FULLERTON, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team extended its win streak to a season-long four games with a convincing 76-60 victory over Cal State Fullerton Wednesday evening at Titan Gym.
 
Junior Morgan Green led the way with a game-high 30 points on a 10-of-14 shooting performance. She was also 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 at the free throw line. It was her second 30-point effort of the year.
 
Freshman Jordan Sanders registered her fourth-straight double-figure scoring game with 12 points, to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Junior Andee Ritter added 11 points (3-5 3FG), while freshman Tahlia Garza had five points, a game-high 10 rebounds and three steals. Redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner also notched four points, five boards and a team-best four assists.
 
UCI shot 48.3 percent overall and 43.8 percent from long distance. They held a slight edge in rebounding (41-40), and forced the Titans into 21 turnovers with a season-high tying 14 steals.
 
"I'm really proud of our efforts on not letting up," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Morgan was instrumental tonight with her efficiency to elevate us on both ends. We are starting to really come together and play with all different combinations which is the fun part as a coach."
 
UC Irvine (14-8, 6-2 Big West) raced out to a 12-6 lead thanks to eight early points from Sanders. Cal State Fullerton would close the gap to two with 1:23 to play, but Ritter and Green each knocked down a 3-pointer to increase the Anteaters' cushion to 22-14 at the end of the first quarter. Green's triple came at the buzzer.
 
The 'Eaters kept the momentum in the second as they opened the period on a 10-1 run, capped by a Green jumper, to pull ahead 32-15 at the 6:39 mark. UCI then saw three starters (Garza, Sanders and Green) head to the bench due to foul trouble, allowing the Titans to score nine unanswered. Neither team was able to add to their point total over the final four minutes with UC Irvine holding a 32-24 advantage at the break.
 
The Anteaters regrouped at intermission, coming out on an 11-2 sprint to go on top, 43-26, with 6:29 remaining in the third frame. Ritter sparked the rally with a pair of 3-pointers. UCI pushed its lead to as many as 22 before closing out the quarter with a 54-38 margin.
 
The 'Eaters continued to roll in the fourth where they led by double digits for the entire 10 minutes. The Titans accounted for the first two points before UC Irvine put together a 15-2 spurt, which ended with a three-point play from Green, for its largest lead of the night at 69-42. Cal State Fullerton made a late push in the final minute but UCI was never threatened in the 76-60 win.
 
The Titans (7-14, 2-6 Big West) shot 35.5 percent from the field and were paced by Hannah Thompson's 21 points. Daeja Smith also finished with a double-double as she had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
 
UC Irvine returns to the hardwood and ESPN3 on Saturday, Feb. 3, when it makes its way to Long Beach State for a 7 p.m. Black & Blue Rivalry game.
 
NOTES: UC Irvine's 6-2 record in Big West play is its best since starting the conference season at 7-1 in 1994-95 … The 'Eaters matched a program record with their seventh road win (last reached in 2000-01) … Their four-game win streak is their longest of the season, and the longest by a UCI squad in five years … The 16-point victory tonight was the Anteaters' largest margin against a Division I opponent this year … UC Irvine is now 10-0 when Jordan Sanders scores in double figures … Andee Ritter moved into a tie for fourth in school history with 128 career 3-pointers … It was her 31st career game with multiple threes … Morgan Green has reached double digits in all eight games she has played … Five of those have been 20+ point outings, including her two 30-point efforts … Tahlia Garza recorded her team-leading fourth double-digit rebounding game.