KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After a tightly contested first half, the UC Irvine women's basketball team used a big third quarter to create some separation and pull away with an 83-75 victory over Portland State in the final game of the Preseason WNIT Saturday afternoon at the Swinney Center.
 
It was a game that saw eight ties and 13 lead changes, but an 18-5 run in the third put the Anteaters up for good.
 
"Jordan came out and started to play her game in the second half," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "But, we don't rely on just one person. We have to play together as a team, and our overall effort level was much better in the second half."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Jordan Sanders (Springfield, Mo.) got hot in the second half where she had 16 of her game-high 18 points and seven of her team-best nine rebounds. Sanders also had two blocks over the final 20 minutes.
 
Freshman Chloe Webb notched a season-high 13 points (5-7 FG) and six rebounds in 13 minutes of action. Webb provided a spark off the bench for the 'Eaters in the first half with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting.
 
"One thing about Chloe is you know she is always going to play hard," Inoue added. "She is such an athlete and has such a good, natural feel for the game. If it wasn't for her in the first half, we would have been in trouble."
 
Senior Lauren Saiki continued to run the offense with 11 points and eight assists. Junior Tahlia Garza added eight points and three blocks, while classmate Alexus Seaton chipped in eight points, five boards, five assists and two steals. Freshman Jayde Cadee and senior Yazzy Sa'Dullah both knocked down a couple 3-pointers for six points each.
 
Kylie Jimenez led four Vikings in double figures with 17 points (4-7 3FG). Tatiana Streun also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Anteaters shot a season-best 48% (31-64) from the field and 75% (15-20) at the free throw line. They also outrebounded the Vikings, 38-33, and forced 16 turnovers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine (2-2) came out firing as it connected on its first five field goal attempts to take an 11-4 lead at the 7:23 mark. After calling a timeout, Portland State scored five unanswered points to come within two, but buckets from Seaton and Saiki gave the Anteaters a 15-9 advantage. The 'Eaters were then held without a field goal over the final four minutes of the first quarter, allowing the Vikings to go up 19-18 on a triple at the buzzer.
 
In the second period, Portland State (1-3) extended its lead to four before a Sa'Dullah 3-pointer, followed by back-to-back layups from Webb put UCI on top, 29-26, with 4:55 remaining in the half. It was a seesaw battle from there with three ties, but it was the Anteaters who held a 35-33 edge at the break.
 
It continued to go back-and-forth in the third frame until a three from Cadee at the 5:50 mark gave UC Irvine the lead for good. The 'Eaters proceeded to go on an 18-5 run, capped by a Haleigh Talbert triple and a fast break layup from Webb, to increase their cushion to 64-51 with 1:01 to play. Portland State was able to get back within single digits by the end of the quarter.
 
UCI still held a comfortable lead in the fourth until the Vikings used an 8-2 spurt to close the gap to 75-70 with 3:01 to go. Sa'Dullah then hit a clutch three and a Sanders block on the other end led to a Sanders jumper that pushed the advantage back to 10. That was more than enough for the Anteaters who came away with the 83-75 win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center on Tuesday, Nov. 19, when it hosts Loyola Marymount in a 7 p.m. showdown.
 
NOTES
• Lauren Saiki was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 assists in two games.
• Saiki has reached double figures in scoring and made at least one 3-pointer in four-straight games.
• She has also led the team in assists in every outing this season.
• Saiki increased her career assist total to 262, which ranks 10th in school history.
• Yazzy Sa'Dullah knocked down two triples for her first points of the season.
• Jayde Cadee also had a season-best 2 3FG made, and has now connected on a 3-pointer in each of the last two contests.
• Ten of the 11 Anteaters who saw playing time made their way into the scoring column.
• This is the first time this year the 'Eaters outrebounded their opponent.
• UC Irvine has forced 16.5 turnovers per game.
• UCI will play Portland State again at the Bren Events Center on Dec. 2.