UC Irvine (12-2, 2-0 Big West) at
UC Riverside (6-10, 0-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 17
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: SRC Arena (2,750) - Riverside, Calif.
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UC Irvine (12-2, 2-0 Big West) at
UC Davis (9-6, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 19
Time: 2:30 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Pavilion (5,931) - Davis, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of Big West games this week, starting with a 7 p.m. showdown at UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 17. The Anteaters will then make their way to UC Davis for a 2:30 p.m. tip-off with the Aggies on Saturday, Jan. 19.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine moved up two spots to No. 15 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Poll released on Jan. 15.
• The Anteaters are off to their best overall start in program history and are 2-0 in Big West play for the first time in eight years.
• The 'Eaters are still the only Big West team with 10+ overall wins.
• Through Jan. 14, UCI is third in the nation in turnover margin, seventh in turnovers forced and 10th in steals.
• UC Irvine has forced at least 22 turnovers in all but three games, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• The Anteaters have erased a double-digit deficit in each of their last four wins.
• Nine of UCI's 10 active roster members have logged at least 10 minutes per outing, while eight are averaging at least 5.0 ppg.
• The Big West's top-three leaders in steals are all 'Eaters - Andee Ritter (34), Lauren Saiki (32) and Haleigh Talbert (31).
• Jordan Sanders, who has scored 20+ points seven times, is second in the Big West and 16th in the nation with 20.4 ppg.
• Sanders netted a career-high 34 points (15-25 FG) at Portland State on Dec. 18.
• Her 34 points are tied for the fifth-most in UCI single-game history, while her 15 made field goals rank third.
• Lauren Saiki ranks first in the conference and 10th in all of NCAA Division I with 6.3 assists per outing.
• Over her last six games played, Andee Ritter has knocked down 21 3-pointers (3.5/gm) and is averaging 15.3 points.
• Ritter has made 180 career 3-pointers, and is on pace to break the 26-year old school record of 198.
• She is also tops in the conference with 2.6 steals/game and is seventh in program history with 163 career takeaways.
• With two wins this week, UC Irvine would match the program's best start in Big West play at 4-0 (1994-95, 1984-85).
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine continued to show its toughness and resiliency as it mounted a late fourth-quarter comeback, outscoring CSUN, 16-3, over the final five minutes for a 65-61 victory last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters trailed by as many as 14 in the third period and were down by nine with 5:41 left in regulation. Yazzy Sa'Dullah led the 'Eaters with a game and season-high 19 points (4-7 3FG), and matched her season best with four rebounds and four steals. Jordan Sanders added 12 points, five boards, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Brooke Bayman contributed nine points, including a dagger 3-pointer with 10 seconds left in regulation. Haleigh Talbert chipped in eight points, while Lauren Saiki had six points and five assists.
 
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (6-10, 0-2 BWC) is searching for its first Big West win after falling to Long Beach State, 63-45, last Thursday. Junior guard Jannon Otto has paced the Highlanders with 12.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Junior forward Marina Ewodo is also averaging 10.6 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UCR, 38-20, but has won two of the last three meetings. In 2017-18, the Anteaters swept the regular-season series before falling to the Highlanders, 86-74, in a Big West Tournament quarterfinal game.
 
A GLANCE AT UC DAVIS
Two-time defending Big West regular-season champion UC Davis (9-6, 1-1 BWC) had its six-game win streak snapped with a 65-60 loss at Hawai'i last Saturday. Senior forward Morgan Bertsch is the conference's leading scorer at 24.1 points per contest, while she is also averaging 5.9 rebounds and a team-best 1.8 blocks per outing. 
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 27-8, and has lost seven in a row to the Aggies. The 'Eaters are looking for their first win over UCD since 2014.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine made its debut in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll at No. 24 on Dec. 4, and has remained in the top-25 over the last six weeks. The 'Eaters came in at No. 15 in the most recent rankings released on Jan. 15. One of UCI's two losses this year came to Oregon, which was seventh in both the AP and USA Today Polls at the time. The Ducks were the Anteaters' first nationally ranked opponent since Arizona State in 2006.
 
COMEBACK KIDS
The 'Eaters have come back from a double-digit deficit in each of their last four wins. In those games, UCI has outscored its opponents in the second half, 158-102 (14.0 ppg). Most recently, the Anteaters erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit to top CSUN, 65-61. They were also down by nine to the Matadors midway through the fourth, marking only the third time this season they have trailed with five minutes left in regulation, and first time they bounced back to win.
 
POW TIMES THREE
Sophomore Jordan Sanders took home her third Big West Player of the Week award on Dec. 17. She was honored following a then career-best 29 points (13-18 FG) and six steals in an 84-69 win at Portland. Just a couple weeks earlier, Sanders became the first Anteater in program history to earn back-to-back Big West POW accolades. She received the nod on Nov. 26 & Dec. 3 after recording four-straight 20-point outings. On Nov. 28, Sanders was also named to the NCAA's Starting 5, which recognizes players with standout performances from around the country.
 
WIN NO. 10
UC Irvine was the only Big West school to reach double figures in the win column during non-conference play. It was the fastest the Anteaters have hit the 10-win mark as they are off to their best start in program history. In addition, the 'Eaters secured their second consecutive 10-win season for the first time since 2010-11 and 2011-12.
 
THE BIG THREE
Senior Andee Ritter, junior Lauren Saiki and sophomore Jordan Sanders have accounted for 58 percent of UC Irvine's scoring. They have combined for 616 points (44.0 ppg), and have produced 33 double-figure scoring games, 10 of which have been 20+ performances.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing more than 20 turnovers in 11 of their 14 games. They pressured Life Pacific College into a season-high 36 miscues, thanks to a school-record 25 steals. The Anteaters have also held their opponents to six single-digit quarters with a program-best one point allowed in the third frame against LPC. Through Jan. 14, UC Irvine ranks third in the nation in turnover margin (9.4), seventh in turnovers forced (22.9/gm) and 10th in steals (12.0/gm).
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when sophomore Jordan Sanders scores 10+ points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 25-5 when she reaches double figures, and 9-0 when she hits the 20-point mark. The Springfield, Mo., native has played a key role in UCI's hot start as she has put up double digits in all 14 games. Seven of those have been 20+ performances, including a career-high 34 points on 15-of-25 shooting at Portland State on Dec. 18. Just two days earlier, she had a then career-best 29 points and six steals at Portland. Sanders also finished with a 20-point double-double against Indiana State (25pts/11rebs) and UNLV (21pts/12rebs). Through 14 games, the 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 16th in the nation, with 20.4 ppg.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter ranks second among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 180 3-pointers made. She is on pace to break the school record of 198, which was set by Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92) over 25 years ago. The Medford, Ore., native already shattered Lizarraga's 28-year old single-season program record with 87 3-pointers as a sophomore, and tied UCI's single-game high with a career-best seven treys at UC Riverside on Jan. 7, 2017. She is also seventh in school history with 163 career steals.
 
SWEET STROKE
Since Dec. 7, Andee Ritter is averaging 15.3 points, has made 21 threes and is shooting 57 percent from behind the arc. She finished with a season-high 21 points on a 6-of-9 performance from long distance against San Diego State. On the season, Ritter is averaging 12.2 ppg, and if she keeps up her current pace, she will become the first 'Eater to surpass 1,000 career points in 10 years.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) has had at least five assists in each of the last 10 games and is averaging 7.5 helpers during that stretch. She started the streak back on Nov. 24, when she recorded her first double-double as an Anteater with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists against Indiana State. Saiki committed just one turnover in the 77-61 victory over the Sycamores. Her 13 dimes rank third in single-game program history and were the most by an 'Eater since Megan Stafford dished out 15 vs. Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 27, 1997. Saiki went on to notch her second double-double with 13 points and 10 assists at Portland State on Dec. 18. The 5-foot-3 point guard also had a career-high 25 points and two blocks, to go along with four rebounds and five assists at Cal Poly (Jan. 5).
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center next weekend when it plays host to Cal Poly on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.