UC Irvine (3-21, 1-9 Big West) at
CSUN (13-11, 6-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 16
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Matadome (2,000) - Northridge, Calif.
Video | Live Stats

UC Irvine (3-21, 1-9 Big West) at
Cal Poly (9-14, 5-6 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 18
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Mott Athletics Center (3,032) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Video | Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team hits the road for a pair of Big West games this week as it heads to CSUN and Cal Poly. The 'Eaters first make their way to Northridge for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Matadors on Thursday, Feb. 16. They will then travel to San Luis Obispo to take on the Mustangs at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18.

TIP-INS
• Andee Ritter leads the Big West in 3-pointers (70) and steals (56).
• Ritter broke a 28-year old single-season school record in threes made against Cal Poly on Feb. 9.
• She is now the only Anteater in program history to knock down at least 70 triples in one season.
• Ritter also tied an individual single-game school record with seven treys at UCR on Jan. 7.
• Shereen Sutherland, who has three double-doubles, leads UCI with 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest.
• Sutherland has 15 double-figure scoring games this year, including four 20-point performances.
• Brooke Bayman is tops on the team with 93 assists and had a career-best 10 dimes vs. UC Riverside (Jan. 19).
• UC Irvine tied a single-game school record with 12 3-pointers at Hawai'i on Jan. 26.
• The 'Eaters snapped a 12-game Big West regular-season losing streak with their win over CSUN on Jan. 11.

LAST TIME OUT: UC Irvine held Big West-leading UC Davis to just 17 total points in the second and third quarters, but the Aggies were able to ride a strong start and finish to a 62-42 victory last Saturday at The Pavilion. Sophomore Andee Ritter led the 'Eaters with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals, while freshman Brooke Bayman added 10 points and six assists with no turnovers. Seniors Mckenzie Piper and Brittany Glassow each finished with a team-high seven rebounds.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS: CSUN (13-11, 6-4 Big West) extended its win streak to five games after defeating UC Santa Barbara, 62-55, and UC Riverside, 70-67 (OT), on the road last week. Sophomore Channon Fluker has paced the Matadors with 16.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per outing. Junior Serafina Maulupe is also averaging 13.7 points per contest, and has been CSUN's top perimeter threat with 61 3-pointers made.

SERIES RECORD VS. CSUN: UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with CSUN, 27-23. The 'Eaters will be looking for their first season sweep of the Matadors since 2014 after earning a 77-52 win at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 11. That marked the Anteaters' largest margin of victory in the series and also ended a five-game losing streak to CSUN. Andee Ritter led the charge with 25 points on an 8-for-10 shooting performance (5-6 3FG). Shereen Sutherland added 24 points and a team-best seven rebounds.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: Cal Poly (9-14, 5-6 Big West) snapped a three-game skid with a pair of road wins last week as it defeated UC Irvine, 78-60, and Cal State Fullerton, 69-45. Junior guards, and twin sisters, Lynn (15.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Dynn (14.0 ppg, 3.0 apg) Leaupepe have paced the Mustangs, while senior forward Hannah Gilbert has contributed 13.8 points and 6.7 boards per contest.

SERIES RECORD VS. CP: UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 35-18. The Mustangs picked up their third-straight win in the series with a 78-60 victory in Irvine last Thursday. UCI was unable to slow down CP's big three as Dynn Leaupepe (21), Lynn Leaupepe (20) and Hannah Gilbert (20) combined for 61 of their team's 78 points. Andee Ritter paced the 'Eaters with 16 points. The Anteaters have not won at Cal Poly since Jan. 14, 2012.

THREE'S COMPANY: With her third 3-pointer of the night - and 65th of the year - against Cal Poly on Feb. 9, sophomore Andee Ritter broke a 28-year old single-season school record in threes made. She surpassed the previous mark of 64, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga in 1988-89. The Medford, Ore., native has increased her program-record total to 70, making her the first 'Eater to knock down at least 70 triples in a season. She has connected from long distance in 22 of 24 outings, and has hit multiple treys in 17 contests. Ritter also drained  a single-game school-record tying seven 3-pointers at UC Riverside on Jan. 7.

MORE ON RITTER: Ritter ranks second on the squad with 12.2 points per contest. She has 14 double-figure scoring games and four 20-point performances. The 6-foot guard had 23 points at Nevada (Dec. 1), before finishing with 21 vs. Concordia (Dec. 29), 23 at UC Riverside (Jan. 7) and a career-high 25 against CSUN (Jan. 11). In Big West play, she is averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per outing, while shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Ritter, who was named the College Sports Madness Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 2, is also a perfect 26-of-26 from the free throw line this season.

STEALING THE SHOW: In addition to being UCI's top perimeter shooter, Ritter has anchored the defensive effort with a Big West-leading 56 steals. That mark is also tied for ninth in single-season program history. Ritter has 14 games with multiple steals, including a career-high eight takeaways at Nevada on Dec. 1. She was just one shy of the single-game school record of nine, which was established by Erin Higashi on March 4, 1983.

SENIOR LEADER: Shereen Sutherland leads UC Irvine with 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Sutherland has reached double digits in scoring 15 times, with four of those being 20-point outings, while she also has four games with 10-plus rebounds. The 6-foot-2 senior forward recently had her first career back-to-back 20-point performances with 20 vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 28) and 23 vs. Long Beach State (Feb. 4). Earlier this year, she drained a career-high 24 points against CSUN (Jan. 11). Sutherland also has three of the Anteaters' four double-doubles this season - 23 points/10 rebounds vs. LBSU, 15 points/10 rebounds vs. UC Riverside and 20 points/12 rebounds at Portland State. She has pulled down at least seven boards in 16 of 24 games played with a career-high 15 coming at Utah State.

FAMILY TRADITION: Junior Sabrina Engelstad, who is the daughter of former UC Irvine great Wayne Engelstad (1984-88), ranks third on the team with 9.8 points per contest. She has 14 double-figure scoring games, including seven-straight from Nov. 17-Dec. 10. The streak began with a then season-high 13 points at Utah State. The 6-foot-4 forward went on to record UCI's first double-double of the year with 11 points and a career-best 14 rebounds at Loyola Marymount. She later poured in 16 points at Portland State, a current season best of 18 vs. Sac State, and 17 vs. Bakersfield. Engelstad matched her season high with 18 points against Pac-12 member USC on Dec. 21.

DISHING IT OUT: Freshman Brooke Bayman is second in the Big West with 4.2 assists per game. Those numbers have increased in conference play where she is averaging a league-best 5.6 helpers per contest. The 5-foot-5 guard has at least six dimes in five of her last seven outings with a career-high 10 vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 19, nine vs. CSUN (Jan. 11), seven at Fullerton (Jan. 14), and six at both UCR (Jan. 7) and UC Davis (Feb. 11).

SETTING THE RECORD: UC Irvine has set a couple team records so far this year. In a 92-61 victory over Concordia on Dec. 29, the 'Eaters had a huge third quarter where they erupted for a school and Big West record 40 points. As of Feb. 14, they are one of only four NCAA Division I teams to score 40 in a period this season. UCI is tied for second in the nation as Oakland's 41 is the top scoring quarter in 2016-17. In addition, the Anteaters notched the program's 15th 90-point game, and first since 2013-14, against the Eagles. On Thursday, Jan. 26, UC Irvine also set a single-game school record with 12 3-pointers made at Hawai'i.

UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 23, when it plays host to Hawai'i at 7 p.m. (PST) in its "Think Pink" game.