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10 Things To Know Heading In To The Big West Women's Basketball Tournament

| By: Stacey Shackleford
IRVINE, Calif. - The third-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team (18-10, 10-6 Big West) will start its postseason journey with a 6 p.m. Big West Tournament quarterfinal game against No. 6 UC Riverside on Wednesday, March 7, at Titan Gym. The Anteaters were third in the final regular-season standings, marking their best finish since 2011-12.

Here are a few more things you should know as you follow the Anteaters through the tournament:
 
1. UC Irvine enters the Big West Tournament as the No. 3 seed for the fifth time in program history (2012, 1998, 1997, 1995). The Anteaters are 5-3 when playing as the third seed, and most notably won their only Big West Tournament title at No. 3 in 1995.
 
2. UCI's 13-game improvement is tied for the best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I this year. The 'Eaters, who went 5-26 last season, are one of only five DI teams to see a plus-10 difference in the win column.
 
3. The Anteaters have reached double digits in the win column, and are guaranteed to finish above .500, for the first time in four years. Their 18 victories rank fourth in program history and are the most by a UC Irvine squad since the 1994-95 Big West Tournament championship team went 19-11. The 'Eaters still have a chance to record the third 20-win season in program history, and first since a school-record 21 in 1984-85.
 
4. UC Irvine put together a season-long seven-game win streak from Jan. 20-Feb. 15, and outscored its opponents by an average of 16.0 ppg during that stretch. It was the third-longest streak in program history, and also the third-best in the Big West this year behind only UC Davis, who had nine-straight victories to open the season and eight-straight at the start of conference play.

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5. UCI has utilized its depth this year with 11 Anteaters averaging at least 10 minutes per contest. Ten players have also scored at least 100 points with eight averaging more than 5.0 per outing. All but two 'Eaters have led the team in scoring in a game this season.
 
6. UC Irvine reached the century mark for the first time in 39 years with a 100-81 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). UCI is the only Big West member to hit the century mark this year, and is one of 27 NCAA Division I teams to have multiple 100-point games against fellow DI opponents.
 
7. Junior transfer Morgan Green earned first-team All-Big West honors after ranking second in the conference in scoring (23.7 ppg), first in 3-pointers made (50), first in free throw percentage (.851), second in steals (3.0 spg) and third in assists (4.0 apg). She was cleared to play on Jan. 4, and made an immediate impact with 31 points in her second appearance of the season at Hawai'i. It was UC Irvine's first 30-point performance since Camille Buckley in 2014. Green went on to score 30 at Cal State Fullerton, 31 vs. UC Riverside and a season-high 32 in the second meeting with the Titans.

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8. Jordan Sanders became the second Anteater in program history, and first since 2010, to be named the Big West Freshman of the Year. She was also selected to the five-member all-freshman team and garnered all-conference honorable mention recognition. Sanders is the only freshman to rank among the top-15 in the league in scoring (15th, 12.9 ppg), field goal percentage (4th, .559), blocks (9th, 0.9 bpg) and steals (10th, 1.5 spg). The 'Eaters have fared pretty well when the Springfield, Mo., native scores in double figures as they are 13-2 in games where she logs 10-plus points.
 
9. Junior Andee Ritter has moved up six spots on UC Irvine's all-time charts this year, most recently passing Kelly Meggs for sole possession of third with 143 career 3-pointers made. She is four away from taking over the No. 2 position and is ultimately chasing Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92), who owns the school record at 198.
 
10. UC Irvine made a statement in its season opener, erasing a 13-point deficit in the final minutes of an 87-84 victory over Utah State. Junior Deijah Blanks capped the rally with the game-winning half-court shot at the buzzer. The play was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 that night.
 


 
 
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