UC Irvine (7-1) at
Portland (7-2)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 16
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Chiles Center (4,852) - Portland, Ore.
Watch // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

UC Irvine (7-1) at 
Portland State (7-0)
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 18
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Viking Pavilion (3,001) - Portland, Ore.
Watch // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team begins a three-game road trip on Sunday, Dec. 16, when it squares off against Portland in a 2 p.m. showdown at Chiles Center. The Anteaters will then make their way across town to Portland State for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine was ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll for the second-straight week, coming in at No. 25.
• The Anteaters opened the season with seven consecutive wins for the first time in program history.
• Despite suffering their first loss on Dec. 7, the 'Eaters are still off to their best eight-game start at 7-1.
• UCI ranks 2nd in the nation in turnover margin (10.5), 6th in steals (13.5/gm) and 10th in TOs forced (24.4/gm).
• UC Irvine has forced at least 23 turnovers in all but one game, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• Through eight games, the Anteaters have four double-doubles, already surpassing their total of three from last year.
• UCI has led for 236 of a possible 320 minutes played, and has trailed at the half only twice.
• Jordan Sanders, who has scored 20+ points five times, is second in the Big West and 31st in the nation with 20.1 ppg.
• Over the last four contests, Lauren Saiki is averaging 12.8 points and 9.0 assists, with a 6.00 assist-to-turnover ratio (36-6).
• Saiki ranks second in the conference and 23rd in all of NCAA Division I with 6.1 assists per outing.
• Senior Andee Ritter, who has made 165 career 3-pointers, is on pace to break a 26-year old school record (198).
• Ritter ranks 20th in the country with 3.3 steals per game and sits at No. 8 in program history with 155 career takeaways.
 
WITH A WIN...
• The Anteaters would earn their first victory in Portland as they are a combined 0-7 when playing at UP and PSU.
• It would also be their first true road win in the state of Oregon (0-11). UCI does have four neutral-site wins in Eugene & Corvallis.
• The 'Eaters would take their first-ever lead in the all-time series with Portland. The two teams first met back in 1990.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
Portland (7-2) has won four of its last five games after toppling Warner Pacific (NAIA), 98-63, and Willamette (D3), 82-27, last weekend. Senior guard Darian Slaga is the Pilots' leading scorer at 16.6 points per outing. Senior forward Julie Spencer is also averaging 15.2 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds, while freshman guard Haylee Andrews has registered 12.1 points and 4.4 assists per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine defeated Portland, 63-52, in Irvine last year to even the all-time series at 3-3. Dani Guglielmo led the 'Eaters with a career-high 15 points on a 5-of-9 performance from beyond the arc. Andee Ritter also had 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Jordan Sanders added 12 points and eight boards.
 
A GLANCE AT PORTLAND STATE
Portland State (7-0) remained undefeated on the year with a 60-55 win at Grand Canyon on Tuesday, and will host UNLV (Dec. 15) before welcoming the Anteaters to Viking Pavilion. Senior guard Ashley Bolston has anchored the team with 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Senior guard Sidney Rielly is also averaging 14.4 points per outing, while senior forward Courtney West has put up 13.2 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Portland State, 9-3. The Vikings have won the last three meetings after erasing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and pull out an 82-72 victory at the Bren Events Center last year.
 
BACK-TO-BACK
Sophomore Jordan Sanders became the first Anteater in program history to earn back-to-back Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week accolades when she was recognized on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3. The 5-foot-11 forward was honored after four-straight 20-point outings against LIU Brooklyn (21), Indiana State (25), Bakersfield (22) and San Jose State (24). On Nov. 28, she was also named to the NCAA's Starting Five, which recognizes players with standout performances from around the country. Sanders currently ranks second in the Big West in scoring (20.1 ppg) and third in rebounding (7.8 rpg).

DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing more than 20 turnovers in seven of their eight 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 four 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 Dec. 11, UC Irvine ranks second in the nation in turnover margin (10.5), sixth in steals (13.5/gm) and 10th in turnovers forced (24.4/gm).
 
DEPTH PERCEPTION
One of UC Irvine's biggest strengths this year is its depth. All 10 active roster members have logged at least 10 minutes per outing, while the 'Eaters have had multiple players reach double figures in scoring 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 three times, and the bench has outperformed its opponents by 8.4 ppg.
 
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 14-5 (.737) at the Bren Events Center. Their 14 victories in less than two full seasons are more than the previous three years combined (10).
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when sophomore Jordan Sanders scores 10+ points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 20-4 when she reaches double figures, and 7-0 when she hits the 20-point mark. The Springfield, Mo., native has played a key role in UCI's hot start as she has put up double digits in all eight games. Five of those have been 20-point performances as she had 24 at San Jose State, 22 vs. Bakersfield, a career-high 25 vs. Indiana State, 21 vs. LIU Brooklyn and 21 vs. UNLV. She added 11 rebounds and four steals against the Sycamores, while notching 12 boards and four blocks in a 57-55 win over the Lady Rebels. Through eight games, the 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 31st in the nation, with 20.1 ppg.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter ranks second on UC Irvine's career charts with 165 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 is also eighth in school history with 155 career steals.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Over the last four games, junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) is averaging 12.8 points and 9.0 assists, with a 6.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. On Nov. 24, the 5-foot-3 point guard recorded 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. Saiki followed that performance with a career-best 19 points and eight assists vs. CSU Bakersfield.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine heads to No. 7 Oregon for a 12 p.m. game on Friday, Dec. 21.