LONG BEACH, Calif. – Senior Irene Chavez and sophomore Andee Ritter combined for 41 points, and 12 of UC Irvine's 15 threes, in an 87-74 loss to Long Beach State Saturday evening at the Walter Pyramid.
The Anteaters' 15 triples were a single-game program record as they eclipsed the previous best of 12, which they set in 2002 and most recently tied at Hawai'i on Jan. 26.
Chavez made five of her career-high six treys in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 points. It was her second-straight 20-point outing after coming off a season-high 22 vs. the Rainbow Wahine (Feb. 23). Ritter was also 6-of-12 from long distance for a game-high 21 points.
"Those two can shoot," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Irene was coming off a great game from two days ago, and both of them have the ability to light it up every game."
Freshman Brooke Bayman contributed 13 points, marking her fifth consecutive double-figure performance. Bayman and Chavez also tied for the team lead with five assists each.
Overall, the 'Eaters shot 44.6 percent from the field and were 15-of-34 from beyond the arc. They committed 19 turnovers, but only three in the second half.
Long Beach State (20-9, 11-3 Big West) scored the first eight points of the game and increased its lead to 18-5 at the 4:15 mark. Ritter responded with a 3-pointer, but the 49ers pushed their advantage to 22-8 with 1:38 remaining. UC Irvine then ended the period with a couple free throws from senior Chloe Kellum to close the gap to 22-10.
After trading baskets to start the second quarter, LBSU reeled off seven-straight to go up 31-12 with 7:21 to play. UCI would answer with back-to-back layups from Bayman and senior Shereen Sutherland to make it 31-16, but the Beach finished the half on a 19-4 run to take a 50-20 lead at the break.
The Anteaters quickly went down 52-20 early in the third quarter. They then started to get their offense going, but Long Beach State continued to answer on the other end as the home team maintained a 20-point lead and pulled ahead, 70-44, at the end of the period.
The 'Eaters came alive in the fourth behind Chavez's 15 points. She opened the quarter with a 3-pointer and later went on to hit three treys in a two-minute span to start a 16-4 rally that made it 80-66 with 3:06 remaining. Chavez and Ritter also knocked down back-to-back triples during that stretch.
After LBSU answered with a three of its own, UC Irvine went on an 8-2 spurt, capped by a three from Bayman, to cut the deficit down to 11 with 57 seconds on the clock, but the 49ers were able to hold on for the 87-74 victory.
UCI outscored the Beach 30-17 in the fourth and 54-37 in the second half.
Long Beach State shot 54.2 percent and was 14-of-27 from downtown. Jessica Gertz led the effort with 17 points on a 5-for-8 shooting performance, including four 3-pointers.
UC Irvine (4-24, 2-12 Big West) will close out the regular season next week when it heads to UC Santa Barbara (March 2) and hosts Cal State Fullerton (March 4) on Senior Night.
The 'Eaters are currently eighth in the conference standings and sit one game ahead of the Titans as the two teams are vying for a Big West Tournament berth.
NOTES: Andee Ritter registered her fifth 20-point game of the year … She also had her 11th outing with at least four 3-pointers and increased her single-season program record total to 79 … Irene Chavez notched her second consecutive 20-point game and now has five in her career … She ranks ninth in school history with 99 career threes, putting her just one away from tying Karie Yoshioka for eighth on the all-time list … Chavez's 15 points in the fourth were the most by an 'Eater in a single quarter … UCI made just one three in the first half before erupting for 14 in the second for a single-game school record 15 … Long Beach on the other hand, made 10 of its 14 triples in the first 20 minutes.
