach Cecilia Russell-Nava is also a Monarch alum, playing at Mitty from 1999-2003.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will be tested right away in its Big West opener as it hosts defending regular-season champion UC Davis on Thursday, Jan. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.