RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team came out of the gates strong and maintained the intensity through the full 40 minutes for a 77-53 win over UC Riverside Saturday evening at SRC Arena.
 
The Anteaters (6-15, 2-5 Big West) took a lead they would not relinquish less than two minutes into the game. They continued to play as a cohesive unit on both sides of the ball to go up by as many as 27 in the dominant victory.
 
"We did a great job today, collectively," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I thought everybody came out ready to play. We were getting deflections on defense and rebounding. It all starts on the defensive end."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Freshman Sophia Locandro went 10-for-19 from the field for a career-high 25 points. She also finished with a team-best eight rebounds and two blocks.
 
"Sophia is an X-factor for us," Inoue added. "She did a good job of being aggressive. It started with her, which allowed Lauren, Haleigh and Lex to play their game. When someone starts to become a focus, especially when it's a big, it really opens up our guards."
 
Senior Lauren Saiki had 14 points, a game-high seven assists and three steals. It was the 19th time this season that Saiki dished out 5+ helpers.
 
Junior Haleigh Talbert added 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Junior Alexus Seaton also notched nine points and seven boards, while classmate Dani Guglielmo had eight points and seven rebounds. Junior Joy Akaegbu-Cleveland pulled down six boards as well.  
 
Marina Ewodo paced UCR with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jannon Otto also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards.
 
UCI shot 42% from the field and 33% from 3-point range, while holding UC Riverside to 28% and 17%, respectively. The Anteaters won the battle in points in the paint (38-22), second chance points (13-8) and points off turnovers (11-8). They committed a season-low seven miscues.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Riverside (6-15, 2-5 Big West) struck first, but Guglielmo answered with a 3-pointer to give UC Irvine the lead at the 8:37 mark. The Anteaters took control from there as they proceeded to go on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to pull ahead, 15-4, with 4:16 remaining. The Highlanders then scored six unanswered points, but Guglielmo hit a jumper to end the rally. Locandro added a bucket in the final minute, putting UCI on top, 19-12.
 
The 'Eaters carried the momentum into the second period with a 6-1 spurt, capped by a Seaton layup, giving them a 25-13 cushion at the 7:09 mark. UCR closed the gap to seven with 6:14 left in the half, but UC Irvine outscored the Highlanders, 13-8, the rest of the way for a 38-26 lead at the break. Locandro scored the final 10 points for the Anteaters.
 
In the third frame, UC Riverside cut the deficit to eight, forcing UC Irvine to call an early timeout. The visitors responded out of the short break with a big 22-5 run that that made it 60-35. Freshman Jayde Cadee knocked down two triples during that stretch. UCR ended the period with six unanswered, but the 'Eaters still held a comfortable 19-point margin.
 
UCI kept its foot on the gas in the fourth as its lead ballooned to as many as 27 en route to the 77-53 win. The Anteaters outscored the Highlanders in all four quarters.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine closes out its three-game Big West road swing at UC Santa Barbara next Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine earned its second Big West win. Both of its conference victories have come on the road.
• Sophia Locandro had her team-leading third 20-point game.
• Haleigh Talbert reached double figures in scoring for the seventh time in the last eight games.
• Lauren Saiki is now tied for seventh in single-season school history with 141 assists.
• Saiki is also second on the all-time charts with 373 career helpers.
• The Anteaters snapped a three-game losing streak in their all-time series with UC Riverside.