PORTLAND, Ore. - Behind a career-high 34 points from sophomore Jordan Sanders, the UC Irvine women's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit to defeat Portland State, 73-68, Tuesday evening at Viking Pavilion.
 
The 'Eaters improved to 9-1 on the year, while the Vikings (8-1) suffered their first loss.
 
"I'm so proud of this team," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "We got knocked down early and it was the first time this season I saw them give up, and I wasn't ok with that. We did this (Oregon) tour for Andee and I wasn't going to let my senior come out with a loss in front of her home crowd. Our team just responded tremendously. Credit to them for grinding it out and making sure we didn't lose today. This was a great win."
 
For the first time this year, UC Irvine had more turnovers than its opponent, but still held the advantage in points off miscues at 27-21. The Anteaters shot 49.2 percent overall (29-59), 50 percent from 3-point range (6-12) and 81.8 percent at the free throw line (9-11). They outrebounded PSU, 37-29, and dished out 22 assists.
 
Sanders, who had 19 of her career and game-high 34 points in the second half, finished the night going 15-for-25 from the floor. Her 34 points are tied for the fifth-most in single-game program history, while her 15 made field goals rank third. Sanders also had a team-leading eight rebounds and two steals.
 
Junior Lauren Saiki recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 assists. Saiki scored seven of her points in a 30 second stretch during a 20-0 'Eater run in the third quarter.
 
Senior Andee Ritter remained hot from long distance where she was 5-of-6 for 17 points. She added a career-best six assists.
 
Portland State started the scoring with a 3-pointer on the opening possession, but UC Irvine came right back with an 11-3 spurt, capped by a triple from Ritter, for a 13-6 lead at the 4:44 mark. The Vikings then started to chip away and took advantage of the Anteaters' three-minute scoring drought to pull ahead, 16-15, at the end of the first quarter.
 
PSU increased its lead to five early in the second period before buckets from Sanders and Saiki closed the gap to 22-21 with 6:23 to go. The home team stayed out front, but the 'Eaters kept it close and eventually tied it up at 30-30 on a floater from sophomore Brooke Bayman at the 4:09 mark. Portland State then reeled off 10-straight points and extended its rally to 15-2 for a 45-32 advantage. Ritter responded with her fourth 3-pointer of the half to cut UCI's deficit to 45-35 at intermission.
 
After Portland State went up by 13 to start the third frame, Sanders got UC Irvine back on the board. That sparked a 20-0 run over the next five-plus minutes. The Anteaters took their first lead since the first period following a Saiki triple (49-48), and proceeded to go up, 55-48, before PSU made a couple of free throws. UCI outscored the Vikings, 22-5, and held them to just one field goal in the quarter.
 
The 'Eaters opened the scoring in the fourth stanza as a layup by sophomore Tahlia Garza made it 59-50. They eventually went on top by 10 (71-61) with 1:36 remaining, before Portland State started to mount a comeback. The Vikings used a 7-0 spurt to close the gap to three with 40.8 seconds on the clock, but they were then forced to foul and Ritter calmly knocked down a couple free throws to secure the 73-68 victory.
 
Kylie Jimenez paced Portland State with 28 points, six steals and three assists. Courtney West added 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. UCI did its job on the Vikings' leading scorer, Ashley Bolston (16.5 ppg), who finished with five points on 0-for-9 shooting.
 
In the first half, Portland State was 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) from the field and 7-of-11 (63.6) from 3-point territory, but UC Irvine made the necessary adjustments during the break as it held PSU to 25.8 percent shooting and an 0-for-8 performance from long distance over the final 20 minutes.
 
UC Irvine returns to action on Friday, Dec. 21, when it heads to Eugene for a 12 p.m. showdown with No. 7 Oregon (9-1).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine snapped a three-game skid in its all-time series with Portland State.
• It was the Anteaters' first road victory against the Vikings in six tries.
• Both teams were ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll released today as UCI was No. 22 and PSU was No. 25.
• The 'Eaters allowed just five points in the third quarter, marking the second time this season the Vikings have been held to single digits.
• UC Irvine is now 5-0 away from home and 3-0 in true road games.
• Jordan Sanders' 34 points were the most by an Anteater since Camille Buckley also dropped 34 vs. UC Davis on March 12, 2014.
• Sanders has scored 20+ points in seven games this season and is tied for 10th in all of NCAA DI with 22.4 ppg.
• Andee Ritter has made 15 3-pointers over the last three games and is shooting 75% from beyond the arc during that stretch.
• Ritter has made 174 career threes and needs 25 more to break the school record.
• Lauren Saiki has recorded at least seven assists in each of the last six outings.
• She is averaging a team-best 6.7 assists, which ranks eighth in the nation.