FULLERTON, Calif. - The third-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team dropped an 86-74 decision to No. 6 seed UC Riverside in a Big West Tournament quarterfinal game Wednesday evening at Titan Gym.
 
It was much closer than the final score indicated as the back-and-forth battle featured 14 ties and 12 lead changes. The Anteaters led 64-60 at the end of the third, but went cold in the final 10 minutes where they were 2-of-14 from the field and 5-of-14 from the free throw line.
 
"UC Riverside's seniors really came out and played like seniors; they didn't want to go home," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "We knew it was going to be a tough one and that we needed to grind it out, but I think experience definitely showed on their side, where we kind of faltered a bit in the fourth quarter. But, I'm really excited about my team. We are very young; we have a core of freshmen and sophomores, and also have Morgan back for another year. With this team that we're developing, I think there's something really special brewing here at Irvine."  
 
Junior Morgan Green led the 'Eaters with 17 points, four assists and two steals. She played only 22 minutes after getting in early foul trouble and eventually picking up her fifth with 3:09 left to play. Big West Freshman of the Year Jordan Sanders added 16 points (8-8 FT) and a team-high eight rebounds, while junior Andee Ritter finished with 11 points on a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the arc. Sophomore Lauren Saiki also recorded five boards and five assists.
 
UCI shot 36.5 percent overall, 35.3 percent from 3-point range and 62.9 percent from the charity stripe.
 
UC Irvine (18-13) took an early 8-5 lead on Ritter's second 3-pointer of the night. UC Riverside came right back with an 8-1 spurt to pull ahead, 13-9, at the 5:12 mark. Sanders then scored five unanswered points, and sophomore Brooke Bayman added one more with a free throw to put the 'Eaters on top, 15-13. It went back-and-forth over the final three minutes as the first quarter ended in a 19-19 deadlock.
 
The Highlanders opened the second period on an 8-2 run for a 27-21 advantage. Freshman Tahlia Garza then knocked down UCI's first field goal in seven minutes. That was just what the 'Eaters needed as they proceeded on an 11-4 sprint to go up, 32-31, with 3:25 left in the half. Three more lead changes and four ties would follow before sophomore Yazzy Sa'Dullah scored five points over the final minute to give UC Irvine a 44-43 edge at the break.
 
It continued to be a seesaw battle in the third frame. The Anteaters eventually broke a 49-49 tie with a 9-0 rally, capped by a Garza layup, to take their largest lead (58-49) at the 5:49 mark. UCR quickly closed the gap to two, but UCI stayed out front and held a 64-60 cushion after three.
 
UC Riverside (11-21) took the momentum in the fourth, scoring the first seven points to pull ahead, 67-64, with 7:16 remaining. Green then knocked down a triple from the top of the key, before the Highlanders countered with a 10-3 run to go up, 77-70. UC Irvine was able to make it a five-point game, but UCR went 7-of-8 at the charity stripe down the stretch to help seal the win.
 
Michelle Curry scored a career-high 40 points, while adding 11 rebounds and four assists. She was 18-for-21 from the free throw line. Lauren Holt also had 19 points and six assists. As a team, the Highlanders shot 44.3 percent from the floor and 79.5 percent (31-39) at the foul line.
 
 UC Irvine will wait to see if it receives a postseason bid to either the WNIT or WBI.
 
 
NOTES: UC Irvine has seen one of the best turnarounds in all of NCAA Division I this year with a plus-13 difference in the win column … Andee Ritter increased her career total to 146 3-pointers made, putting her just one back of Wendy Gabbe, who holds the No. 2 spot in the UCI record books … Morgan Green has reached double digits in scoring in all 16 games she has played … Jordan Sanders also tallied her 16th double-figure scoring performance … UC Irvine and UC Riverside each had three players foul out as the two teams combined to commit 59 fouls … The Highlanders picked up their first win over the Anteaters this season, but improved to 3-0 in the all-time postseason series ... It is the second year in a row the 'Eaters fell to Riverside in the Big West Tournament.