CSUN (7-8, 1-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-2, 1-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 12
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 will host defending Big West Tournament champion CSUN in its conference home opener on Saturday, Jan. 12. The Anteaters and Matadors are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Bren Events Center.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine moved up four spots to No. 17 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Poll released on Jan. 8.
• The Anteaters are coming off a Big West opening win at Cal Poly; they are 1-0 in conference for the first time since 2010-11.
• Lauren Saiki led the way against the Mustangs with a career-high 25 points, four rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
• Since Nov. 24, Saiki is averaging 14.3 points and 7.8 assists, with a 3.33 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• She ranks first in the conference and 10th in all of NCAA Division I with 6.4 assists per outing.
• At 11-2, the 'Eaters are off to their best 13-game start in program history.
• Through Jan. 8, UC Irvine is third in the nation in turnover margin, 11th in turnovers forced and 16th in steals.
• UCI has forced at least 22 turnovers in all but three games, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• The Big West's top-three leaders in steals are all Anteaters - Andee Ritter (34), Lauren Saiki (31) and Haleigh Talbert (30).
• Jordan Sanders, who has scored 20+ points seven times, is second in the Big West and 14th in the nation with 21.1 ppg.
• Three weeks ago, Sanders had back-to-back career highs with 29 points at Portland and 34 (15-25 FG) at Portland State.
• Her 34 points are tied for the fifth-most in UC Irvine single-game history, while her 15 made field goals rank third.
• Sanders has been named the Big West Player of the Week three times this season (Nov. 26, Dec. 3 & Dec. 17).
• Over the last six games, Andee Ritter has knocked down 21 3-pointers (3.5/gm) and is averaging 15.3 points.
• She is shooting 57 percent (21-37) from beyond the arc during that stretch.
• 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 A WIN...
• UC Irvine would improve to 2-0 in Big West play for the first time since 2010-11.
• The 'Eaters would earn their third-straight home victory in their all-time series with CSUN.
 
POW TIMES THREE
• Sophomore Jordan Sanders took home her third Big West Player of the Week award on Dec. 17.
• Sanders was recognized following a then career-best 29 points (13-18 FG) and six steals an 84-69 win at Portland (Dec. 16).
• The 5-foot-11 forward added five rebounds and three blocks against the Pilots.
• Just a couple weeks earlier, she became the first Anteater in program history to earn back-to-back Big West POW accolades.
• Received the nod on Nov. 26 & Dec. 3 after recording four-straight 20-point outings. She averaged 23 ppg during that stretch.
• On Nov. 28, she was also named to the NCAA's Starting 5 honoring players with top performances from around the country.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a career-high 25 points from Lauren Saiki, UC Irvine downed Cal Poly, 75-59, in both teams' Big West opener last Saturday at Mott Athletics Center. The Anteaters trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but finished strong, outscoring the Mustangs, 43-21, over the final 20 minutes. In addition to her 25 points, Saiki had four rebounds, five assists and a career-best two blocks. Jordan Sanders also registered 16 points and eight rebounds, while Tahlia Garza contributed nine points and a team-leading nine boards. Yazzy Sa'Dullah and Haleigh Talbert had four steals each.
 
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN (7-8, 1-0 BWC) defeated UC Santa Barbara, 73-65, in its Big West opener last weekend. Senior center and two-time conference player of the year Channon Fluker leads the Matadors with 16.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Serafina Maulupe is also averaging 9.1 ppg with a team-best 31 3-pointers.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with CSUN, 29-24. The two teams have split their regular-season meetings in each of the last two years. In 2017-18, the 'Eaters defeated the Matadors, 56-47, at home before falling on the road, 71-67.
 
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 five weeks. The 'Eaters came in at No. 17 in the most recent rankings released on Jan. 8. 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 three wins. In those games, UCI has outscored its opponents in the second half, 122-74 (16.0 ppg). Most recently, the Anteaters erased a 14-point second-quarter deficit to top Cal Poly, 75-59. They held the Mustangs to just 21 points on 24 percent shooting (7-of-29) in the third and fourth periods. UC Irvine was also trailing Seattle U by 10 points early in the third frame before outscoring the Redhawks by 15 over the final 17 minutes.
 
WIN NO. 10
UC Irvine picked up its 10th victory with a 65-60 triumph over Seattle U (Dec. 29), making it 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 60 percent of UC Irvine's scoring. They have combined for 598 points (46.0 ppg) on 44 percent shooting. The trio has produced 32 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 10 of their 13 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. 8, UC Irvine ranks third in the nation in turnover margin (9.5), 11th in turnovers forced (22.8/gm) and 16th in steals (12.1/gm).
 
HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, the 'Eaters are 15-5 (.750) at the Bren Events Center. Their 15 victories in less than two full seasons are more than the previous three years combined (10).
 
DEPTH PERCEPTION
One of UC Irvine's biggest strengths this year is its depth. Nine of the Anteaters' 10 active roster members have logged at least 10 minutes per outing, while eight are averaging at least 4.0 ppg. They have had multiple players reach double figures in scoring in every contest.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when sophomore Jordan Sanders scores 10+ points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 24-5 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 13 games. Seven of those have been 20+ performances, including a career-high 34 points on 15-of-25 shooting at Portland State. 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 13 games, the 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 14th in the nation, with 21.1 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 (Dec. 7). 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
Over the last nine games, junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) is averaging 14.3 points and 7.8 assists, with a 3.33 assist-to-turnover ratio. Most recently, the 5-foot-3 point guard had a career-high 25 points and two blocks, to go along with four rebounds and five assists in a 75-59 win at Cal Poly. Back on Nov. 24, Saiki recorded her first double-double as an Anteater with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists against Indiana State. She committed just one turnover in the 77-61 victory over the Sycamores. Saiki's 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.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will hit the road for a pair of Big West games next week as it travels to UC Riverside on Thursday, Jan. 17, and UC Davis on Saturday, Jan. 19.