Cal Poly (7-14, 3-6 Big West) at
UC Irvine (3-19, 1-7 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 9
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Video | Audio | Live Stats

UC Irvine (3-19, 1-7 Big West) at
UC Davis (17-6, 8-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 11
Time: 2:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Pavilion (5,931) - Davis, Calif.
Video | Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team will conclude its three-game Big West homestand on Thursday, Feb. 9, when it hosts Cal Poly at 7 p.m. in the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters then make their way to UC Davis for a 2:30 p.m. tilt on Saturday, Feb. 11.

TIP-INS
• Andee Ritter leads the Big West in both 3-point field goals made (62) and steals (48).
• She enters the week just three triples shy of breaking the 28-year old single-season program record of 64.
• Ritter has already tied an individual single-game school record with seven 3-pointers made at UCR on Jan. 7.
• Shereen Sutherland, who has three double-doubles, leads UCI with 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest.
• Sutherland has 14 double-figure scoring games this year, including four 20-point performances.
• Sabrina Engelstad is averaging 10.7 ppg as she has reached double digits in 14 of 19 outings.
• Brooke Bayman is tops on the team with 83 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.

FOLLOW THE 'EATERS: Fans can listen to every UC Irvine women's basketball home game, along with select road games, on KUCI 88.9 FM or KUCI.org. Darren Preston is the Anteaters' play-by-play announcer. All home games will also be streamed live on BigWest.tv.

CHALK TALK: Fans are invited to join the UCI coaching staff for a chalk talk before every home game. The chalk talk will begin 30 minutes prior to tip-off at the Stewart Room in the Bren Events Center.

LAST TIME OUT: UC Irvine nearly erased an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit but its rally fell just short in a 68-63 loss to Big West preseason favorite Long Beach State. Shereen Sutherland led the 'Eaters with her third double-double of the year as she registered a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sutherland was 10-of-16 from the field. Mckenzie Piper added 13 points (5-6 FG), while Andee Ritter knocked down four treys for 12 points.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: Cal Poly (7-14, 3-6 Big West) has lost three in a row after falling to UC Davis, 61-53, and UC Riverside, 72-69, last week. Junior guards, and twin sisters, Lynn (15.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Dynn (13.8 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, 34-18. The Mustangs swept the regular-season series last year with a 72-54 victory in San Luis Obispo and a 50-38 triumph in Irvine. The Anteaters' last win against CP came at home on Feb. 28, 2015.

A GLANCE AT UC DAVIS: UC Davis (17-6, 8-2 Big West) is currently first in the Big West standings as it sits a half-game ahead of Long Beach State. The Aggies are on a four-game winning streak following last week's Central Coast road sweep at Cal Poly (61-53) and UC Santa Barbara (62-48). Sophomore forward Morgan Bertsch leads UCD with 16.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing.

SERIES RECORD VS. UCD: UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 24-8, and has lost four in a row to the Aggies. UCD won the first meeting of the season as it defeated the Anteaters, 89-48, in both teams' Big West opener at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 5.

THREE'S COMPANY: Sophomore Andee Ritter is tops in the Big West with 62 threes made. She is currently tied for second in single-season program history, and is three away from breaking the 28-year old school record of 64. Ritter has connected from long distance in 20 of 22 outings, and has hit multiple treys in 15 contests. The Medford, Ore., native has knocked down at least five 3-pointers on six occasions, including a school-record tying seven at UC Riverside on Jan. 7. She was the third 'Eater to drain seven triples in a game and the first to accomplish the feat in 12 years. Ritter is also only the third player in program history to hit at least 60 threes in a season.

MORE ON RITTER: Ritter ranks second on the squad with 11.8 points per contest. She has 12 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 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per outing, while shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 40.6 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 24-of-24 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 48 steals. She had a career-high eight takeaways at Nevada on Dec. 1. That 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 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. Sutherland has reached double digits in scoring 14 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 is coming off her first career back-to-back 20-point performances as she finished with 20 vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 28) and 23 against Long Beach State (Feb. 4). Earlier this year, she drained a career-high 24 points on nine field goals and a 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line 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 15 of 22 games played with a career-high 15 coming at Utah State.

FAMILY TRADITION: Junior Sabrina Engelstad is the daughter of former UC Irvine great, Wayne Engelstad, who played for the Anteaters from 1984-88. Wayne ranks among the top-10 in school history with 1,530 points and 698 rebounds. Sabrina is now following in her father's footsteps as the 6-foot-4 forward is third on the squad with 10.7 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. Sabrina 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. Sacramento State, and 17 vs. Bakersfield. The Antioch, Calif., native matched her season high with 18 points against Pac-12 member USC on Dec. 21.

DISHING IT OUT: Freshman Brooke Bayman is tied for 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 5.8 helpers per contest. The 5-foot-5 guard has at least six dimes in four of her last five outings with six at UC Riverside (Jan. 7), nine vs. CSUN (Jan. 11), seven at Fullerton (Jan. 14) and a career-high 10 vs. UCR on Jan. 19.

GO BIG OR GO HOME: Wins may have been hard to come by so far this year, but when the 'Eaters do get the victory, they do it in dominating fashion. All three of their triumphs have been by double digits as they are averaging 80.3 points and a +23.0 scoring margin in those outings.

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. 7, they are one of only four NCAA Division I teams to score 40 in a period this season. UCI is currently 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 stays on the road next week as it heads to CSUN (Thursday, Feb. 16) and Cal Poly (Saturday, Feb. 18).