IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team found itself on the wrong end of a 66-65 thriller as UC Riverside hit a last second three to steal the win at the Bren Events Center Saturday evening.
 
The Anteaters (17-7, 7-5 Big West) went up, 64-63, on a made free throw from sophomore Jordan Sanders with just under a minute to go. They then stepped up the defensive pressure, forcing the Highlanders into their final timeout with 27 seconds left, and only four ticks on the shot clock.
 
UCR (14-12, 8-4 Big West) missed a corner three out of the break, but the visitors corralled the long rebound and took advantage of the second chance as Tianna Eaton drained a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds remaining. UCI had one last opportunity to tie it up with Sanders getting fouled, but she went 1-of-2 at the line to allow Riverside to escape with the victory.
 
"I thought we did a good job defensively down the stretch," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "But again, the rebounding at the very end hurt us. That last board was huge; if we had come up with it, that would have sealed the game. Credit to UC Riverside though, they are a good team and they did a great job tonight."
 
Sanders led the way with her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Lauren Saiki added 12 points, five boards, four assists and three steals. Sophomore Alexus Seaton also had seven points and three rebounds, while classmate Haleigh Talbert notched six points and three assists. Senior Sabrina Engelstad chipped in four points and four boards.
 
It was a tightly contested battle throughout, and in the first quarter alone there were four ties and five lead changes. UC Irvine took an 8-5 advantage on a Sanders layup with 6:18 to play, but UC Riverside answered with back-to-back buckets. The Highlanders went up, 16-15, at the end of the period on a half-court shot at the buzzer.
 
UCR scored the first five points of the second frame before Sanders got the Anteaters back on the board. The two teams traded points over the next four minutes. Saiki then sparked a 7-0 rally with a triple and a layup to put the 'Eaters on top, 31-30, at the 2:47 mark. The visitors were able to reclaim the lead, however, as they held a 40-37 edge at intermission.
 
The Highlanders went up, 46-40, early in the third quarter before UCI came storming back with seven unanswered for a 47-46 lead with 3:58 remaining. UC Irvine kept that momentum, using a 9-4 spurt down the stretch that was capped by a Seaton layup to pull ahead, 56-52.
 
Sanders scored the first bucket of the final stanza to give the Anteaters their biggest lead of the night (58-52) with 9:30 left, but they went cold after that as a five-minute scoring drought allowed UCR to go up, 59-58. Sanders then completed a three-point play for a 61-59 advantage. Two ties and three lead changes would follow with the Highlanders knocking down the game-winning trey in the final seconds.
 
UC Riverside shot 47 percent from the field and was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line. Jannon Otto and Daphne Gnago anchored the effort with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Gnago added a game-high 12 rebounds for the double-double.
 
The Highlanders have won seven of their last eight and moved into a tie for second with CSUN in the Big West standings. The 'Eaters dropped to a full game back in fourth place.
 
UC Irvine returns to the hardwood next Wednesday, Feb. 27, when it makes the short trip to Cal State Fullerton for a 7 p.m. showdown.
 
 
NOTES
• Tonight was UC Irvine's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game with the players wearing pink warm-up shirts, socks and shoes.
• There was also a special game ball delivery by Brooke Bayman's grandmother and Alexus Seaton's mother.
• Jordan Sanders recorded her third-straight 20-point game. It was her 13th of the season and 15th of her career.
• Of Sanders' four double-doubles this year, three have come with 20+ points.
• She now ranks sixth in single-season school history with 474 points this year.
• Andee Ritter's steal was her 181st career takeaway, putting her in sole possession of third in the UCI record book.
• The Anteaters had a quick turnaround as they returned home from Hawai'i less than 24 hours before tip-off.
• This was UC Irvine's first loss when holding its opponent under 70 points (15-1).
• It was just the second time all season the 'Eaters were held to single digits in a quarter, and the first time it happened in the fourth.