LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team led for 25 minutes but was unable to hold off a late push by Loyola Marymount as the Anteaters ended up dropping a 66-56 decision Thursday evening at Gersten Pavilion.
 
The 'Eaters went up by as many as 12 in the third before LMU started to chip away, closing the gap to three heading into the fourth period. The Lions then outscored UCI, 22-9, over the final 10 minutes.
 
"We just have to make shots," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "I thought we had a good run and we were doing some good things. Then (LMU) went into a zone, which we usually invite, but we kind of had a hard time with it tonight."
 
UC Irvine (0-2) got off to a hot start in the first quarter where they were 7-of-14 from the field, but finished the night shooting 31% overall and 21% from beyond the arc.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Haleigh Talbert led three Anteaters in double figures with 15 points, and added five rebounds and two assists. Sophomore Sophia Locandro finished with 14 points and eight boards, while redshirt freshman Kayla Williams notched 14 points, two assists and two steals. Senior Tahlia Garza also had four points and five rebounds, and sophomore Chloe Webb contributed four points and four boards in her season debut.
 
Khari Clark and Ciera Ellington paced LMU with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Clark also had a game-high nine rebounds. The home team shot 47% from the floor.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine took an early 9-3 lead on a Locandro jumper at the 7:17 mark, but Loyola Marymount answered with a 6-0 run over the next couple minutes to tie it up. The two teams then went back-and-forth until the Anteaters closed out the first quarter on a 9-2 spurt, capped by a Williams jumper at the buzzer to pull ahead, 19-13.
 
The Lions began to cut into the deficit early in the second and eventually knotted the score at 22-all with 6:18 left in the half. After two more ties, Talbert knocked down her second three of the night and Williams followed with a triple at the buzzer to make it 34-28 at the break.
 
The 'Eaters opened the third frame on an 8-2 run to take their largest lead of the night at 42-30 with 6:02 on the clock. LMU started to chip away, but UCI stayed out front and led by 10 after a Talbert three at the 3:26 mark. The Anteaters then went cold as the Lions scored the final seven points to make it 47-44 heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Loyola Marymount (1-1) kept the momentum in the fourth, extending their run to 14-0 and taking a 51-48 lead. Locandro would end a five-minute scoring drought with a free throw, and Williams followed with a jumper to close the gap to 51-50, but LMU answered with a 9-1 rally. Sophomore Jayde Cadee then connected from downtown to bring the 'Eaters within six but that was the closest they would get as the Lions emerged with the 66-56 victory.
 
 
NOTES
• Haleigh Talbert, who is the team's active leader with 661 career points, had her 22nd double-figure scoring game.
• Sophia Locandro and Kayla Williams also reached double digits for the second game in a row.
• Jayde Cadee extended her streak of games played with a made 3-pointer to 11.
• With her three in the fourth quarter, Cadee surpassed 200 career points.
• The Anteaters have won the turnover battle in both of their games this season.
• Despite the loss, the 'Eaters still lead in their all-time series with LMU, 12-9.