UC Davis (12-9, 7-1 Big West) at
UC Irvine (6-16, 2-6 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team returns home to host league-leading UC Davis this Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m.
 
STORYLINES
• Due to injuries, the Anteaters have used eight different starting lineups since Nov. 30 (16 games).
• Eight 'Eaters have at least one double-figure scoring game, with six hitting the 20-point mark this season.
• UCI has had a different leading scorer in each of the last four outings.
• Less than 48 hours after a 24-point loss (94-70) at Hawai'i, UC Irvine turned the tables with a 24-point win (77-53) at UC Riverside.
• The Anteaters' margin of victory and points allowed were season bests against NCAA DI opponents.
• Senior Lauren Saiki is tops on the squad with 11.7 ppg and 6.5 apg.
• Her assist average is currently No. 1 in the Big West and No. 5 in the nation.
• Saiki is the sixth player in UC Irvine history to record 300 career assists.
• She ranks second in school history with 375 career helpers, and is currently seventh on the program's single-season charts at 143.
• Freshman Sophia Locandro finished with a career-best 25 points at UCR to mark her team-leading third 20-point game of the year.
• Locandro has also led the 'Eaters on the boards in eight of the last nine contests.
• She is averaging 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds in Big West games.
• Junior Haleigh Talbert has reached double figures in scoring eight times since the non-conference finale vs. Westcliff (Jan. 6).
• She is tops on the team in Big West play with 14.4 ppg, and surpassed 500 career points against Long Beach State on Jan. 25.
 
WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would earn its first victory over UC Davis since March 7, 2015, snapping a 10-game losing streak against the Aggies in the process.
• UCI would notch its first Big West home victory of the season.
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
After dropping its conference opener at UC Riverside on Jan. 9, UC Davis (12-9, 7-1 Big West) has won seven in a row, most recently defeating Cal State Fullerton, 72-61, Thursday in Orange County. The Aggies, who are three-time defending Big West regular-season champions, are currently first in the standings with a 1.5 game lead over second-place Hawai'i. Katie Toole has paced UCD with 14.7 points per outing. She is shooting 52% from the field and 49% from beyond the arc. Cierra Hall is also averaging 8.7 ppg and a team-best 6.9 rpg. UC Davis ranks first in the league in 3-pointers made (8.8/gm) and 3-point field goal percentage (.364).
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 30-8, and has lost 10 in a row to the Aggies. The Anteaters' last win came in Irvine on March 7, 2015.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine ended a three-game Big West road stretch with a 67-57 loss at UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday. Lauren Saiki led the 'Eaters with 18 points, while tying her season high with five rebounds. Haleigh Talbert added 15 points, four boards, three assists and two steals. Sophia Locandro also finished with 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds. The Anteaters struggled from beyond the arc where they were 0-for-15. It was the first time this season they did not make a 3-pointer.
 
FRESH START
After struggling to a 2-11 record through December (0-6) and January (2-5), UC Irvine got off to a fresh start in February with a convincing 77-53 win at UC Riverside. It was UCI's largest margin of victory against an NCAA Division I opponent this season.
 
300 AND COUNTING
Senior Lauren Saiki is the sixth Anteater in program history to record 300 career assists. She reached the milestone with the second of her five helpers against Vanderbilt on Dec. 20. Saiki, who is in her third year at UC Irvine after transferring from West Virginia, currently ranks second on UCI's all-time list with 375 assists.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Saiki has been the Anteaters' assists leader in 55 of her 85 career games played. Earlier this year, she recorded her third and fourth career double-digit assist performances in back-to-back outings with 10 helpers vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 16) and 11 at Cal Poly (Jan. 18). The Monterey Park, Calif., native has dished out a team-best 143 dimes this season, which is seventh among UCI's single-season leaders. Her 6.5 apg also rank first in the Big West and fifth in the nation.
 
TWENTY-TWENTY
Freshman Sophia Locandro (Mount Waverly, Victoria, Australia) is the only Anteater with multiple 20-point games this year. Last Saturday, she registered her third such performance with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting at UC Riverside. Locandro also had the team's first double-double of the season with 22 points (10-16 FG) and 10 rebounds against Westcliff on Jan. 6, before finishing with 20 points and eight boards vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 16). Over the last nine games, she is averaging 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds.
 
HALEIGH'S TURN
Junior Haleigh Talbert became the sixth different 'Eater with a 20-point game this year after finishing with a career-high 23 at Cal Poly on Jan. 18. She went 6-for-12 from the field with a career-best five 3-pointers made. Talbert, who has reached double digits in scoring in eight of the last nine games, is averaging a team-best 14.4 points in Big West play. The Euless, Texas, native made a three in 11-straight games prior to last Saturday's contest at UC Riverside where she did not attempt a shot from beyond the arc.
 
HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, UC Irvine is 25-12 (.676) at the Bren Events Center. The 25 home victories in two-plus seasons are more than the Anteaters' combined total from the previous five years.
 
HEATING UP
Junior Dani Guglielmo established two career highs over a three-game stretch with 18 points vs. CSUN and 19 at Hawai'i. In those two outings, she went a combined 11-for-24 (46%) from behind the arc. The Los Gatos, Calif., native broke through a shooting slump with a career-best six threes against the Matadors. She had gone 3-for-20 from long distance in the previous seven games. Guglielmo also reached double digits in scoring in back-to-back outings at the Denver Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 29). She netted a then season-high 12 points against the host Pioneers before matching that total to lead the team vs. North Alabama.
 
COUNT 'EM FOR CADEE
Freshman Jayde Cadee (Macleod, Victoria, Australia) had a breakout performance at SMU on Dec. 29, scoring a season-high 21 points, all of which came from beyond the arc where she was 7-for-10. Her seven triples are tied for the most in a game by a Big West player this year, and are tied for second in UCI's single-game history. Her 70% clip also ranks among the program's top-10. Cadee is second on the team with 32 3-pointers. She recently ended an 0-for-13 slump from downtown with a pair of triples in the third quarter at UC Riverside.
 
COMING INTO HER OWN
In her third year at UC Irvine, junior Alexus Seaton has emerged as one of the team's leaders. The Fort Worth, Texas, native, who has started every game, is among the top-three on the squad in scoring (9.0 ppg), rebounding (4.3 rpg), assists (1.7 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Seaton, who came into the 2019-20 campaign averaging 2.3 points per outing, has reached double figures in scoring eight times with a career-high 23 vs. Vanderbilt.
 
FRESHMAN IMPACT
UC Irvine's active freshmen have provided quality minutes early in their careers. Sophia Locandro (8) and Jayde Cadee (4) have combined for 12 double-figure scoring games. Locandro had a team season-high 25 points (10-19 FG) at UC Riverside, while she also notched the Anteaters' first double-double of the year with 22 points and 10 rebounds vs. Westcliff. Cadee recorded a collegiate-best 21 points at SMU. Chloe Webb, who will miss the remainder of the season with an injury, scored 10+ points in five of 14 games played with a season-high 20 against Westcliff. Webb (51.8%) and Locandro (50.6%) own the top-two field goal percentages on the team.
 
ACCESS DENIED
UC Irvine has registered 3.8 blocks per outing, which is second in the Big West. The 'Eaters had a season-high 10 blocked shots at Denver, marking the first time they reached double digits in that category since Jan. 27, 2010. UCI also ranks third in the conference with 16.8 turnovers forced per game. They have caused 20+ miscues four times with a season-high 29 against Loyola Marymount.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will host Cal State Fullerton in a 7 p.m. tilt on Thursday, Feb. 13. The Anteaters will then travel to UC Davis for their second meeting with the Aggies in seven days (Feb. 15).