NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team lost a tough one on Thursday as its fourth quarter comeback fell short in a 71-67 setback to CSUN at The Matadome.
 
The 'Eaters outscored the Matadors, 19-12, over the final 10 minutes but ultimately couldn't overcome an 11-point deficit.
 
Junior Morgan Green led UCI with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds. Freshman Jordan Sanders also had 17 points on a 7-for-11 shooting performance. Junior Deijah Blanks added seven points, while classmate Andee Ritter had six points, four boards and two steals. Freshman Tahlia Garza contributed six points and five rebounds.
 
The Anteaters (17-12, 9-6 Big West) shot 35.8 percent overall and were 10-of-26 from long distance. Despite finishing with just one less offensive rebound than CSUN, they were outscored 21-11 in second chance points.
 
The first half was a game of runs that started in UC Irvine's favor. Green and redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner both knocked down a 3-pointer to help the 'Eaters take a 10-2 lead at the 5:58 mark. CSUN then answered with an 11-2 spurt to go on top, 13-12. The two teams traded points over the final two minutes, but the Matadors drained a triple at the first quarter buzzer for an 18-15 edge.
 
The seesaw battle continued early in the second period before UCI scored eight unanswered to pull ahead, 27-22, with 6:34 left in the half. The Anteaters extended their run for a 33-26 cushion, but CSUN countered with nine-straight points to go back up, 35-33. Green then ended a three-minute scoring drought with a jumper to knot the score at the break.
 
CSUN (15-14, 8-7 Big West) went up 41-37 at the 8:32 mark of the third frame before Ritter connected for her second trey to make it a one-point game. The Matadors wouldn't relinquish the lead as they responded with a 13-2 sprint that gave them their largest advantage of the night at 54-42 with 2:50 to go. The 'Eaters made a late push to close the gap to seven, but CSUN banked in a three with 13.3 seconds on the clock to go on top, 59-48.
 
UCI wasted no time in getting right back in the game as it opened the fourth quarter on an 14-4 run, capped by a Garza layup, to cut the deficit to 63-62 at the 5:30 mark. CSUN answered with a bucket and it proceeded to go back-and-forth over the next two minutes. The Anteaters were still trailing by one after a jumper from Sanders with 2:09 remaining, but they couldn't get the go-ahead bucket and were outscored, 6-1, down the stretch.
 
CSUN shot 47.4 percent from the floor and held a 46-26 advantage in points in the paint. Tessa Boagni led the Matadors with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Channon Fluker also had 20 points and 20 boards.
 
UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center for its regular-season finale against Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, March 3. The Anteaters will honor their only senior, Sydney Hua, prior to the 2 p.m. tip-off.
 
 
NOTES: Andee Ritter has made a 3-pointer in eight consecutive games … She ranks third in school history with 141 career triples … Jordan Sanders had her team-leading 15th double-figure scoring performance … The 'Eaters are 13-2 in those games … Morgan Green notched her ninth 20-plus point game … The Anteaters' chances for a No. 2 seed took a big hit with tonight's loss … In order to get the second seed and double-bye into the Big West Tournament semifinals, they need a win and a Cal Poly loss on Saturday … They also need UC Riverside and Hawai'i to finish ahead of Long Beach State in the standings to get the tiebreaker over CP and UC Santa Barbara, which closes out the regular season at UH tonight.