Anteaters Prepare for Sunday Showdown in Pullman

Sunday, December 15

Pullman, Wash.

4:30 PM

UC Irvine

Washington State

Anteaters Prepare for Sunday Showdown in Pullman

December 12, 2019 | Women's Basketball

UC Irvine (3-6) at
Washington State (5-4)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 15
Time: 4:36 p.m. (PT)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Location: Beasley Coliseum (11,671) - Pullman, Wash.
Watch // Listen // Live Stats

Game Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team is back on the road this weekend, traveling to Washington State for a 4:30 p.m. showdown on Sunday, Dec. 15. The game will be televised live on the Pac-12 Networks with Greg Heister and Elise Woodward on the call.

STORYLINES
• UC Irvine is on a season-long four-game losing streak after dropping an 82-68 decision in its most recent outing at Southern Utah (Dec. 6).
• Washington State is the second Pac-12 team the Anteaters will play during the non-conference season.
• They previously squared off against then No. 7 Oregon State in the first round of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 9.
• WSU is the only Pac-12 school the 'Eaters have yet to face in their 46-year history.
• UCI has five wins against the Pac-12 Conference with the most recent coming 20 years ago vs. Oregon State (Dec. 3, 1999).
• Nine of UC Irvine's 12 active players have reached double figures in scoring at least once this year.
• The team has also had a different leading scorer in six of its nine games.
• The Anteaters are 29th in all of NCAA Division I with 4.9 blocks per contest.
• They had a season-high 10 blocked shots at Denver, marking the first time they reached double digits in that category since Jan. 27, 2010.
• Junior Joy Akaegbu-Cleveland is averaging 9.0 rebounds over the last two games. Eleven of her 18 boards were on the offensive end.
• Senior Lauren Saiki leads the 'Eaters with 12.6 points and 6.7 assists per outing.
• Her assist average is currently among the top-10 in the country.
• In addition, Saiki ranks sixth in school history with 292 career assists.
• UCI was picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll and second in the Big West Preseason Media Poll.

WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would earn its first true road win of the season and snap a season-long four-game losing streak in the process.
• The Anteaters would pick up their first win against a Pac-12 team since 1999.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Washington State is 5-4 on the year after falling to No. 17 Gonzaga, 76-53, this past Sunday (Dec. 8). All four of the Cougars' losses have come to teams ranked among the top-20 in both the AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll. Borislava Hristova leads WSU with 19.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Chanelle Molina is also averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 boards and 3.9 assists per outing.

Washington State has eight international student-athletes representing seven different countries (Australia, Bulgaria, France, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda and Serbia).

SERIES RECORD
This will be the first meeting between UC Irvine and Washington State. WSU is the only Pac-12 team the Anteaters have not faced in their 46-year history.

HELPING HAND
Senior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) has been the Anteaters' assists leader in 43 of her 72 career games played. She has dished out a team-best 60 helpers this season, with her 6.7 apg ranking among the top-10 in the nation. Last year, Saiki had two double-figure assist performances, including a career-high 13 dimes vs. Indiana State (Nov. 24, 2018). In two-plus seasons at UCI, Saiki has amassed 292 career assists, putting her at No. 6 in program history.

THE LO-DOWN
Saiki has reached double figures in scoring six times this year with a season-high 20 points coming in a win over Loyola Marymount. She is currently tops among UCI's active players with 12.6 points per outing. Saiki was named to both the Kansas City Site Preseason WNIT Consolation All-Tournament Team and the Pioneer Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team.

HEATING UP
After recording just five points in the first five games of the year, junior Dani Guglielmo has started to heat up, averaging nearly 10.0 ppg over the last four contests. She had her first career back-to-back double-figure scoring performances at the Pioneer Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 29-30), recording a season-high 12 points at Denver before matching that total to lead the team against North Alabama. Guglielmo also established season highs in rebounds (5) and assists (3) that weekend.

BALANCED ATTACK
Nine 'Eaters have reached double figures in scoring this year. Lauren Saiki has put up 10+ points in six of nine games, and Jordan Sanders has done it four times. Alexus Seaton, Sophia Locandro, Dani Guglielmo and Chloe Webb also have multiple double-digit outings, while Haleigh Talbert, Jayde Cadee and Yazzy Sa'Dullah round out the group. UC Irvine has had a different leading scorer in six of its first nine games.

ACCESS DENIED
UC Irvine, which ranked 22nd in the nation in turnovers forced last year, has continued to put the defensive pressure on its opponents in 2019-20. The Anteaters have forced 16.8 turnovers per game with a season-high 29 against Loyola Marymount. The 'Eaters have also registered 4.9 blocks per outing, which is tops in the Big West and 29th in all of NCAA Division I. They had a season-high 10 blocked shots at Denver, marking the first time they reached double digits in that category since Jan. 27, 2010.

HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, UC Irvine is 24-9 (.727) at the Bren Events Center. The 24 home victories in two-plus seasons are more than the Anteaters' combined total from the previous five years.

OPENING NIGHT
The 'Eaters started the 2019-20 campaign with a 79-77 win over San José State on Nov. 5. They are now 3-1 in season openers in the Tamara Inoue era. In 2018-19, UCI defeated Life Pacific College (NAIA), 105-31. The 74-point triumph tied the second-largest margin of victory in program history. In 2017-18, the Anteaters won in more dramatic fashion, erasing a 13-point deficit in the final minutes with a half-court shot at the buzzer capping the rally for an 87-84 victory over Utah State.

CAREER DAY
Junior Alexus Seaton, who averaged 3.5 ppg and 2.5 rpg last year, made a statement in the season-opening win over San José State, establishing career highs in points (17), rebounds (7) and assists (5). For the first time as an 'Eater, the Arlington, Texas, native led the team in scoring. Seaton currently sits at 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

FRESHMAN IMPACT
The Anteaters' active freshmen have provided quality minutes early in their careers. Sophia Locandro has three double-figure scoring games with a season-best 16 points (7-8 FG) at Denver. She leads the team with a 61.0 field goal percentage. Chloe Webb also had a season-high 13 points and six boards in 13 minutes against Portland State (Nov. 16), while finishing with 12 points at Southern Utah and 11 vs. North Alabama. Jayde Cadee has come on strong lately, with a season-best 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc in the second meeting with the Vikings (Dec. 2). Redshirt freshman Melodie Kapinga made her collegiate debut last week at SUU, finishing with six rebounds in 10 minutes played.

'EATERS ANNOUNCE 2020 SIGNING CLASS
The Anteaters signed Victoria Baker and Caiyle Kaupu to National Letters of Intent in November. Baker, a 5-foot-9 point guard from Austin, Texas, is a two-time first-team all-district selection at Vista Ridge High School. Kaupu is a 6-foot forward out of Holualoa, Hawaii. She is a three-time first-team All-BIIF and two-time all-state honoree at Konawaena High School.

WINNING WAYS
In 2018-19, UC Irvine recorded the third 20-win season in program history, and first in 34 years. The 'Eaters have increased their win total in each of Tamara Inoue's three seasons as head coach, upping their number of victories by one in 2016-17, 12 in 2017-18 and two in 2018-19.

THE TURNAROUND
The Anteaters made their biggest jump in 2017-18 with their highest win total (18) and first postseason appearance since 1994-95. They saw a 12.5-game improvement from 2016-17, which marked the second-best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I.

GROWING UP
UC Irvine is primed to continue its winning ways with 10 members from last year's team returning (8 letterwinners, 2 redshirts). For the first time since Inoue's initial season at the helm when she inherited five seniors, the 'Eaters have more upperclassmen than underclassmen. Their roster is comprised of three seniors, six juniors and five freshmen.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will stay in the Pacific Northwest as it heads to Seattle for the Husky Classic at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Anteaters are slated to face Vanderbilt on Friday, Dec. 20, and San Francisco on Saturday, Dec. 21.