Big West Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 3 UC Irvine (13-17, 9-7 Big West) vs.
No. 8 Cal Poly (10-18, 6-10 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, March 11
Time: 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.
Watch on ESPN3 // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

Notes (PDF) // Big West Tournament Central

*** The Big West Conference announced late Tuesday afternoon that this week's men's and women's basketball tournament will be played without spectators as a precaution for preventing the spread of COVID-19 virus. The tournament begins with women's first-round games Tuesday, and quarterfinal games Wednesday at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. The men's quarterfinal games will be played Thursday at Honda Center followed by the men's and women's semifinals on Friday. Both championship games will be played at Honda Center on Saturday, March 14.  Fans will not be allowed into either venue. FULL BIG WEST RELEASE


IRVINE, Calif. - The third-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team begins the Big West Tournament with a quarterfinal game against No. 8 seed Cal Poly on Wednesday, March 11. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Trent Rush and Dave Miller on the call.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine will be making its 31st Big West Tournament appearance in the program's 37th year as a member of the conference.
• The Anteaters have one Big West Tournament title, which came 25 years ago when they won as the No. 3 seed.
• UCI is riding a season-long five-game win streak, and has won eight of its last 10.
• The 'Eaters have seen a recent boost in offensive production, scoring 70+ points in six of their last 10 outings.
• They are tied for first in the Big West with 65.6 ppg against conference opponents.
• Eight of the Anteaters' 10 active players have at least one double-figure scoring game, with five hitting the 20-point mark this season.
• Lauren Saiki was named to the All-Big West First Team, while Sophia Locandro received an honorable mention and All-Freshman Team nod.
• UC Irvine has had a representative on the first team three years in a row.
• Saiki broke a 17-year old single-season school record with her 190th assist, which came 30 seconds into a win over UC Riverside on March 5.
• She has since increased her total to 210, becoming the first player in program history to eclipse 200 helpers in a season.
• Saiki is tops in the Big West and third in the nation with 7.0 apg.
• Locandro is averaging a team-best 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in Big West play.
• She has put up 10+ points and 2+ blocks in nine of the last 10 games.
• Junior Haleigh Talbert was named the Big West Player of the Week on March 9.

WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would advance to the Big West Tournament semifinals for the second year in a row, and eighth time overall.
• The 'Eaters would extend their overall win streak to six games. They would also earn their sixth-straight victory against Cal Poly.
 
BIG WEST NOTABLES
UC Irvine concluded the regular season in a tie for second in the Big West, marking the Anteaters' best finish since taking second in the conference's West Division in 1997-98. This is the second time in head coach Tamara Inoue's four-year tenure, and the sixth time in program history, that UCI will be the No. 3 seed. The 'Eaters are 5-4 all-time as the No. 3, with three of those wins coming in 1995 when they claimed their only Big West Tournament title. UC Irvine is making its 31st Big West Tournament appearance in its 37th year as a member of the conference.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE DISTINCTION
Senior Lauren Saiki and freshman Sophia Locandro were named to the 2019-20 All-Big West Women's Basketball Team. Saiki was selected to the six-member first team, while Locandro garnered honorable mention and All-Freshman Team recognition. Saiki ranks first in the league, and third in the nation with 7.0 assists per game. The 5-foot-3 point guard is also averaging 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals. She is the Anteaters' third first-team selection since 2018.
 
In Big West games, Locandro ranks first in the conference in blocks (1.6/gm), fourth in FG percentage (.475), sixth in scoring (15.1 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (7.1 rpg).
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
No. 8 seed Cal Poly (10-18, 6-10 Big West) upset fifth-seeded Long Beach State, 59-48, in its first-round game Tuesday at the Walter Pyramid. Sierra Campisano finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Abbey Ellis added 20 points. Campisano (17.3 ppg) and Ellis (15.0 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in the Big West. Campisano is also averaging a team-best 8.3 rebounds per outing. Cal Poly, which missed the Big West Tournament last year, has won three of its last four games.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 36-24, but has won five in a row against the Mustangs. This marks the second time UCI will face CP in the Big West Tournament. The lone postseason meeting between the two teams came in 2008, when Cal Poly won a first-round match-up, 76-61, at the Anaheim Convention Center.
 
PREVIOUSLY, AGAINST CAL POLY
The Anteaters earned their first conference win of the season at Cal Poly, 68-57, on Jan. 18. Haleigh Talbert had a career-high 23 points, while Lauren Saiki finished with 12 points and 11 assists. The 'Eaters completed the sweep on Feb. 22 with a 54-51 victory at the Bren Events Center. Saiki and Sophia Locandro tied for the team lead with 13 points each.
 
HEATING UP
UCI struggled to a 2-11 record through December (0-6) and January (2-5), which included a 1-5 start to Big West play, but the Anteaters turned the corner on Feb. 1 with a 77-53 win at UC Riverside. It was the team's largest margin of victory against an NCAA Division I opponent this season. The 'Eaters rode that momentum as they have come out on top in eight of their last 10, and own the longest active winning streak in the Big West at five games. During that 8-2 stretch, UC Irvine also picked up its first victory over regular-season champion UC Davis in five years.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK TIMES TWO
Junior Haleigh Talbert captured the season's final Big West Player of the Week award on Monday, March 9. Talbert was recognized after averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in a pair of pivotal conference wins over UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton that put the Anteaters in a tie for second.
 
It was the second-straight Big West weekly award for UC Irvine as freshman Sophia Locandro was also recognized on March 2. The 6-foot-3 forward led the way in a 72-71 victory over Hawai'i with career-highs of 34 points and 11 rebounds. Locandro registered the Anteaters' first 30-point double-double since Camille Buckley on March 12, 2014. She was 11-of-22 from the floor and 10-of-11 at the free throw line.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine locked up the No. 3 seed in the Big West Tournament with a 68-52 win over Cal State Fullerton last Saturday at Titan Gym. UCI led for the entirety of the second half, but the Titans were able to pull within one early in the fourth quarter. Haleigh Talbert then hit a clutch three to spark an 18-3 Anteater run over the final seven-plus minutes. The 'Eaters ended up outscoring Fullerton, 20-9, in the final frame.
 
Talbert finished with 15 points (4-7 3FG), six rebounds and three assists. Sophia Locandro also had a team-high 16 points, eight boards and two blocks, while Lauren Saiki added eight points, nine assists and three steals. Jayde Cadee chipped in nine points on three triples, and Tahlia Garza registered eight points and a season-high tying eight rebounds. Dani Guglielmo also notched six points and seven boards. The Anteaters shot a season-best 52% (12-23) from downtown.
 
RECORD BREAKER
Senior Lauren Saiki dished out her 190th assist of the year 30 seconds into an 86-76 win over UC Riverside on March 5 to break a single-season school record set by Lisa Faulkner in 2002-03. Saiki has since increased her total to 210 on the year. She is the only player in program history to reach the 200-assist milestone in a single campaign.
 
400 AND COUNTING
Saiki is also the second 'Eater in program history to record 400 career assists. She reached the benchmark with the sixth of her 11 dimes at Long Beach State on Feb. 20. Saiki, who is in her third year at UC Irvine after transferring from West Virginia, ranks second on UCI's all-time list with 442 assists.
 
THE LO-DOWN
Saiki has been the Anteaters' assist leader in 63 of 93 career games played. She has hit double-digits five times in 2020 with a season-high 12 vs. UC Riverside (March 5) and Hawai'i (Feb. 27), 11 at Long Beach State (Feb. 20), 11 at Cal Poly (Jan. 18) and 10 vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 16). The Monterey Park, Calif., native has dished out a single-season school-record 210 dimes this year. Her 7.0 apg rank first in the Big West and third in the nation. In addition, Saiki is eighth in school history with 170 career steals, and 10th with 106 3-pointers made.
 
SCORING MACHINE
Sophia Locandro (Mount Waverly, Victoria, Australia) is the only 'Eater with a 30-point performance this year, and owns a team-best six 20-plus point games. On Feb. 27, she put up a career-high 34 points, to go along with a career-best 11 rebounds against Hawai'i. She also had 25 points at UC Riverside (Feb. 1), 24 at UC Davis (Feb. 15), 23 vs. Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 13), and 20 vs. UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 16). In non-conference play, Locandro notched UCI's first double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds vs. Westcliff (Jan. 6). She has reached double figures in scoring, while also finishing with at least two blocks, in nine of the last 10 outings.
 
HALEIGH'S TURN
Junior Haleigh Talbert (Euless, Texas) 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 later put up 22 against UC Riverside on March 5, while also dishing out a career-high eight assists against the Highlanders. The 5-foot-4 guard, who has reached double digits in scoring in 12 of the last 17 games, is averaging 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in Big West play.
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Freshman Jayde Cadee (Macleod, Victoria, Australia) has made a team-best 53 3-pointers, which is tied for seventh in single-season program history. She has knocked down multiple threes in a game 11 times. At Long Beach State (Feb. 20), Cadee scored a season-high 24 points, all of which came from beyond the arc where she was 8-for-14. Her eight triples tied a single-game school record and are the most by a Big West player this year. Cadee also had 21 points on a 7-of-10 performance from downtown at SMU on Dec. 29.
 
STARTING ROLE
Junior Dani Guglielmo made her first career start against Portland State on Dec. 2, and has been part of the first five in all but one game since. Guglielmo has taken advantage of the opportunity, already setting career highs for the season in every statistical category, including 3-pointers made (39). She established a single-game career best 19 points at Hawai'i, and finished with 18 points on six triples vs. CSUN. The Los Gatos, Calif., native also reached double digits with 16 points in a win over UC Davis on Feb. 8, where she was 4-for-8 from long distance and knocked down the go-ahead three with 43 seconds on the clock.
 
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 27 of 30 games, is among the top-four on the squad in scoring (8.5 ppg), rebounding (4.2 rpg), assists (1.8 apg) and steals (1.3 spg). Seaton, who came into the 2019-20 campaign averaging 2.3 points per outing, has reached double figures in scoring 11 times with a career-high 23 vs. Vanderbilt.
 
ACCESS DENIED
UC Irvine has recorded 3.7 blocks per outing, which ranks first 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 is also third in the conference with 16.1 turnovers forced per game. They have caused 20+ miscues five times with a season-high 29 against Loyola Marymount.
 
HOME COOKING
UC Irvine is 30-12 (.714) at the Bren Events Center since 2017-18. The 30 home victories in three seasons are more than UCI's combined total from the previous five campaigns. The Anteaters went 8-4 at home this year, and won their last five in the friendly confines of the BEC.

BIG WEST TOURNAMENT REWIND
UC Irvine is 2-3 in Big West Tournament games under fourth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. In 2019, the fifth-seeded Anteaters defeated No. 8 UC Santa Barbara, 53-46, and No. 4 CSUN, 59-57, to advance to the semifinals for the first time in five years. UCI's run then came to an end at the Honda Center, falling to eventual champion UC Davis.

UP NEXT
The Big West Tournament continues with the semifinals on Friday, March 13, and championship game on Saturday, March 14, at Honda Center in Anaheim. If the Anteaters win on Wednesday, they will square off against No. 2 seed UC Santa Barbara in the second semifinal game at 2:30 p.m.