IRVINE, Calif. – With seven games still to play, sophomore Andee Ritter broke the single-season school record in 3-pointers made Thursday night against Cal Poly. Ritter led three 'Eaters in double figures but UC Irvine ended up falling to the Mustangs, 78-60, at the Bren Events Center.

Ritter knocked down four triples to give her 66 on the season. Her 65th, which came in the third quarter, topped the 28-year old program record of 64, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga back in 1988-89. Ritter is also one of only three Anteaters to make at least 60 3-pointers in a season as she joins Lizarraga (1988-89 & 1990-91) and Wendy Gabbe (2002-03) in the elite group.

"At any level, to be able to get 66 threes - and counting - in one season is hard to do," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "It is really a testament to her work ethic - she shows up every day ready to go and does everything a Division I athlete should be doing. She's going to set the record even higher and she's doing it while being face guarded. It's not like people don't know who she is – there is someone right in front of her at the start of every game. So, for her to be able to work and get open says a lot about her. I think Ritter is going to be a household name at Irvine when she walks out of here."

Ritter paced UC Irvine with 16 points and a game-high four steals. Junior Teirra Hicks added 13 points on a 5-for-11 shooting performance. Senior Shereen Sutherland was also one rebound shy of her second-straight double-double as she finished with 11 points and nine boards. Senior Irene Chavez and freshman Brooke Bayman chipped in four assists each.

The 'Eaters (3-20, 1-8 Big West) struggled from the field, shooting 37.1 percent overall and 23.8 percent from behind the arc. UCI committed only 10 turnovers but was outrebounded, 42-26.

Cal Poly (8-14, 4-6 Big West) raced out to a 16-3 lead following back-to-back 3-pointers at the 4:47 mark. Ritter then hit her first triple of the night to start a 9-2 run that cut the deficit to 18-12. The Mustangs responded with a layup on the other end, but Ritter connected from long distance right before the buzzer to make it a 20-15 game after 10 minutes of action.

CP pushed its lead to nine (24-15) early in the second period. Hicks then drained a trey from the corner and it proceeded to go back-and-forth until Cal Poly eventually used a 10-2 spurt to pull ahead, 40-26, with 3:10 remaining. The visitors ended up taking a 14-point lead into the break at 42-28.

The Mustangs scored the first 10 points of the third frame, eight of which came from Hannah Gilbert, to open up a 52-28 cushion at the 7:03 mark. Hicks then got the Anteaters on the board with a layup before Cal Poly took its largest advantage of the night at 57-32. Ritter answered with her record-breaking 3-pointer with 4:10 remaining. That seemed to give the 'Eaters a boost as they proceeded to go on a 7-0 run, capped by a pair of free throws from junior Sabrina Engelstad, to close the gap to 18 (59-41), but CP went back on top by 20 at the end of the period.

Sutherland got going in the fourth as she sparked an early 9-4 rally to make it 67-52 with 6:23 to play. That was the closest UCI would get, however, as Cal Poly went up by 20 before closing out the 78-60 victory.

The Mustangs' big three of Dynn Leaupepe (21), Lynn Leaupepe (20) and Hannah Gilbert (20) combined to score 61 of their team's 78 points. They went a combined 27-for-43 (62.8 percent) from the field. Overall, Cal Poly shot 55.7 percent on the night.

"(Those three) deserve everything that they work for," Inoue said. "I think those kids are phenomenal players and they grind. They don't take days off and it shows."

UC Irvine now hits the road for its next three games, beginning with a trip to first-place UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.

NOTES: Andee Ritter, who tied the single-game school record with seven 3-pointers made at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, now owns UCI's single-season record with 66 threes … She is averaging 2.9 triples per game … The Medford, Ore., native is also one of the top defenders in the Big West with a conference-leading 52 steals … Ritter is close to cracking UCI's single-season top-10 list in steals as she needs four more to move into a tie for 10th … Shereen Sutherland extended her streak of double-figure scoring games to five … Teirra Hicks reached double digits in the points column for the sixth time this year.