LONG BEACH, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team stayed hot on Saturday night, defeating Long Beach State, 100-81, for its fifth-straight victory in front of 1,072 fans at the Walter Pyramid.
 
The Anteaters reached the century mark for just the second time in program history, and the first since scoring 107 against UC Santa Cruz on Nov. 23, 1979. UCI also extended its win streak to a season-long five games, improving to 15-8 overall and 7-2 in Big West action.
 
The 'Eaters shot 47.2 percent from the field and finished with a season-high 20 assists on 34 made field goals. They also swiped a season-best 15 steals as they ended up forcing LBSU into 22 turnovers. UC Irvine took advantage of the 49ers' miscues, winning the battle in points off turnovers, 29-14.
 
"I'm really proud of the milestones today – getting 100 points for the first time since 1979, and season highs in assists and steals," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Those are things that show our program is going in the right direction. With our team, because we are so young, it's about playing 40 minutes and I feel like if we let up, we don't get any better, so credit to my team for really sticking to the game plan."
 
Junior Morgan Green led the way with a game-high 28 points and eight assists. Redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner added a season-high 18 points to go along with four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Freshman Tahlia Garza recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Jordan Sanders also had her fifth-straight double-digit scoring performance with 13 points.
 
Junior Andee Ritter also notched seven points and three steals, senior Sabrina Engelstad had six points and sophomore Lauren Saiki chipped in four assists and three steals.
 
UC Irvine raced out to an 11-5 lead on a Green jumper at the 5:55 mark. Long Beach State knocked down a 3-pointer on its next possession, but the 'Eaters would outscore the 49ers, 20-5, over the last five minutes of the first quarter to pull ahead, 31-13. Baumgartner scored 10 of her 18 points during that stretch.
 
LBSU (2-20, 0-8 Big West) was able to cut the deficit to 12 early in the second before the Anteaters accounted for five unanswered and extended their run to 11-4 to take a 44-25 lead with 2:44 remaining. UCI was held scoreless the rest of the way, however, as the Beach came back within 14 (44-30) at intermission.
 
UC Irvine shot 60 percent from the field in the opening quarter but cooled off in the second to finish the first half at a 44.7 clip.
 
The 'Eaters did not let up after the break, leading by double digits for the final 20 minutes. The 49ers came within 13 at the 5:19 mark of the third frame, but UCI responded with a 7-1 sprint, capped by a pair of free throws from Baumgartner, for a 64-45 margin with 2:04 left to play. The Anteaters increased their cushion to 71-50 by the end of the period.
 
Long Beach State would score the first seven points of the fourth quarter before Sanders put an end to the rally with a jumper at the 8:27 mark. That started a 14-4 run, which ended with back-to-back 3-pointers from Green, that put UCI on top, 87-63, with 5:25 to go. UC Irvine continued to push and Green's final bucket with 36 seconds on the clock gave the visitors their first 100-point game since 1979.
 
The Beach shot 44 percent from the floor and was 7-of-18 from 3-point range. Emma Merriweather paced the 49ers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Cecily Wilson also had 19 points and 10 boards.
 
UC Irvine returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center next Saturday, Feb. 10, when it plays host to UC Riverside at 2 p.m.

 
NOTES: UC Irvine finished the first period with 31 points, its second-highest scoring quarter of the season (35 in the 4Q vs. Utah State on Nov. 10) …  Morgan Green has knocked down a 3-pointer and reached double figures in scoring in all nine games she has played this year … She also had her sixth 20-plus point performance … The 'Eaters are now 11-0 when Jordan Sanders scores in double figures … Sanders saw her season-long streak of 18-straight free throws made come to an end as she missed her first attempt of the night … UCI has forced at least 20 turnovers 11 times this season … The Anteaters improved to 7-2 in Big West play, marking their best conference start since 1994-95 … They also set a new program record with their eighth road win … UC Irvine snapped a six-game skid in its all-time series with Long Beach State and picked up its first victory at the Pyramid since 2009.