IRVINE, Calif. – Senior Shereen Sutherland registered her third double-double of the year but the UC Irvine women's basketball team dropped a close 68-63 decision to Big West preseason favorite Long Beach State Saturday at the Bren Events Center.

Sutherland, who was 10-of-16 from the floor, finished with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in a season-high tying 39 minutes. It was her second-straight 20-point outing.

"With Sabrina (Engelstad) being out, it has cut into Shereen's rest," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "But, Shereen is a good player. She's a fighter and doesn't get winded very fast. Her presence alone will always allow Andee (Ritter) or Irene (Chavez) to get an open shot so we can't take her out."

Senior Mckenzie Piper added 13 points on a 5-for-6 shooting performance. Sophomore Andee Ritter also made four 3-pointers for 12 points. Senior Irene Chavez contributed seven points and a team-high five assists, while junior Teirra Hicks had four points, six rebounds and four helpers.

The 'Eaters (3-19, 1-7 Big West) tied their season best with a 50.0 field goal percentage and were 8-of-16 from long distance, but they struggled against the 49ers' defensive pressure as they committed 18 turnovers.

"We were waiting for their pressure," Inoue said. "They are very good at changing defenses so to run anything is difficult, and they do a great job of converting on turnovers. They scored 23 points off our turnovers."

Long Beach State (16-8, 7-2 Big West) struck first but Ritter and Piper then connected from deep to give UC Irvine a 6-4 lead at the 8:22 mark. The Anteaters went up by as many as four following a Chavez layup, when a 12-3 run by the Beach over the next three minutes gave the visitors a 16-11 advantage. The 'Eaters quickly responded with an and-one from Piper and a triple from Ritter, putting them on top, 17-16. LBSU eventually took the final lead of the first quarter at 20-18.

UCI was 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the field and 3-of-5 (60 percent) from behind the arc in the opening 10 minutes.

It continued to go back-and-forth in the second period until UC Irvine put together an 8-3 spurt, capped by a Chavez 3-pointer, for a 28-27 edge with 5:04 remaining. Long Beach State answered on the other end and scored the final nine points of the half to take a 36-28 cushion into the locker room.

Sutherland started the scoring in the third frame but the Anteaters then went cold as the 49ers had six-straight points, resulting in a 43-30 advantage. Senior Brittany Glassow ended a nearly four-minute scoring drought for the 'Eaters with a 3-pointer but the Beach stayed out front by double digits and led 56-44 at the end of the three.

It looked as if LBSU was ready to run away in the fourth quarter when it pulled ahead, 64-46, at the 6:41 mark. UCI refused to go down quietly, however, as it went on a 10-2 run, which ended with a Hicks layup, to make it a 10-point game (66-56) with 2:44 still left to play. The two teams then traded points before things got really interesting in the final minute as Ritter hit her fourth three of the night and Chavez went the length of the court for a layup that cut the deficit to 68-63 with 22.7 seconds on the clock.

The 'Eaters got the quick stop they needed on the defensive end but were unable to convert out of their final timeout as their rally fell just short.

Long Beach State shot 44.1 percent from the field and was just 3-of-15 from long distance. Jewelyn Sawyer led the effort with 17 points, while Raven Benton had 16.

UC Irvine will be back in the Bren next Thursday, Feb. 9, when it takes on Cal Poly at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Shereen Sutherland recorded back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in her career … She is now tied with Andee Ritter for the team lead with four on the season … Ritter had her eighth outing with at least four 3-pointers … She moved into a tie for second in single-season school history with 62 on the year … Ritter, who needs only three more to break a 28-year old program record, is just the third 'Eater to hit at least 60 treys in a season, joining Kathy Lizarraga (1988-89 & 1990-91) and Wendy Gabbe (2002-03) in the elite group … Mckenzie Piper now has three consecutive double-figure scoring games … She is averaging 13.7 points, while shooting 59.3 percent (16-27) from the field and 63.6 percent (7-11) from beyond the arc during that stretch … Freshman Brooke Bayman returned to the court after missing the last two games with an injury.