Cal Poly (4-11, 1-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (12-4, 2-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 26
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Tickets // Watch on ESPN3 // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center as the Anteaters begin a four-game Big West homestand against Cal Poly at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26. The 'Eaters and Mustangs will meet for the second time in three weeks.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine came in at No. 20 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Poll released on Jan. 23.
• UCI has been in the top-25 for eight consecutive weeks with a high ranking of 15th on Jan. 15.
• The Anteaters (12-4) are off to their best 16-game start since 1984-85 when they were 13-3.
• The 'Eaters were the first Big West team to 10 wins as they reached double digits in their non-conference finale.
• Through Jan. 23, UC Irvine is second in the nation in turnover margin, ninth in turnovers forced and 14th in steals.
• UCI has forced at least 22 turnovers in all but four games, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• The Big West's top-three leaders in total steals are all 'Eaters: Andee Ritter (37), Lauren Saiki (37) and Haleigh Talbert (33).
• The Anteaters have trailed by double digits in their last seven outings, but came back to win four of those games.
• All 10 of UCI's active roster members have logged at least 10 minutes per contest, while eight are averaging at least 5.0 ppg.
• Due to injuries, UC Irvine has used a different starting lineup in each of its last three games.
• Jordan Sanders, who has scored 20+ points seven times, is second in the Big West and 25th in the nation with 19.7 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 17th in all of NCAA Division I with 5.8 assists per outing.
• Andee Ritter has made 181 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 2.5 steals/game and is seventh in program history with 166 career takeaways.
 
WITH A WIN…
• UCI would earn its first regular-season series sweep over Cal Poly in 16 years as it last accomplished the feat in 2003.
• The 'Eaters would extend their win streak in their all-time series with the Mustangs to three games.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly (4-11, 1-3 Big West) has lost four of its last five games after falling at Long Beach State, 61-58, and at Cal State Fullerton, 78-64, last week. CP will host Hawai'i on Thursday, Jan. 24, before making its way to Irvine. Senior forward Devin Stanback is the lone Mustang averaging double figures in scoring at 12.3 points per game. Junior forward Hana Vesela and senior guard Dye Stahley have registered 9.3 and 9.1 points per outing, respectively, while Stahley is also tops on the squad with 75 assists (5.0 apg).
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 36-21, but has won three of the last four against the Mustangs. The two teams met in their Big West opener three weeks ago with the Anteaters claiming a 75-59 victory in San Luis Obispo. Lauren Saiki led the 'Eaters with a career-high 25 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Jordan Sanders added 16 points, eight boards and three steals, while Tahlia Garza finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
 
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 ever since. The 'Eaters came in at No. 20 in the most recent rankings released on Jan. 23. They have been ranked as high as No. 15. One of UCI's four 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.
 
INJURY BUG
The Anteaters changed their starting lineup once during non-conference play where they went 10-2. They have been hit with the injury bug recently, however, forcing them to use a different starting lineup in each of the last three games. Andee Ritter was out vs. CSUN, while Jordan Sanders did not play at UC Riverside. 
 
COMEBACK KIDS
The 'Eaters have come back from a double-digit deficit in each of their last four wins. In those games, UCI 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 the only time this season they won when trailing with five minutes left in regulation.
 
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.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing more than 20 turnovers in 12 of their 16 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. Both of their records bettered the previous standards from last year when UCI had 24 steals vs. Long Beach State and gave up just three points in the second quarter at Bakersfield. Through Jan. 23, UC Irvine ranks second in the nation in turnover margin (9.4), ninth in turnovers forced (22.8/gm) and 14th in steals (11.7/gm).
 
HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, the 'Eaters are 16-5 (.762) at the Bren Events Center. Their 16 victories in less than two full seasons are more than the previous three years combined (10).
 
THE BIG THREE
Senior Andee Ritter, junior Lauren Saiki and sophomore Jordan Sanders have accounted for 56 percent of UC Irvine's scoring. They have combined for 664 points (41.5 ppg), and have produced 35 double-figure scoring games, 10 of which have been 20+ performances.
 
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 14 of 15 games played. 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). The 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 25th in the nation, with 19.7 ppg.
 
CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter ranks second among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 181 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 166 career steals.
 
SWEET STROKE
Since Dec. 7, Andee Ritter is averaging 13.4 points and has made 22 threes. During the first four games of that stretch, she shot a blistering 65.5 percent (19-29) from beyond the arc. Ritter had a season-high 21 points on a 6-of-9 performance from long distance against San Diego State.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) had at least five assists in 10 consecutive games from Nov. 24-Jan. 12, and averaged 7.5 helpers during that stretch. She started the streak against Indiana State where she recorded her first double-double as an Anteater with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists. 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). Through the first four Big West games, Saiki is averaging a team-best 13.8 points per contest.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine continues its four-game homestand next week when it welcomes UC Santa Barbara to the Bren Events Center for a 7 p.m. Big West showdown on Thursday, Jan. 31.