NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team came up short in its Big West opener, falling to CSUN, 70-62, Saturday at The Matadome.
 
Although the Anteaters (4-11, 0-1 Big West) never led, they fought until the end. The 'Eaters cut a 14-point deficit down to eight with just under two minutes to play, but CSUN was able to get the stops it needed down the stretch to hold on for the win.
 
"We came out flat, but once we settled in, we were doing well," said UCI head coach Tamara Inoue. "I thought we fought pretty hard today. It was just the last minute or so of every quarter we let it get away from us. We needed to lock in and get some good stops. Once we got a little momentum we would let them score."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Haleigh Talbert scored a team-best 13 points, while tying her career high with seven rebounds. Senior Lauren Saiki finished with 12 points, six assists and five boards, while junior Alexus Seaton added 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman Jayde Cadee chipped in nine points on three triples, and classmate Sophia Locandro pulled down a team-high nine boards.
 
Jordyn Jackson scored a game-high 19 points for CSUN, while De'Jionae Calloway finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
 
The 'Eaters won the battle on the boards, 42-37, but the Matadors held the edge in second-chance points, points off turnovers and points in the paint. CSUN also made a season-high 11 3-pointers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: CSUN (7-9, 2-0 Big West) raced out to an 8-0 lead before Cadee knocked down a corner three to get UC Irvine on the board at the 6:35 mark. The Anteaters were eventually able to close the gap to 13-10 on a Talbert bucket with 1:39 remaining. The Matadors pushed their advantage back to eight before junior Dani Guglielmo ended the first quarter with a jumper to make it 18-12.
 
CSUN went up by nine early in the second period, but back-to-back triples from Guglielmo and Saiki started an 11-3 rally that brought the 'Eaters within one (24-23) at the 5:26 mark. The Matadors were able to stay out front, however, and used a couple of late 3-pointers to take a 36-31 cushion at the break. CSUN was 8-for-11 from beyond the arc in the first half.
 
The home team kept the momentum to start the third frame, pulling ahead 47-35 at the 6:15 mark. UCI was able to come within seven on a Saiki jumper, but the Matadors went back on top by double digits, holding a 57-47 lead at the end of the quarter.
 
It looked like CSUN was going to run away with it in the fourth, going up 66-52 with 5:19 remaining, but Talbert would end a short scoring drought that got UCI going. The Anteaters proceeded to outscore the Matadors, 8-2, over the next couple minutes with Cadee's third 3-pointer, and a layup from Seaton, making it 68-60 with 1:45 on the clock. UC Irvine had a couple good looks from there, but couldn't get the ball to fall allowing CSUN to emerge with the 70-62 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will host UC Santa Barbara in its Big West home opener next Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine did not have a blocked shot for the first time this season.
• Haleigh Talbert became the seventh player to lead the Anteaters in scoring this year.
• Talbert reached double figures for the second-straight game.
• She has made a 3-pointer in six consecutive games, while Jayde Cadee connected from downtown for the fifth-straight outing.
• Lauren Saiki has led the 'Eaters in assists in each of the last eight contests.
• Saiki now has 329 career assists, passing Raelyn Cheung-Sutton for No. 4 in school history.
• Over the last two games, Sophia Locandro is averaging 9.5 rebounds.