Long Beach State (8-20, 5-10 Big West) at
UC Irvine (17-10, 7-8 Big West)
Date: Saturday, March 9
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 plays host to Black & Blue rival Long Beach State in its regular-season finale on Saturday, March 9. The Anteaters will honor their two seniors, Andee Ritter and Sabrina Engelstad, prior to the 2 p.m. tip-off.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine ranks first in the Big West with a 74.8 free throw percentage and has made 63-73 (86%) in the last five games.
• Through March 7, the Anteaters are sixth in the nation in turnover margin, 14th in turnovers forced and 20th in steals.
• The 'Eaters have forced at least 20 turnovers 17 times, and had a season-high 36 against Life Pacific on Nov. 7.
• UC Irvine has shown it is never out of a game, erasing a double-digit deficit in five of its wins this year.
• Nine of the team's 10 active roster members have logged 10+ minutes per contest, while six are averaging at least 5.0 ppg.
• UCI was in the College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 poll for nine consecutive weeks (Dec. 4-Feb. 12) with a high ranking of 15th.
• Jordan Sanders, who has 13 20-point games, ranks sixth in single-season school history with 490 points.
• Sanders is second in the Big West and 18th in the nation with 20.4 ppg.
• On Dec. 18, she netted a career-high 34 points (15-25 FG) at Portland State.
• Her 34 points are tied for fifth-most in UCI single-game history, while her 15 made field goals rank third.
• Andee Ritter broke a single-game school record with eight 3-pointers made in a 73-57 win over Cal Poly on Jan. 26.
• Ritter has 196 career threes, putting her just two away from tying and three from breaking UCI's 26-year old all-time record.
• She is also tied for first in the conference with 58 steals, and is second in program history with 187 career takeaways.
 
WITH A WIN…
• UCI would earn its first regular-season series sweep against Long Beach State since 1998.
• The 'Eaters would secure their 18th win, tying last year's squad for the fourth-most victories in a season in program history.
• UC Irvine would snap a season-long four-game losing streak.
 
BIG WEST STANDINGS
• UC Davis (13-1) clinched the outright Big West regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament.
• CSUN (10-5) and Hawai'i (9-6) are still in the running for the second seed and play each other on Saturday.
• UC Riverside (9-6) will be either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed depending on tomorrow's results.
• UC Irvine (7-8) has locked up the No. 5 seed, even with a loss and a Titan win since the 'Eaters hold the tiebreaker over CSF.
• Cal State Fullerton (6-9), Long Beach State (5-10) and UCSB (5-10) round out the Big West Tournament field.
• The top-two seeds receive a double-bye into the Big West semifinals at Honda Center on March 15.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine got out to a hot start but was unable to maintain it through 40 minutes in a 68-58 loss to CSUN Wednesday at The Matadome. The Anteaters shot 69 percent and made seven 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 25-14 lead. They cooled off from there, finishing the game at 40 percent and making only three more triples the rest of the way. Andee Ritter led the squad with 16 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Lauren Saiki and Sabrina Engelstad added 10 points each.
 
A GLANCE AT LONG BEACH
Long Beach State (8-20, 5-10 Big West) dropped a heartbreaking 50-47 decision to Cal State Fullerton on Thursday. The Titans completed an 18-point comeback with a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Shanaijah Davison leads the Beach with 13.6 points per outing. Naomi Hunt is also averaging 10.8 points, and has made a team-best 58 threes.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 60-16, but the 'Eaters have won two of the last three after defeating LBSU, 48-46, on a Jordan Sanders buzzer beater at the Walter Pyramid (Feb. 14). Sanders finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Lauren Saiki added 12 points and six assists. Last year, UCI snapped a six-game skid in the series with a convincing 100-81 victory at Long Beach. It was the Anteaters' first 100-point game in 39 years.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine made its debut in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll at No. 24 (Dec. 4), and remained in the top-25 for nine consecutive weeks. The 'Eaters reached as high as No. 15, but have since dropped out of the rankings. One of UCI's 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.
 
COMING UP CLUTCH
On Feb. 14, UC Irvine was locked in a defensive battle at Long Beach State. The score was knotted at 46-all and it was 49er ball with four seconds remaining in regulation. What transpired next was nothing short of remarkable. Alexus Seaton came up with a huge steal on the inbound pass, allowing only two ticks to come off the clock before the 'Eaters called a timeout. That set up the game-winner as Brooke Bayman got it in to Jordan Sanders, who took one dribble before draining a contested 18-foot jumper right before the buzzer for the thrilling 48-46 victory. 
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters have been locked in on the defensive end, forcing 20+ turnovers 17 times. 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 eight 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 March 7, UCI ranks sixth in the nation in turnover margin (7.9), 14th in TOs forced (21.0/gm) and 20th in steals (10.9/gm).

THE BIG THREE
Senior Andee Ritter, junior Lauren Saiki and sophomore Jordan Sanders have accounted for 57 percent of UC Irvine's scoring. They have combined for 1,059 points (39.2 ppg), and have produced 54 double-figure scoring games, 18 of which have been 20+ performances.

CHART CLIMBER
Senior Andee Ritter ranks second among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 196 career 3-pointers made. She needs two more to tie, and three more to break the record of 198, which was established by Kathy Lizarraga (1988-92) over 25 years ago. The Medford, Ore., native already topped Lizarraga's 28-year old single-season program record with 87 3-pointers as a sophomore, and set UCI's single-game high with a career-best eight treys vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 26. Ritter is also second in school history with 187 career steals, needing only two more to move into sole possession of first in the annals.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when sophomore Jordan Sanders scores 10+ points. In her young career, the Anteaters are 30-9 when she reaches double figures, and 12-3 when she hits the 20-point mark. The Springfield, Mo., native has played a key role in UCI's success this year, putting up double digits in 23 of 24 games played. Thirteen of those have been 20+ performances, including six in Big West action with 25 vs. UC Riverside (Feb. 23), 20 at Hawai'i (Feb. 21), 25 at UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 16), 29 vs. UH (Feb. 7), 28 vs. UCSB (Jan. 31) and 20 vs. Cal Poly (Jan. 26). In the second meeting with the Highlanders, Sanders added 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double. In non-conference play, she poured in a career-high 34 points on 15-of-25 shooting at Portland State on Dec. 18. 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) back in November. The 2018 Big West Freshman of the Year ranks second in the league, and 18th in the nation, with 20.4 ppg.
 
POW TIMES THREE
Jordan Sanders took home her third Big West Player of the Week award on Dec. 17. She was honored following a then career-best 29 points (13-18 FG) and six steals in an 84-69 win at Portland. A couple weeks earlier, Sanders became the first Anteater in program history to earn back-to-back Big West POW accolades. She received the nod on Nov. 26 & Dec. 3 after recording four-straight 20-point outings. On Nov. 28, Sanders was also named to the NCAA's Starting 5, which recognizes players with standout performances from around the country.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Junior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) has 13 games with five or more assists this year. Ten of those came in a consecutive stretch from Nov. 24-Jan. 12. She started the streak against Indiana State where she recorded her first double-double as an Anteater with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists. Saiki committed just one turnover in the 77-61 victory over the Sycamores. Her 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. The 5-foot-3 point guard also had a career-high 25 points and two blocks, to go along with four rebounds and five assists at Cal Poly (Jan. 5).

COMEBACK KIDS
The Anteaters have come back from a double-digit deficit to win five times this year. In those five games, UCI outscored its opponents in the second half, 195-128 (13.4 ppg). Most recently, the 'Eaters erased a 12-point third-quarter deficit to top Cal State Fullerton, 65-61, on Feb. 9. UC Irvine has also won three games when trailing with five minutes left in regulation.

WIN NO. 10
UC Irvine was 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 in program history. It is also the first time since 2010-11 and 2011-12 that UCI has recorded back-to-back 10-win seasons.

HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, the 'Eaters are 19-8 (.704) at the Bren Events Center. Their 19 victories in less than two full seasons have matched their total from the previous four years combined. UCI recently lost back-to-back home games for the first time in two years.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will host the first two rounds of the Big West Tournament, March 12-13. The semifinals and championship game then move to Honda Center in Anaheim, March 15-16.