RENO, Nev. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team put up a fight in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational, but couldn't overcome a surging Nevada team as the 'Eaters dropped a 70-60 decision Thursday evening at Lawlor Events Center.
 
UCI finished one of its best seasons in recent history with an 18-14 overall record. This was the Anteaters' second-ever postseason appearance and first since 1995. The Wolf Pack, who have won six of their last seven, improved to 18-16.
 
"I think we started off well tonight, but then things just didn't go our way," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "At the end of the day we should have hit more shots. We did some really good things; we won the o-boards and created 27 turnovers, it just came down to making our shots. But, I'm very proud to be able to coach these young women. They give you everything day in and day out, and that's why my staff and I do this."
 
For the fourth-straight game, and 15th time this year, junior Morgan Green led UC Irvine in scoring with 14 points. She added five rebounds, five steals and four assists.
 
Sophomore Lauren Saiki was the only other 'Eater in double figures with 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Redshirt freshman Autumn Baumgartner contributed seven points, while junior Andee Ritter tallied six points and four steals. Senior Sabrina Engelstad also had a team-best six rebounds and two blocks.  
 
UC Irvine struggled from the field, shooting 32.4 percent overall and 15.8 percent from long distance. The Anteaters forced 27 turnovers on 18 steals, and owned an 18-14 advantage on the offensive glass.
 
UCI came out firing, making four of its first five attempts to take a 9-2 lead at the 7:57 mark. The 'Eaters then went without a field goal for the remainder of the first quarter, but were able to stay out front at the free throw line, going up, 13-6, on a couple foul shots from Green. Nevada then took advantage over the final four minutes, using a 10-1 run for its first lead of the night at 16-14.
 
The Wolf Pack increased its cushion to 19-14 on their first possession of the second period before Baumgartner's layup started a 6-0 spurt that put the Anteaters back on top, 20-19. It went back-and-forth from there with three ties and four lead changes. UC Irvine made the last push of the half, scoring the final seven points for a 33-31 edge at the break. Sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah accounted for five of those points over a 44-second span.
 
It continued to be a seesaw battle early in the third frame, but Nevada eventually broke a 45-45 deadlock with a 3-pointer. The home team went on to take a 51-47 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
The 'Eaters quickly knotted the score at 51-51 following a Green layup and a pair of free throws from Ritter with 8:01 remaining in the fourth. The Wolf Pack reclaimed the advantage on their next possession and proceeded on a 10-2 sprint to pull ahead, 61-53, with 3:52 left to play. The 'Eaters responded with a jumper from freshman Jordan Sanders and kept it at a two possession game for the next minute, but Nevada was able to come up with some key stops on the defensive end, while converting at the charity stripe, for the 70-60 victory.

The Wolf Pack shot 45.1 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line. They also won the battle in total rebounds, 45-32. Teige Zeller led the way with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while T Moe finished with a game-high 18 points. Nevada advances to the second round of the WBI where it will face Fresno State.

"Being able to make the postseason is such a good thing with our core being freshmen and sophomores," Inoue said. "They can see what it's like, and moving forward to next year, we have a lot of talking points. I'm glad we were able to go to the postseason because it's so valuable for such a young team. They have a lot to look forward to and they're still hungry."
 
 
NOTES: UC Irvine's 18 wins rank fourth in school history … It is only the second time in the last 15 years they have had 10+ victories and finished above .500 (last was in 2013-14) … The 'Eaters saw a 12.5 game improvement from last season, which currently ranks second in all of NCAA Division I … Andee Ritter extended her streak of games played with a 3-pointer made to 11 … She concludes her junior campaign tied for second in the UCI record books with 147 career triples … She is chasing Kathy Lizarraga's school-record of 198 … Lauren Saiki reached double digits in scoring for the 12th time this season, and first since Jan. 27 … Morgan Green played in 17 games this year, scoring at least 12 points in all of them … She finished with a team-best 387 points (22.8 ppg).