UC Irvine (6-0) at
San Jose State (1-4)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 2
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Event Center (5,000) - San Jose, Calif.
Watch // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to San Jose State for a 2 p.m. showdown on Sunday, Dec. 2. The Anteaters will be playing their first true road game of the season at SJSU's Event Center.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine improved to 6-0 after defeating future Big West member CSU Bakersfield, 85-78, on Thursday.
• It is the first time in program history the Anteaters have started the season with six-straight victories.
• Their best six-game start before this year was 5-1 in 2002-03, 1984-85 and 1980-81.
• The 'Eaters are the lone Big West club, and one of 28 teams in all of NCAA Division I, to remain undefeated on the year.
• Of those 28 teams, 20 are either ranked or receiving votes in the AP and USA Today Women's Basketball polls.
• As of Nov. 29, UCI ranks 3rd in the nation in turnover margin (11.0), 7th in steals (14.7gm) and 9th in TOs forced (25.7/gm).
• UC Irvine has forced more than 20 turnovers in every game with a season-high 36 against Life Pacific College on Nov. 7.
• Through six games, the Anteaters have four double-doubles, already surpassing their total of three from last year.
• Jordan Sanders has scored 20+ points in each of the last three outings and leads the team with 20.2 ppg.
• Over the last two contests, Lauren Saiki is averaging 14.5 points and 10.5 assists, with a 7.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Senior Andee Ritter, who has made 159 career 3-pointers, needs 40 more to break a 26-year old school record (198).
• Ritter also entered UCI's top-10 in steals last week as she now ranks eighth with 151 career takeaways.
 
SANDERS EARNS WEEKLY HONORS
• Sophomore Jordan Sanders received her first career Big West Player of the Week nod on Monday, Nov. 26.
• She was also named to the NCAA's Starting Five (Nov. 28), which recognizes players from around the country each week.
• Sanders led UCI to the GCU Thanksgiving Classic title, averaging 23.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.5 spg over the two-day tournament.
• The 5-foot-11 forward also shot 70.8 percent from the field and 80.0 percent from the free throw line.
• In the championship game against then unbeaten Indiana State, she had a career-high 25 points (11-16 FG) and 11 rebounds.
• Sanders added four steals in the 77-61 win over the Sycamores.
• One day earlier, in an 84-71 victory against LIU Brooklyn, she netted a team-best 21 points in 18 minutes played.
• She also finished with 13 points, three rebounds and a blocked shot in a home win over Southern Utah.
• On the week, Sanders recorded 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing, while shooting 61.1% overall and 83.3% on FTs.
 
WITH A WIN...
• The Anteaters would improve to 17-12 in their all-time series with San Jose State.
• UCI would win its seventh-straight game, matching its longest streak from last year, which ranked third in school history.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine continued its best start in program history with an 85-78 win over CSU Bakersfield last Thursday. Jordan Sanders led the charge once again with her third-straight 20-point game as she finished with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds. Lauren Saiki put up a career-high 19 points on an 8-of-15 shooting performance, while adding eight assists, five rebounds and five steals. Haleigh Talbert and Andee Ritter also reached double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Tahlia Garza and Brooke Bayman had eight points each, and Garza chipped in seven boards.
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
San Jose State (1-4) has dropped four of its first five games after suffering a 91-67 loss to Pacific on Thursday. SJSU's lone win came against CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 24. Junior guard Fieme'a Hafoka and sophomore forward Cydni Lewis lead the Spartans with 10.8 and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Sophomore point guard Danae Marquez is also tops on the team in rebounds (4.6 rpg) and assists (5.2 apg). Sixth-year head coach Jamie Craighead has a young 14-member squad with nine underclassmen and only one senior.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with San Jose State, 16-12, but has lost four in a row to the Spartans. The two teams last met on Dec. 20, 2015, in San Jose. SJSU was a member of the Big West Conference from 1986-87 until 1995-96.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing more than 20 turnovers in each of their first six games. They pressured Life Pacific College into a season-high 36 miscues, thanks to a school-record 25 steals. The Anteaters have also held their opponents to three single-digit quarters with a program-best one point allowed in the third frame against LPC. Both of their records bettered the previous standards from last year when UCI had 24 steals vs. Long Beach State and gave up just three points in the second quarter at Bakersfield. Through Nov. 29, UC Irvine ranks third in the nation in turnover margin (11.0), seventh in steals (14.7/gm) and ninth in turnovers forced (28.3/gm).
 
DEPTH PERCEPTION
One of UC Irvine's biggest strengths this year is its depth. All 10 active roster members have logged at least 11 minutes per outing, while the 'Eaters have had multiple players in double figures in every game. With their regular sub rotations, the Anteaters are able to press a majority of the time while not seeing much drop off on the offensive end. In fact, UCI's reserves have netted more than 25 points in three of six contests, and the bench has outscored its opponents by 13 points per game.
 
CENTURY MARK
After going without a 100-point game for 39 years, UC Irvine has now reached the century mark three times since February, 2018. It all started with a convincing 100-81 road victory at Long Beach State on Feb. 3. Just two games later, the 'Eaters posted their highest scoring total in the NCAA Division I Championship era, and tied an overall program record that was set back in 1979, with 107 points against Cal Poly (Feb. 15, 2018). UCI accomplished the feat again in the 2018-19 opener where it dropped 105 points vs. Life Pacific College on Nov. 7.
 
HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, the 'Eaters are 14-4 (.778) at the Bren Events Center. Their 14 victories in less than two full seasons are more than the previous three years combined (10). In addition, they have won five-straight home games dating back to last year.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when sophomore Jordan Sanders scores at least 10 points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 19-3 when she reaches double digits, and 6-0 when she hits the 20-point mark. The Springfield, Mo., native has played a key role in UCI's 6-0 start as she has put up double digits in every game, with four of those being 20-point performances. Three of those have come in the last three outings as she finished with 22 vs. Bakersfield, a career-high 25 vs. Indiana State and 21 vs. LIU Brooklyn. Sanders added 11 rebounds and four steals against the Sycamores. She also notched 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, in a 57-55 win over UNLV on Nov. 13. Through six games, the 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the conference with 20.2 ppg and third with 7.8 rpg.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter sits alone in second on UC Irvine's career charts with 159 3-pointers made. She is on pace to break the school record of 198, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92). The Medford, Ore., native already shattered Lizarraga's 28-year old single-season program record with 87 3-pointers two years ago, and tied UCI's single-game high with a career-best seven treys at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017. She also ranks eighth in school history with 151 career steals.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) posted her first double-double as an Anteater with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists against Indiana State. She also committed just one turnover in the 77-61 victory over the Sycamores. Saiki's 13 dimes rank third in single-game program history and were the most by an 'Eater since Raelyn Cheung-Sutton dished out 12 vs. UC Davis on March 5, 2016. She followed that performance with a career-best 19 points and eight assists vs. CSUB. Over the last two games, the 5-foot-3 point guard is averaging 10.5 apg with a 7.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. Saiki has also reached double figures in scoring in each of the last four outings.
 
PRESEASON POLLS
UCI was picked to finish third, behind CSUN and UC Davis, in the media and coaches' Big West Preseason Polls. It was the Anteaters' highest ranking since 1998-99, when they were predicted to place second in the Western Division of the Big West. Jordan Sanders was also selected to the six-member preseason all-conference team.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns home for a single game against San Diego State on Friday, Dec. 7, before embarking on a week-long trip to the Pacific Northwest where it will face Portland, Portland State and No. 3 Oregon.