No. 3 UC Irvine (18-12, 10-6 Big West)
vs. Lowest remaining seed
Date: Wednesday, March 7
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Titan Gym (4,000) - Fullerton, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

The third-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team begins Big West Tournament action on Wednesday, March 7, with a 6 p.m. quarterfinal game against the lowest remaining seed at Titan Gym in Fullerton. The 'Eaters could face No. 6 UC Riverside, No. 7 Long Beach State, or No. 8 Hawai'i, depending on Tuesday's first-round results.
 
ALL-BIG WEST HONORS
• Jordan Sanders is the second 'Eater in program history, and first since 2010, to be named Big West Freshman of the Year.
• Sanders also garnered All-Freshman Team and honorable mention all-conference recognition.
• Junior Morgan Green was a first-team All-Big West selection, and received her second player of the week award on Monday.
 
TOURNAMENT NOTES
• The 'Eaters are making their 29th Big West Tournament appearance. They are 12-27 overall and 2-2 in quarterfinal games.
• UC Irvine won its only Big West Tournament title in program history as the No. 3 seed in 1994-95.
• The Anteaters are 5-3 in tournament games when playing as the third seed.
• In postseason action, UCI is 0-2 vs. UC Riverside, 2-2 vs. Long Beach State and 0-1 vs. Hawai'i.
• The 'Eaters are making their first appearance in the quarterfinals since 2014 when they defeated UC Davis in overtime.
 
TIP-INS
• As of March 4, UC Irvine's 13-game improvement is tied for the best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I this year.
• The Anteaters' 18 wins rank fourth in school history and are the most by a UCI squad since going 19-11 in 1994-95.
• The 'Eaters still have a chance to record the third 20-win season in program history, and the first in 33 years.
• UCI had its best regular-season conference finish since 2012 when it tied for third.
• UC Irvine matched a 39-year old single-game program-record with 107 points in a win over Cal Poly on Feb. 15. 
• The Anteaters are tops in the Big West and 18th in the nation with 11.0 steals per game.
• In league games, freshmen Tahlia Garza (2nd, 59.3) and Jordan Sanders (4th, 55.9) put up two of the BWC's top-four FG%.
• The 'Eaters are 13-2 when Sanders reaches double figures in scoring. She ranks second on the team with 10.5 ppg.
• Junior Morgan Green is tops on the squad and second in the conference with 23.7 points per outing.
• Green has 10 20+ point performances and has tied the school record with four 30-point games.

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...
• UC Irvine would advance to its first Big West semifinal in four years and would face No. 2 Cal Poly.
• The Anteaters would match the third-best win total in program history at 19.
 
THE TURNAROUND
In just her second season 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 years. As of March 4, the 'Eaters saw a 13-game improvement from 2016-17, unofficially making them one of only five NCAA Division I programs to see a plus-10 difference in the win column. UC Irvine's resurgence didn't come until about a month into the campaign as it started a tough non-conference slate at 2-5, but has gone 16-7 since Nov. 30. The Anteaters have more than doubled their win total from each of the last three seasons and are guaranteed to finish above .500 for just the second time in the last 15 years.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (9-21, 6-10 Big West) tied with Long Beach State for sixth in the Big West standings, and earned the No. 6 seed as a 76-62 win over league-leading UC Davis in the regular-season finale gave the Highlanders the tiebreaker over the 49ers. Senior Michelle Curry leads UCR with 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while classmate Lauren Holt is averaging 15.1 points with a team-best 55 threes.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. UCR
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Riverside, 37-20, but won both meetings this season. It was the Anteaters' first series sweep over the Highlanders in 17 years.
 
SCOUTING THE 49ERS
No. 7 seed Long Beach State (8-22, 6-10 Big West) found its stride down the stretch, closing out the regular season with five straight wins, including a 67-54 victory over CSUN last Saturday. Freshman Shanaijah Davison and senior Cecily Wilson have anchored the effort with 13.9 and 10.3 points per contest, respectively.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. LBSU
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 60-15. The two teams split during the regular season with the 'Eaters topping the Beach, 100-81, on the road, before falling, 80-73, at home.
 
SCOUTING THE 'BOWS
No. 8 seed Hawai'i (12-17, 5-11 Big West) dropped a 67-61 decision to Cal Poly in its regular-season finale last week. Senior Sarah Toeaina has carried the Rainbow Wahine, averaging 16.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per outing.
 
SERIES RECORD VS. UH
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Hawai'i, 30-10, but won both meetings against the 'Bows this year. The Anteaters picked up their first win in Honolulu since 1995 with a 74-67 triumph on Jan. 11, and completed the sweep by defeating UH, 70-66, at home on Jan. 20.
 
CENTURY NOTES
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.
 
DEFENSIVE MENTALITY
The Anteaters have forced their opponents into 20 or more turnovers 16 times, including in seven of the last nine outings. They established UCI's top-two single-game totals in steals this year with a school-record 24 vs. Long Beach State and 21 against Cal State Fullerton. UC Irvine ranks first in the Big West and 18th in the nation with 11.0 takeaways per contest. The 'Eaters have also held their adversaries to a single-digit quarter on 10 occasions, with two of those coming in a 56-47 win over CSUN. It was their only victory of the year when scoring fewer than 60 points as the 47 allowed were a season low. In addition, the Anteaters set a program record by giving up just three points in the second quarter of a 72-59 triumph at CSU Bakersfield.
 
POY CANDIDATE
Junior Morgan Green, who earned first-team all-conference honors, threw her name into the Big West Player of the Year discussion with an impressive Anteater debut season. In 15 league games played, Green ranked second in scoring (23.7 ppg), first in 3-pointers made (3.3/game), first in free throw percentage (85.1), second in steals (3.0 spg) and third in assists (4.0 apg). The 5-foot-7 guard lit up the competition for 10 20-plus point games, including four 30-point performances.

30 ROCK
In just her second appearance of the season after becoming eligible on Jan. 4, Morgan Green broke onto the scene with a then season-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 tally 31 points and a season-best nine rebounds in a 76-63 win over UC Riverside on Feb. 10, before putting up a season-high 32 in the regular-season finale against the Titans.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
The 'Eaters are 13-2 when Big West Freshman of the Year Jordan Sanders scores at least 10 points. She sparked UC Irvine's recent seven-game win streak by reaching double figures in each of those contests. The Springfield, Mo., native recorded a season-best 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a 107-66 victory vs. Cal Poly. She also had the best all-around game of her young career against CSUN on Jan. 27, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. 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 18 wins, Sanders is averaging 12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks, while shooting 53.4 percent from the field.                                    

CHART CLIMBER
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 triples. Ritter 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. 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.

UP NEXT
If the Anteaters win on Wednesday, they will advance to Friday's semifinal where they would face second-seeded Cal Poly at 2:30 p.m. at the Honda Center. The championship game is then slated for 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 10.