Tuesday, December 5
Cedar City, UT
11:00 AM PT
UC Irvine
at
Southern Utah
'Eaters Head to Southern Utah for Tuesday Matinee
December 03, 2017 | Women's Basketball
UC Irvine (3-5) at
Southern Utah (1-6)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 5
Time: 12 p.m. MT / 11 a.m. PT
Location: America First Event Center (5,300) - Cedar City, Utah
Watch // Live Stats
UC Irvine Game Notes
The UC Irvine women's basketball team kicks off the month of December with an afternoon road game at Southern Utah as the 'Eaters make their way to Cedar City to face the Thunderbirds at 12 p.m. MT (11 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
TIP-INS
• Deijah Blanks has scored the final points in two of the Anteaters' three wins.
• She made the go-ahead free throw in a 75-74 triumph vs. Pepperdine last Thursday (Nov. 30).
• Blanks also hit a buzzer-beating half-court shot to give the 'Eaters an 87-84 season-opening victory against Utah State.
• UCI has held the advantage in bench points six times with the non-starters combining for 25+ points in each of those games.
• Yazzy Sa'Dullah had the Anteaters' first 20-point effort of the season against Big 10 member Illinois.
• Andee Ritter has three-straight double-figure scoring games, averaging 11.3 points and 2.3 triples made during that stretch.
• Autumn Baumgartner has made at least one 3-pointer in each of the last five outings.
• Lauren Saiki leads UC Irvine with 34 assists and ranks third in the Big West with 4.3 per contest.
• The 'Eaters have a new look this year with 10 newcomers (five true freshmen and five returning redshirts).
BALANCED EFFORT
• Nine of UC Irvine's 13 active players are averaging at least 15 minutes per game.
• Nine Anteaters have also registered between 5.0 and 9.0 points per outing.
• The 'Eaters had a different scoring leader in each of their first six contests.
WITH A WIN...
• UCI would earn its first victory in an afternoon game this year as they are currently 0-5 when playing before 5 p.m. local time.
• The Anteaters would secure win No. 4 by early December for the first time since 2013-14.
• UC Irvine would improve to 3-1 in its all-time series with Southern Utah, and 2-0 when playing in Cedar City.
A GLANCE AT SOUTHERN UTAH
Southern Utah fell to 1-6 on the year with a 69-61 loss at Utah Valley last Thursday. The Thunderbirds' lone win came against Utah State on Nov. 21. Freshman guard Natalie Sanchez is tops on the squad with 11.1 points per game, while senior center Whitney Johnson is averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per outing. Fourth-year head coach Chris Boettcher has a young group with 12 underclassmen (including five freshmen), one junior and one senior.
SERIES RECORD VS. SUU
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Southern Utah, 2-1. The 'Eaters won the first two meetings as they topped the Thunderbirds, 59-57, in a neutral-site game back in 1989. Twenty-six years later the two squads reunited in Cedar City, Utah, with UCI pulling out a 63-58 victory. SUU then earned its first win against the Anteaters, prevailing 70-58 in Irvine on Dec. 19, 2016.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine won in dramatic fashion once again as it came from behind to top Pepperdine, 75-74, last Thursday at the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters 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 with three ties in the last 60 seconds. Pepperdine knotted the score at 74-74 and with no timeouts remaining, UCI drove the length of the floor before getting the ball to Deijah Blanks, who previously hit a game-winner against Utah State. She missed the 3-pointer but was fouled with 1.7 ticks on the clock. Blanks made 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.
Lauren Saiki led UC Irvine with a season-high 15 points to go along with seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. She committed only one turnover. Jordan Sanders added 11 points and five boards, while Andee Ritter finished with 10 points and three steals. Brooke Bayman and Sabrina Engelstad chipped in nine points each.
OFF THE BENCH
UCI's bench has netted 25 or more points in six of its eight contests, and has outscored its opponents by an average of 6.8 ppg. Haleigh Talbert has been the top scorer among non-starters with 6.0 points per outing.
THREE'S COMPANY
UC Irvine is averaging nearly seven 3-pointers per game, and made a season-high 10 in a win over Portland. Seven 'Eaters have at least two threes, and are led by junior Andee Ritter, who has knocked down 13. Last year, Ritter broke a 28-year old single-season school record with 87 triples. 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 treys at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017, and currently ranks sixth all-time with 114 career 3-pointers.
THE BOARD GAME
The Anteaters, who led their opponents in rebounding only six times last year, have already won the battle on the boards twice in 2017-18. 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. UCI also finished with a 43-41 edge vs. Big 10 member Illinois. In addition, the 'Eaters pulled down a season-high 21 offensive rebounds against a very physical Wichita State team.
DEFEND THE BREN
The 'Eaters are 3-1 at the Bren Events Center with wins over Utah State, Portland and Pepperdine. It is their best start at home since the 2013-14 squad was 4-0.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
UC Irvine didn't disappoint in its season opener at the Bren Events Center on Friday, Nov. 10. 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.
It was UC Irvine's first season-opening victory since the 2013-14 campaign when it topped South Dakota at home, 68-64. That was also the last year UCI had a winning record at 17-15. In addition, the 87 points were the most by an 'Eater squad in a season opener since 1979-80 when they dropped 107 against UC Santa Cruz.
YOUNG GUNS
UC Irvine's starting lineup, which has stayed the same over the first eight 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.
WEEKDAY MATINEES
UC Irvine has three weekday matinees on its non-conference schedule with a 12 p.m. tip-off at UNLV (Nov. 14), Southern Utah (Dec. 5) and San Diego State (Dec. 8). All three games will be part of the respective hosts' "School Day" where they bus in kids from the local elementary schools.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing three of its first four games in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center, UC Irvine will hit 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 stay on the road later this week, traveling south to San Diego State for a 12 p.m. showdown on Friday, Dec. 8.
Southern Utah (1-6)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 5
Time: 12 p.m. MT / 11 a.m. PT
Location: America First Event Center (5,300) - Cedar City, Utah
Watch // Live Stats
UC Irvine Game Notes
The UC Irvine women's basketball team kicks off the month of December with an afternoon road game at Southern Utah as the 'Eaters make their way to Cedar City to face the Thunderbirds at 12 p.m. MT (11 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
TIP-INS
• Deijah Blanks has scored the final points in two of the Anteaters' three wins.
• She made the go-ahead free throw in a 75-74 triumph vs. Pepperdine last Thursday (Nov. 30).
• Blanks also hit a buzzer-beating half-court shot to give the 'Eaters an 87-84 season-opening victory against Utah State.
• UCI has held the advantage in bench points six times with the non-starters combining for 25+ points in each of those games.
• Yazzy Sa'Dullah had the Anteaters' first 20-point effort of the season against Big 10 member Illinois.
• Andee Ritter has three-straight double-figure scoring games, averaging 11.3 points and 2.3 triples made during that stretch.
• Autumn Baumgartner has made at least one 3-pointer in each of the last five outings.
• Lauren Saiki leads UC Irvine with 34 assists and ranks third in the Big West with 4.3 per contest.
• The 'Eaters have a new look this year with 10 newcomers (five true freshmen and five returning redshirts).
BALANCED EFFORT
• Nine of UC Irvine's 13 active players are averaging at least 15 minutes per game.
• Nine Anteaters have also registered between 5.0 and 9.0 points per outing.
• The 'Eaters had a different scoring leader in each of their first six contests.
WITH A WIN...
• UCI would earn its first victory in an afternoon game this year as they are currently 0-5 when playing before 5 p.m. local time.
• The Anteaters would secure win No. 4 by early December for the first time since 2013-14.
• UC Irvine would improve to 3-1 in its all-time series with Southern Utah, and 2-0 when playing in Cedar City.
A GLANCE AT SOUTHERN UTAH
Southern Utah fell to 1-6 on the year with a 69-61 loss at Utah Valley last Thursday. The Thunderbirds' lone win came against Utah State on Nov. 21. Freshman guard Natalie Sanchez is tops on the squad with 11.1 points per game, while senior center Whitney Johnson is averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per outing. Fourth-year head coach Chris Boettcher has a young group with 12 underclassmen (including five freshmen), one junior and one senior.
SERIES RECORD VS. SUU
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Southern Utah, 2-1. The 'Eaters won the first two meetings as they topped the Thunderbirds, 59-57, in a neutral-site game back in 1989. Twenty-six years later the two squads reunited in Cedar City, Utah, with UCI pulling out a 63-58 victory. SUU then earned its first win against the Anteaters, prevailing 70-58 in Irvine on Dec. 19, 2016.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine won in dramatic fashion once again as it came from behind to top Pepperdine, 75-74, last Thursday at the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters 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 with three ties in the last 60 seconds. Pepperdine knotted the score at 74-74 and with no timeouts remaining, UCI drove the length of the floor before getting the ball to Deijah Blanks, who previously hit a game-winner against Utah State. She missed the 3-pointer but was fouled with 1.7 ticks on the clock. Blanks made 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.
Lauren Saiki led UC Irvine with a season-high 15 points to go along with seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. She committed only one turnover. Jordan Sanders added 11 points and five boards, while Andee Ritter finished with 10 points and three steals. Brooke Bayman and Sabrina Engelstad chipped in nine points each.
OFF THE BENCH
UCI's bench has netted 25 or more points in six of its eight contests, and has outscored its opponents by an average of 6.8 ppg. Haleigh Talbert has been the top scorer among non-starters with 6.0 points per outing.
THREE'S COMPANY
UC Irvine is averaging nearly seven 3-pointers per game, and made a season-high 10 in a win over Portland. Seven 'Eaters have at least two threes, and are led by junior Andee Ritter, who has knocked down 13. Last year, Ritter broke a 28-year old single-season school record with 87 triples. 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 treys at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017, and currently ranks sixth all-time with 114 career 3-pointers.
THE BOARD GAME
The Anteaters, who led their opponents in rebounding only six times last year, have already won the battle on the boards twice in 2017-18. 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. UCI also finished with a 43-41 edge vs. Big 10 member Illinois. In addition, the 'Eaters pulled down a season-high 21 offensive rebounds against a very physical Wichita State team.
DEFEND THE BREN
The 'Eaters are 3-1 at the Bren Events Center with wins over Utah State, Portland and Pepperdine. It is their best start at home since the 2013-14 squad was 4-0.
LET'S GET IT STARTED
UC Irvine didn't disappoint in its season opener at the Bren Events Center on Friday, Nov. 10. 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.
It was UC Irvine's first season-opening victory since the 2013-14 campaign when it topped South Dakota at home, 68-64. That was also the last year UCI had a winning record at 17-15. In addition, the 87 points were the most by an 'Eater squad in a season opener since 1979-80 when they dropped 107 against UC Santa Cruz.
YOUNG GUNS
UC Irvine's starting lineup, which has stayed the same over the first eight 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.
WEEKDAY MATINEES
UC Irvine has three weekday matinees on its non-conference schedule with a 12 p.m. tip-off at UNLV (Nov. 14), Southern Utah (Dec. 5) and San Diego State (Dec. 8). All three games will be part of the respective hosts' "School Day" where they bus in kids from the local elementary schools.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After playing three of its first four games in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center, UC Irvine will hit 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 stay on the road later this week, traveling south to San Diego State for a 12 p.m. showdown on Friday, Dec. 8.
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