UC Irvine (5-5, 2-0 Big West) at
Cal Poly (5-3, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Friday, Jan. 22
Time: 3 p.m. (PST)
Location: Mott Athletics Center (3,032) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Watch // Listen (Cal Poly Broadcast) // Live Stats // Follow on Twitter

UC Irvine (5-5, 2-0 Big West) at
Cal Poly (5-3, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 23
Time: 3 p.m. (PST)
Location: Mott Athletics Center (3,032) - San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Watch // Listen (Cal Poly Broadcast) // Live Stats // Follow on Twitter

UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team returns to Big West action this weekend when it makes the trip to San Luis Obispo for two conference games at Cal Poly, Jan. 22-23. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. at Mott Athletics Center on both days.

STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has won three of its last four games, two of which came in a Big West-opening series sweep at UCSB (Dec. 27-28).
• In their last outing, the Anteaters split a non-conference series with UC Riverside at the Bren Events Center, Jan. 8-9.
• The 'Eaters bounced back from a loss in the first meeting against the Highlanders with a thrilling 62-60 victory.
• UCI erased a five-point deficit in the final minute with Chloe Webb making the game-winning layup.
• Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams is tops on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), assists (5.0 apg) and steals (2.2 spg).
• Williams tied her collegiate best with 24 points at UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 27.
• She dished out a career-high 10 assists the next day to lead UC Irvine to a sweep of the Gauchos.
• Williams is the only player in the Big West to reach double digits in assists so far this season.
• Sophomore Sophia Locandro ranks second on the squad with 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing.
• Sophomore Chloe Webb has led the Anteaters in scoring and rebounding in each of the last three games.
• She has two double-doubles on the year and is averaging a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest.
• Sophomore Jayde Cadee has knocked down a team-high 17 3-pointers (1.7/game). 
• Senior and team captain Haleigh Talbert has missed the last five games as she has been sidelined with an injury.
• The 'Eaters have 10 returning letterwinners who accounted for over 70% of the team's rebounding, steals and blocks in 2019-20.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
On Jan. 5, Cal Poly (5-3, 1-1 BWC) announced the cancelation of its scheduled games against CSU Bakersfield and UC Riverside out of an abundance of caution with regard to COVID-19 health protocols. The Mustangs were last in action at UC San Diego, Jan. 1-2, earning a series split on the road. Abbey Ellis is tops in the conference with 22.1 points per outing, while Sierra Campisano is averaging 17.5 ppg and a team-best 10.5 rpg. Both players were named to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 37-24, but has won five of the last six meetings. The Anteaters swept the regular-season series last year before falling to the Mustangs in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Big West Tournament.
 
BIG WEST NOTABLES
In an effort to reduce travel and emphasize the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and staff in the middle of a pandemic, the Big West altered its conference schedule so that teams will play the same opponent on consecutive days at one site. It was also announced that the Big West Tournament will be played at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. All nine postseason eligible teams will compete in the 2021 championship, March 9-13.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Late heroics from Chloe Webb and Jayde Cadee helped UC Irvine erase a five-point deficit in the final minute of a thrilling 62-60 victory over UC Riverside at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 9. The Anteaters were trailing, 60-55, but a layup from Webb made it a one-possession game with 40 seconds remaining. The 'Eaters then got a defensive stop and proceeded to call a timeout with 11 ticks on the clock. They drew up a play for Cadee, and executed it to perfection as she calmly knocked down an open look from the left wing to tie it up at 60-all. UCR had a chance to reclaim the lead, but was whistled for a travel, giving UCI an opportunity to set up one more play in the final second. The home team had a little more magic left in them with Dani Guglielmo's inbound pass finding Webb under the bucket for the game-winning layup.

Webb led UC Irvine with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals. Sophia Locandro also had 13 points and five boards, while Kayla Williams finished with 10 points, seven assists and two steals.

RECORD WATCH
Senior Tahlia Garza ranks seventh in the school record books with 90 career blocks. She is 10 away from passing Chelsea Mackey and becoming the sixth Anteater in program history to record 100 blocked shots. Senior Haleigh Talbert sits just outside UCI's all-time top-10 with 93 career 3-pointers made and 114 steals. She needs 14 more threes and 36 steals to etch her name in the record books.
 
TURNOVER TALK
The 'Eaters have forced a Big West-leading 192 turnovers, and rank second in the conference with 19.2 TOs forced per game. UCI has caused 20+ miscues three times, including a season-high 26 at San Diego State on Dec. 19.
 
FIRST FIVE
UC Irvine has used seven different starting lineups through 10 games. Sophia Locandro and Kayla Williams are the only two Anteaters who have started every contest.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT MARGIN
Seven of the Anteaters' 10 games, including three of their five wins, have been decided by 10+ points. Their largest margin of victory this season is 13 which they established against Westmont College (Dec. 9) and in the second meeting at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 28).
 
OVERTIME NOTES
UC Irvine's 91-78 victory over Westmont was the program's first overtime game since Dec. 16, 2017, and its first OT win since a 74-71 triumph at Cal Poly on Feb. 18, 2017. UCI outscored the Warriors, 22-9, in the five-minute extra period.
 
TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Haleigh Talbert, Dani Guglielmo and Tahlia Garza have been selected as team captains for the 2020-21 season. The trio was part of head coach Tamara Inoue's first recruiting class and played an integral role in the program's turnaround. As freshmen in 2017-18, they helped the Anteaters to a remarkable 13-win improvement, and in 2018-19, they were key contributors in UCI's first 20-win season in 34 years.
 
SPLASH SISTERS
Jayde Cadee (17), Kayla Williams (9) and Dani Guglielmo (9) have combined to make 35 of UCI's 48 3-pointers this season. Last year, the 'Eaters established single-season school records with 224 triples and 701 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to finish second in both the Big West Preseason Coaches and Media Poll. The 'Eaters (101 points) received two first-place votes from the league's 11 head coaches to come in behind four-time defending regular-season champion UC Davis. This is the third year in a row the Anteaters were selected among the top-three in the preseason polls.
 
MAKING MOVES
Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams is tops on the squad with 13.6 points, 5.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Williams, who has reached double figures in scoring eight times, has a pair of 20-point games as she registered 24 in an overtime victory vs. Westmont and in a Big West road win at UCSB (Dec. 27). Against the Warriors, the Los Angeles native went 9-for-12 from the foul line in the five-minute extra period, and finished the evening with 14 free throws made on 20 attempts, both of which rank among the top-three in single-game school history. Williams also dished out a career-high 10 assists in a 69-56 win over the Gauchos on Dec. 28. The 5-foot-7 point guard made her Anteater debut on Nov. 28, marking her first official competition since her high school career ended on Feb. 27, 2019 (21 months).
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TIME
Sophomore Chloe Webb (San Diego) has a team-leading two double-doubles this year. Her first of the season, and of her career, came against Westmont College on Dec. 9, when she put up 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The 5-foot-8 guard was the first 'Eater with 15 boards in a game since Nov. 17, 2016. She recorded her second double-double at UCSB on Dec. 27, finishing with 12 points and 10 boards. Webb has led UC Irvine in scoring and rebounding in each of the last three contests. On the season, she is averaging 10.0 points and a team-best 7.4 boards per outing. She is shooting 47% from the field (33-for-71).
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Sophomore Jayde Cadee (Melbourne, Australia) has knocked down a team-leading 17 3-pointers through 10 games. She made five threes for a season-high 15 points at San Diego State on Dec. 19. It was her 16th career game with multiple triples. Cadee recently snapped an 0-for-14 slump from beyond the arc by making the game-tying trey with three seconds on the clock in a 62-60 win over UC Riverside. Last year, Cadee tied a UCI single-game record with eight threes at Long Beach State, and finished the campaign with 59 3-pointers, which ranks fifth in single-season program history.
 
BACK TO BUSINESS
Sophomore Sophia Locandro, a 2019-20 All-Big West honorable mention selection, has continued to lead the Anteaters on the court this year. The 6-foot-3 forward ranks second on the squad with 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. She has reached double figures in scoring in six of 10 games played with a season-high 20 points vs. Saint Mary's on Dec. 16. Locandro went 8-for-15 from the field and was 4-of-5 at the free throw line against the Gaels for her seventh career 20-point performance. The Australia native also pulled down a career-high tying 11 rebounds at UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 27. Earlier in December, Locandro was named the Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her effort at LMU (Dec. 3), where she put up 14 points and a team-high eight boards, six of which came on the offensive end.
 
FRESHMEN IMPACT
True freshmen Victoria Baker and Caiyle Kaupu have both made an immediate impact in their short time at UC Irvine. Kaupu is averaging 7.2 ppg and is shooting 50% from the field. She had 10 points in just her fourth collegiate game at UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 28, before topping that with 11 points vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8. Baker, who erupted for a season-high 17 points (6-10 FG) in a win at San Diego State, is also averaging 3.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 10 games played.
 
HEART OVER HEIGHT
Senior Haleigh Talbert (Euless, Texas) has been one of the Anteaters' most consistent all-around players over the last few years, and the 5-foot-4 guard continued to put up solid numbers to start the 2020-21 campaign before being sidelined with an injury. Through four games, she was averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, but has not played since Dec. 19. Prior to her injury, Talbert had played in 97 consecutive games.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center to host Hawai'i in Big West Conference action, Jan. 29-30.