DENVER - The UC Irvine women's basketball team (3-3) came up short in a game of runs, falling to host Denver, 83-75, on the first day of the Pioneer Thanksgiving Classic Friday at Hamilton Gymnasium.
 
There were 12 lead changes and three tie scores over the course of the game. The Anteaters led by as many as 10 in the second quarter, and trailed by as many as 11 in the third. The 'Eaters were able to close the gap to two on the heels of an 11-2 run heading into the fourth frame. Freshman Sophia Locandro quickly tied it up with a layup, and UCI pulled ahead 68-65, before the Pioneers made the final push for the eight-point win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Locandro led UC Irvine with a season-best 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Senior Lauren Saiki also had 15 points and a season-high tying nine assists. Junior Dani Guglielmo added a season-best 12 points on four 3-pointers made, while junior Jordan Sanders finished with eight points, a career-high tying 12 rebounds and four blocks.
 
Madison Nelson paced Denver with a game-high 24 points and 21 rebounds. 

The Anteaters held the advantage in field goal percentage (41% to 36%) and 3-point field goal percentage (42% to 22%), but the Pioneers made up for it at the free throw line where they were 23-of-25 (92%). The 'Eaters only went to the charity stripe 13 times. 

UCI had a season-high 10 blocks, with Sanders and junior Tahlia Garza combining for eight.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Denver (4-2) struck first but UC Irvine pulled ahead, 8-6, on a Haleigh Talbert 3-pointer at the 6:44 mark. The two teams traded points over the next minute before the Pioneers went on top, 12-9. The Anteaters then closed out the first quarter on an 11-0 run, sparked by back-to-back threes from Guglielmo, to take a 20-12 lead.
 
The 'Eaters increased their cushion to 10 early in the second period, but DU responded with a 15-4 spurt to reclaim the advantage at 27-26 with 5:46 remaining. The lead would change hands six more times before the end of the half with Denver holding a 41-37 edge at the break.
 
The Pioneers stayed out front in the third frame and took their largest lead of the afternoon, 58-47, at the 3:59 mark. UCI quickly cut into the deficit with an 11-2 rally, capped by another Guglielmo trey at the buzzer, to make it 62-60.
 
UC Irvine tied it up on the first possession of the fourth quarter with a Locandro layup. After Denver knocked down a three, the Anteaters scored six unanswered points to go on top, 68-65, with 6:48 to go. The Pioneers came right back with a 12-2 run for a 77-70 lead with 2:28 on the clock. That was enough separation for the home team as they made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch for the 83-75 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 30, when it takes on North Alabama (4-2) in a 1 p.m. MT/12 p.m. PT neutral-site contest at Hamilton Gymnasium.
 
NOTES
• Lauren Saiki has reached double figures in scoring in every game this season.
• Saiki has also made a 3-pointer in eight consecutive games dating back to last year.
• Saiki moved up one spot to No. 9 among UCI's all-time assists leaders with 277 career helpers.
• Sophia Locandro notched the third double-digit scoring game of her young career.
• Tahlia Garza now has 77 career blocks, putting her in a tie for seventh in school history (Kelly Cochran).  
• The Anteaters finished with as many blocks as turnovers committed (10).