San Diego State (4-4) at
UC Irvine (7-0)
Date: Friday, Dec. 7
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center this week as it plays host to San Diego State on Friday, Dec. 7. The Anteaters and Aztecs are set to square off at 7 p.m.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine made its College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 debut this week as it came in at No. 24 in the latest poll (Dec. 4).
• The Anteaters improved to 7-0 on Sunday after defeating San Jose State, 74-66, in their first true road game of the season.
• It is the first time in program history the 'Eaters have started the campaign with seven-straight victories.
• Their best seven-game start prior to this year was 6-1 back in 1980-81.
• UCI is the lone Big West club, and one of 23 teams in all of NCAA Division I, to remain undefeated.
• Of those 23 teams, 17 are either ranked or receiving votes in the AP and USA Today Women's Basketball polls.
• UC Irvine ranks fifth in the nation in turnover margin (10.0), 13th in steals (13.4/gm) and 15th in TOs forced (24.1/gm).
• The Anteaters have forced at least 23 turnovers in all but one game, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• Through seven games, the 'Eaters have four double-doubles, already surpassing their total of three from last year.
• UCI has led for 224 of a possible 280 minutes played, and has trailed at the half only once - in a 57-55 win vs. UNLV.
• Jordan Sanders has scored 20+ points five times, including in each of the last four outings, and is 23rd in the nation with 20.7 ppg.
• Over the last three contests, Lauren Saiki is averaging 14.0 points and 9.3 assists, with a 7.00 assist-to-turnover ratio (28-4).
• 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 UC Irvine's top-10 in steals last week as she is now eighth with 151 career takeaways.
 
SANDERS REPEATS AS BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Sophomore Jordan Sanders earned her second-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week award on Dec. 3.
• The 5-foot-11 forward is the first Anteater to win back-to-back weekly honors in program history.
• She was recognized following her third and fourth-straight 20-point outings in victories over Bakersfield and San Jose State.
• Sanders started the week with a team-best 22 points and nine rebounds against the Roadrunners.
• She followed with a game-high 24 points (9-18 FG, 6-8 FT), to go along with nine boards and two steals, at SJSU.
• For the week, she averaged 23.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while shooting 50 percent from the field.
• Sanders currently ranks second in the Big West in scoring (20.7 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
• On Nov. 28, she was also named to the NCAA's Starting Five, which recognizes players from around the country each week.
 
WITH A WIN...
• The Anteaters would improve to 2-0 against San Diego State under third-year head coach Tamara Inoue.
• The 'Eaters would also move to 3-0 against the Mountain West this year as they previously defeated UNLV and SJSU.
• UCI would earn its eighth-straight victory, tying the second-longest win streak in program history, which was set in 1983-84.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine continued its best start ever with a 74-66 win at San Jose State on Sunday afternoon. Jordan Sanders recorded her fourth-straight 20-point performance as she finished with a game-high 24 (9-18 FG). She also pulled down a team-leading nine rebounds. Lauren Saiki had 13 points and seven assists, while committing only one turnover. Haleigh Talbert added 12 points, five boards, two assists and two steals. Andee Ritter chipped in six points and eight rebounds. The 'Eaters trailed by seven after the first quarter, but outscored the Spartans, 25-7, in the second period to take the lead for good.
 
SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (4-4) is on a three-game losing streak after falling to San Diego, 72-71, and Arizona, 69-60, last week. Freshman guard Sophia Ramos leads the Aztecs with 14.4 points and 4.9 assists per outing. Sophomore guard Naje Murray is also averaging 13.3 ppg, while freshman guard Mallory Adams has registered 10.0 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with former Big West member San Diego State, 19-7, but won the last meeting on the road, 67-65. Sabrina Engelstad and Brooke Bayman led the Anteaters with 10 points each. Lauren Saiki also finished with nine points, while Jordan Sanders added eight points.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing more than 20 turnovers in six of their first seven 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. 4, UC Irvine ranks fifth in the nation in turnover margin (10.0), 13th in steals (13.4/gm) and 15th in turnovers forced (24.1gm).
 
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 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 12.5 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 14-4 (.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 10+ points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 20-3 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 undefeated start as she has put up double digits in all seven games. Five of those have been 20-point performances with four coming in the last four outings as she had 24 at San Jose State, 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. Through seven games, the 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 23rd in the nation, with 20.7 ppg.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter sits alone in second on UC Irvine's career charts with 159 3-pointers made. She is chasing 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 on Nov. 24. 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. CSUB. Over the last three games, the 5-foot-3 point guard is averaging 14.0 ppg and 9.3 apg, with a 7.00 assist-to-turnover ratio. She has reached double figures in scoring in each of the last five 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 will embark on a week-long road trip to the Pacific Northwest where it will take on Portland (Dec. 16), Portland State (Dec. 18) and No. 3 Oregon (Dec. 21).