IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team beat UC Riverside, 86-76, on Senior Night Thursday at the Bren Events Center.
 
Fittingly, senior Lauren Saiki finished with a double-double, and broke the single-season school record in assists with her first helper just 30 seconds into the game. She went on to increase her total to 201 for the year, making her the first Anteater in program history to surpass 200 assists in a season.
 
Saiki and fellow senior Yazzy Sa'Dullah, who has been sidelined with an injury since Dec. 20, were honored before their final home game.
 
"It's a special night for Lauren and Yazzy to be able to walk off this floor with a win," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Lauren is really special and one that's dear to my heart. Her name will be in my vocabulary for as long as I coach because of what she's done for this program, and for me personally.
 
"Yazzy was my first commit when I got this job. She came into my office and on the spot said I'll come play for you coach. She was really the start of our success here. She's started every game that she's been able to, and at the end of it all, both her and Lauren will be graduating with a master's degree. I'm really proud of both of them."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Saiki recorded her second-straight double-double, and third of the year, with 13 points and a season-high tying 12 assists. It was also her third double-digit assist performance in the last four games.
 
Junior Haleigh Talbert went 8-for-15 from the field with four triples to finish with a game-high 22 points. She also dished out a career-best eight assists.
 
Freshman Sophia Locandro added 18 points, three steals and two blocks. Junior Dani Guglielmo and freshman Jayde Cadee were 3-of-6 from downtown for nine points each. Junior Alexus Seaton chipped in eight points, while classmate Tahlia Garza pulled down a team-leading six rebounds.
 
The 'Eaters shot a season-best 58% for the game, and were 12-of-26 (46%) from beyond the arc. They had a season-high 23 assists on 33 made field goals.
 
Keilanei Cooper paced the Highlanders with 20 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine (12-17, 8-7 Big West) used an early 12-2 run to take a 15-6 lead at the 4:13 mark. UC Riverside then outscored the Anteaters, 15-4, over the final four minutes to go up, 21-19, at the end of the first quarter.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth to start the second period, but the 'Eaters would create some separation with seven unanswered points. They extended that into a 16-2 rally, capped by a three from Cadee, to go on top, 37-26, with 3:37 remaining. Locandro went on a personal 6-0 run in a one-minute span during that stretch. The Highlanders got back within single digits, but a triple from Talbert and a Melodie Kapinga putback gave UCI a 42-29 advantage at the half. The Anteaters played smothering defense, holding UCR to eight points on 19% from the field.
 
UC Irvine carried the momentum into the third frame as Talbert opened the scoring with a 3-pointer. The 'Eaters stayed out front by double digits and closed the quarter on a 9-3 spurt to go up, 58-42.
 
A Guglielmo trey gave UCI its largest lead of the night at 61-44 with 9:23 remaining in the fourth. UC Riverside then picked up some steam, cutting the deficit to 68-58 at the 5:11 mark. Talbert answered with a jumper before Guglielmo knocked down her third triple of the night to push the margin back to 15 (68-53).
 
The Highlanders (8-21, 4-11 Big West) bounced back once again, this time making it a nine-point game on a four-point play from Cooper, but Saiki connected from downtown on the next possession to put the game out of reach. The Anteaters went 4-for-5 from the free throw line over the final minute to seal the 86-76 win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine concludes the regular season at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at Titan Gym.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine completed the regular-season series sweep over UC Riverside.
• The 'Eaters have won four in a row and are now tied for third with Fullerton and Hawai'i in the Big West standings.
• UCI improved to 5-0 when scoring 80+ points in a game.
• All nine of UC Irvine's active players made their way into the scoring column.
• Lauren Saiki broke a 17-year old single-season school record with her first assist of the night (190).
• Saiki increased her total to 201, becoming the first Anteater in program history with 200+ assists in a season.
• She has reached double digits in assists in three of the last four games.
• Haleigh Talbert had her second 20-point game of the season, finishing one point shy of her career high.
• Sophia Locandro had 10+ points and 2+ blocks for the eighth time in the last nine outings.