Cal Poly (14-9, 8-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (16-8, 8-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 15
Time: 5:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN3 // Listen // Live Stats // Tickets

UC Irvine (16-8, 8-2 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (9-14, 6-5 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Thunderdome (6,000) - Santa Barbara, Calif.
Watch // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

The UC Irvine women's basketball team is set to host Cal Poly in a pivotal Big West showdown at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15. It is also the Anteaters' annual Think Pink Game and will be featured on ESPN3 with Sam Farber (play-by-play), Richie Schueler (analyst) and Courtney Sweet (sideline) on the call.

UCI then makes its way to UC Santa Barbara for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Gauchos on Saturday, Feb. 17.
 
TIP-INS
• As of Feb. 12, UC Irvine's 13-game improvement from last year is tied with Nebraska for the best turnaround in all of NCAA DI.
• Since Nov. 30, the Anteaters are 14-3, marking the best current 17-game stretch in the Big West.
• UCI has at least doubled its win total from each of the last three years and reached double digits for the first time in four years.
• The 'Eaters need four more victories to record the third 20-win season in program history and first since 1984-85.
• At 8-2, UC Irvine is second in the Big West standings, and owns its best-ever record through the first 10 conference games.
• Morgan Green has seven 20-plus point performances and recently notched her third 30-point effort of the year.
• Her three 30-point games are tied for the second most in program history.
• Jordan Sanders has reached double digits in each of the last six outings with a season-high 22 points vs. CSUN.
• UC Irvine has a new look this year with 10 newcomers (five true freshmen and five returning redshirts).
 
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
• Eleven of UC Irvine's 14 players are averaging at least 10 minutes per contest.
• Ten Anteaters have scored at least 100 points this year with eight averaging more than 5.0 per outing.
• All but two 'Eaters have led the team in scoring in a game this season.
 
WITH A WIN VS. CAL POLY...
• UC Irvine would pick up its ninth Big West win, tying for the third most in program history.
• UCI would notch its seventh victory in a row, marking the third-longest win streak in school history.
• The 'Eaters would have their best record through 25 games (17-8) since going 20-5 in 1984-85.

A GLANCE AT CAL POLY
Cal Poly (14-9, 8-3 Big West) stayed right on the Anteaters' heels in the conference standings with a 70-61 win over Long Beach State last Saturday. Senior Dynn Leaupepe leads the Mustangs with 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, while twin sister Lynn has registered 10.9 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per outing.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. CP
This will be the 56th all-time meeting between UC Irvine and Cal Poly. The Mustangs lead the series, 36-19, after earning a 77-74 comeback win in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 18. Morgan Green paced UCI with 24 points on a career-high six 3-pointers made, while Tahlia Garza and Autumn Baumgartner added 11 points each.
 
SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara (9-14, 6-5 Big West) split a pair of road games last week, falling at UC Riverside, 84-76, before defeating Cal State Fullerton, 59-52. Senior Drew Edelman, who has three-straight double-doubles, has anchored the Gaucho effort with 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest. Freshman Sarah Bates is also averaging 11.1 points on a team-best 53 3-pointers made.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. UCSB
This will be the 94th all-time meeting between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos lead the series, 63-30, but the 'Eaters snapped a five-game skid with a 79-76 victory in the two teams' first meeting at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 13. Morgan Green led all players with 25 points, while Lauren Saiki finished with 14 points, five assists and a season-high seven rebounds.
 
AROUND THE BIG WEST
With six regular-season games remaining, UC Irvine, which was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, is in sole possession of second place in the Big West standings. The 'Eaters are 1.5 games behind league-leading UC Davis (10-1), while they are a half-game ahead of third-place Cal Poly (8-3) and 2.5 in front of CSUN and UCSB, who are tied for fourth at 6-5. The top two will receive a bye into the Big West Tournament semifinals at the Honda Center. The third and fourth-place teams also receive a first-round bye into the quarterfinals at Titan Gym.
 
THE STREAK
The Anteaters are riding a season-long six-game win streak into their Thursday match-up with Cal Poly. Their last loss was nearly a month ago when they fell to the Mustangs in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 18.
 
THE TURNAROUND
In just her second year at the helm, head coach Tamara Inoue has already turned around a UCI program that finished with a losing record in five of the last six seasons. Through 24 contests, the 'Eaters have made a 13-game improvement from 2016-17, making them one of only three NCAA Division I programs to see a plus-10 difference in the win column so far this year (Nebraska and Rutgers). UC Irvine's resurgence didn't come until about a month into the current campaign as it started a tough non-conference slate at 2-5, but has gone 14-3 since Nov. 30. The 'Eaters have at least doubled their win total from each of the last three years.
 
POY CANDIDATE
Junior Morgan Green is making her case for Big West Player of the Year honors with an impressive Anteater debut season. In conference action, Green ranks second in the league in scoring (24.1 ppg), first in 3-pointers made (3.2/game), third in free throw percentage (85.5), third in steals (2.5 spg) and seventh in assists (3.6 apg). The 5-foot-7 guard has lit up the competition for seven 20-plus point games, including three 30-point performances.
 
30 ROCK
In just her second appearance of the season, Morgan Green broke onto the scene with a career-high 31 points at Hawai'i (Jan. 11). She connected on nine of her 15 attempts (5-9 3FG, 8-9 FT), while adding five rebounds and four steals against the Rainbow Wahine. It was UCI's first 30-point performance since Camille Buckley in 2014. Three weeks later, the San Jose native dropped 30 in a season-low 27 minutes played at Cal State Fullerton. Green was extremely efficient from the field, shooting 71.4 percent overall (10-14), and 60 percent from beyond the arc (3-5). She went on to match her season-high of 31 and pulled down a season-best nine rebounds in a 76-63 win over UC Riverside. Green's three 30-point efforts are tied for the second most in program history.
 
SEEING GREEN
Morgan Green, who made her long-awaited UC Irvine debut on Jan. 4, has reached double figures in scoring in all 10 games she has played (24.1 ppg). Over the last three contests, the Michigan State transfer has upped the ante with an average of 29.7 ppg as she registered 30 points at Cal State Fullerton, 28 at Long Beach State and 31 vs. UC Riverside. From Jan. 11-20, she had four-straight 20+ games, marking the longest streak by an Anteater since Mikah Maly-Karros in 2010 (6). Green also became the first 'Eater to earn Big West Player of the Week honors in three years when she picked up the award on Jan. 15. She was recognized after notching 28.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists in wins over UH and UCSB. In addition, she was tabbed the College Sports Madness BWC Player of the Week, an honor Andee Ritter earned last year (Jan. 2, 2017).
 
JORDAN EFFECT
The 'Eaters are 12-0 when freshman Jordan Sanders scores at least 10 points. She has sparked UC Irvine's current six-game win streak, reaching double figures in each of those contests. The Springfield, Mo., native had the best game of her young career with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in a 56-47 win over CSUN on Jan. 27. It was Sanders' first career double-double, and she made the feat even more impressive by not committing a turnover in 29 minutes played. In the team's 16 wins, Sanders is averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks, while shooting 51.9 percent from the field.

CHART CLIMBER
Junior Andee Ritter has moved up five spots on UC Irvine's all-time charts this year, most recently passing Kristen Green for sole possession of fourth with 130 career triples. Ritter is eight away from cracking the top-three and is ultimately chasing Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92), who owns the school record at 198. The Medford, Ore., native already broke Lizarraga's 28-year old single-season program record with 87 3-pointers last year, and tied the Anteaters' single-game high with a career-best seven treys at UCR on Jan. 7, 2017.

THE CLOSER
Junior Deijah Blanks has been UCI's go-to player in clutch situations. It started in the season opener when she banked in a half-court shot at the final buzzer to give the 'Eaters an 87-84 victory over Utah State. Blanks also made the game-winning free throw with two seconds remaining to secure a 75-74 triumph against Pepperdine. The San Diego native then hit a game-tying jumper in the final 10 seconds before getting to the charity stripe with 0.2 ticks on the clock to seal a 67-65 win at SDSU. Although her late heroics weren't needed in an 84-79 victory at Seattle, Blanks finished with a season-best 22 points, while making some key plays down the stretch to stymie a late Redhawk rally. She went on to notch her second 20-point game at Hawai'i (Jan. 11).
 
HOME AND AWAY
The 'Eaters own an identical 8-3 mark in home and true road games this year. Their eight road wins are a new program record as the previous best was seven, which UCI attained in 2000-01, 1994-95, 1986-87 and 1984-85.
 
DEFENSIVE MENTALITY
The Anteaters, who rank third in the Big West in steals, have forced their opponents into 20 or more turnovers 12 times. They have also held their adversaries to a single-digit quarter on eight occasions, including twice in a 56-47 win over CSUN. It was UCI's first victory of the year when scoring fewer than 60 points as the 47 allowed were a season low. In addition, the 'Eaters set a program record by giving up just three points in the second quarter of a 72-59 triumph at CSU Bakersfield.
 
LIGHTS OUT
UC Irvine has shot over 40 percent from the floor 15 times this season, including in seven of the last nine games. The Anteaters recorded a season-best 52.9 field goal percentage (36-68) vs. Chapman on Dec. 19, while their top mark against a Division I program was their 48.3 clip at both Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton. Freshman Tahlia Garza has been the most efficient 'Eater with a Big West-leading 60.8 field goal percentage.
 
THREE'S COMPANY
UCI is averaging over six 3-pointers per game, and connected for a season-high 11 at Cal Poly. On the year, four players have made at least 20 threes, led by Morgan Green's 32. Andee Ritter ranks second with 29 triples, while Autumn Baumgartner (22) and Yazzy Sa'Dullah (20) round out the quartet.
 
AT THE LINE
The 'Eaters rank second in the Big West in free throw percentage with a 73.2 clip. Four Anteaters enter the week above 80 percent, led by Jordan Sanders who is 37-of-42 at the charity stripe (88.1 percent).
 
LET'S GET IT STARTED
UCI didn't disappoint in its season opener on Nov. 10. The 'Eaters erased a 13-point deficit in the final minutes, and Deijah Blanks capped the rally with a half-court shot that banked in at the buzzer for the 87-84 victory over Utah State. Blanks' game-winning play was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10. It was UCI's first season-opening victory since 2013-14 when it topped South Dakota at home, 68-64.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center on Wednesday, Feb. 21, to host Long Beach State at 7 p.m., before making its way to Northern California for a 2:30 p.m. contest at league-leading UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 24.