IRVINE, Calif. – Freshman Jordan Sanders had the best game of her young career as she helped the UC Irvine women's basketball team pull away in the fourth quarter of a 56-47 victory over CSUN Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
The 'Eaters (13-8, 5-2 Big West) outscored the Matadors, 17-7, over the final 10 minutes, and Sanders provided the late spark with 10 of her season-high 22 points coming during that stretch. The Springfield, Mo., native also had 11 rebounds for her first double-double, while adding a season-best four blocks and three steals. She finished the day shooting 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the field.

"Jordan has no idea how good she's going to be," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "The thing I'm most proud about today is her zero turnovers. She also knows the focus has been rebounding with her, so to grab 11 and get a double-double today in the fashion that she did, it's just great for her and for the team. On any given night, a new player steps up and I'm really proud of Jordan to get it tonight."
 
Junior Morgan Green had another impressive stat line with 16 points, seven assists, three steals and no turnovers. Sophomore Lauren Saiki chipped in 11 points (4-9 FG), four rebounds and four steals, while junior Deijah Blanks pulled down five boards. In her first game back since Jan. 4, junior Andee Ritter contributed four rebounds and four assists.

As a team, the Anteaters committed a season-low seven turnovers and forced the Matadors into 19 (13 steals). They also shot 38.3 percent overall and were 5-of-7 at the free throw line.
 
It was a seesaw battle throughout the first half with seven ties and nine lead changes. UC Irvine broke a 5-5 deadlock with a Sanders jumper, followed by a pair of free throws from senior Sabrina Engelstad, to pull ahead by four at the 5:28 mark. After the Matadors brought it back within two, the 'Eaters responded with seven-straight points from Green to go on top, 16-9, at the end of the first quarter.
 
CSUN (11-10, 4-3 Big West) had an answer in the second period, scoring the first eight points to go up, 17-16, before Sanders got the Anteaters back on the board with a baseline jumper at the 6:01 mark. The lead would trade hands five more times over the next three minutes. The Matadors increased their cushion to three towards the end of that stretch, but UCI was able to close out the half on a 4-1 sprint to knot the score at 26-26.
 
It continued to go back-and-forth in the third frame. After falling behind by three, UC Irvine used a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Green 3-pointer, to hold a 33-31 edge with 3:53 to play. CSUN then scored five unanswered before the 'Eaters countered with consecutive jumpers from Sanders that started a 6-0 run for a 39-38 lead. The Matadors were able to get one more bucket in the final seconds to reclaim the advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
 
It all clicked for the Anteaters in the final period where they shot 50 percent from the field and held CSUN to 17.6 percent. UCI also won the battle in steals (5-0), blocks (3-0) and turnovers forced (5-0). Sanders sparked an early 10-0 rally, which put UC Irvine on top, 49-40, with six points over the first three minutes. The Matadors then scored their first points of the frame with 5:09 remaining, but that didn't slow down the 'Eaters who extended their lead to 54-42 following a 3-pointer from sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah and another Sanders' jumper with 2:43 to play. That was all the separation the Anteaters needed in the 56-47 victory.
 
"I think in the fourth quarter, our intensity just lifted even more," Inoue said. "I thought the press itself really bothered (CSUN), and that kind of wore on them all game, so we were finally able to capitalize on that in the fourth."
 
Fluker paced the Matadors with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Tessa Boagni added 12 boards. CSUN shot just 32.1 percent overall, 13.3 percent from long distance and 55 percent from the free throw line.
 
UC Irvine has two local road games on tap for next week, traveling to Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Long Beach State on Saturday, Feb. 3. Both games are set to tip at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

 
NOTES: UC Irvine is 9-0 when Jordan Sanders scores at least 10 points … Sanders is the fourth Anteater to record a 20-point game this season … She is also the second to notch a double-double as Tahlia Garza had 16 points and 12 rebounds vs. Chapman (Dec. 19) … Garza, who got into early foul trouble, saw her three-game double-figure scoring streak snapped … Morgan Green has reached double digits in all seven games she has played and is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per contest … She also had her second-straight game with seven assists … UCI forced 19 turnovers, while committing a season-low seven … Two days after establishing season highs in free throws made (33) and attempted (43) at UC Riverside, the Anteaters had season lows in both categories with a 5-of-7 showing at the charity stripe ... The 'Eaters earned their first victory of the year when scoring less than 60 points as they allowed a season-low 47 ... They have now held their opponents to a single-digit quarter eight times … UC Irvine, which is off to its best conference start in six years, is currently second in the league standings ... UCI also improved to 11-3 since Nov. 30, tying UC Davis for the best 14-game stretch in the Big West.