UC Riverside (1-4, 0-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (4-4, 2-0 Big West)
Date: Friday, Jan. 8
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Riverside (1-4, 0-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (4-4, 2-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 9
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team, which saw its weekend road series at UC Davis canceled due to Yolo County health orders, has added two non-conference home games against fellow Big West member UC Riverside on Jan. 8 and 9. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. on both days.

The contests will not count toward the teams' league records, and they are still slated to meet in their regularly scheduled conference series, Feb. 12-13.

Per the direction of the Big West Board of Directors, UCI will play without spectators in attendance. The issue of fan attendance will be revisited as the season progresses.

STORYLINES
• UC Irvine was last in action on Dec. 27 and 28 when it earned back-to-back wins at UC Santa Barbara to open Big West play.
• It was the Anteaters' second 2-0 Big West start in the last three years.
• The 'Eaters swept their regular-season series with UC Riverside last year.
• If they take both games this weekend, they will match their longest win streak in the all-time series.
• Six of UCI's eight games this year have been decided by 10+ points.
• Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams is tops on the team in scoring (15.0 ppg), assists (5.1 apg) and steals (2.4 spg).
• Williams tied her season high with 24 points in the first meeting at UCSB on Dec. 27.
• She dished out a career-best 10 assists the next day to lead UC Irvine to a sweep of the Gauchos.
• Williams had previously put up 24 points in an overtime win vs. Westmont College on Dec. 9.
• Sophomore Sophia Locandro ranks second on the squad with 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per outing.
• Locandro had her first 20-point performance of the season, and seventh of her career, vs. Saint Mary's on Dec. 16.
• Sophomore Chloe Webb has two double-doubles in seven games played.
• In the Anteaters' conference-opening series at UCSB, Webb averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds.
• Sophomore Jayde Cadee has knocked down a team-high 16 3-pointers (2.0/game).
• She recently saw a streak of 16 consecutive games played with at least one three made come to an end at UCSB on Dec. 28.
• Seniors Haleigh Talbert and Alexus Seaton were both sidelined with an injury in UCI's last three games.
• Sophomore Melodie Kapinga has also been out since scoring a career-high 12 points against Westmont (Dec. 9).
• The 'Eaters have 10 returning letterwinners who accounted for over 70% of the team's rebounding, steals and blocks in 2019-20.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (1-4, 0-2 Big West) is on a three-game losing streak after dropping its Big West-opening series at Long Beach State where it fell 74-44 on Dec. 27 and 71-66 on Dec. 29. The Highlanders then had their next four games against UC Davis and Hawai'i canceled. Senior Keilanei Cooper, a Big West Coaches' Preseason All-Conference selection, has paced UCR with 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 steals per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Riverside, 40-22, but won both meetings last year. The Anteaters defeated the Highlanders, 77-53, in Riverside and 86-76 in their final home game of the 2019-20 campaign. Sophia Locandro averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the two wins, while Haleigh Talbert added 17.0 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
 
BIG WEST UPDATES
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 recently 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
UC Irvine completed its first regular-season series sweep of UC Santa Barbara since 2015 with back-to-back wins at The Thunderdome, Dec. 27 and 28. The Anteaters opened Big West play with a 64-60 victory over the Gauchos. Kayla Williams led the way with a season-high 24 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Chloe Webb also registered her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, while Sophia Locandro chipped in nine points and a career-high tying 11 rebounds.
 
The following day, UCI ran away with a 69-56 win. Webb notched a season-high 17 points, and Tahlia Garza went 8-for-10 from the field to match her career high with 16 points. Williams led all players with 10 assists.
 
The 'Eaters outrebounded the Gauchos both nights and finished with a combined 90-69 advantage on the boards.

HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UCI is 31-14 (.689) at the Bren Events Center. The 31 home victories in three-plus seasons tie the combined total from the previous six campaigns (2011-17).
 
DOUBLE DIGIT MARGIN
Six of the Anteaters' eight games, including three of their four 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.
 
FIRST FIVE
UC Irvine has used six different starting lineups through eight games. In their Big West-opening series, the 'Eaters used the same starting lineup in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Sophia Locandro and Kayla Williams are the only two Anteaters who have started every contest.
 
TURNOVER TALK
The 'Eaters have forced a Big West-leading 156 turnovers (19.5/game). They have caused 20+ miscues in three of their last four outings, including a season-high 26 at San Diego State on Dec. 19.
 
SPLASH SISTERS
UC Irvine is averaging 5.5 threes made per game. Jayde Cadee (16), Kayla Williams (8) and Dani Guglielmo (7) have led the way from the perimeter, combining for 31 of UCI's 44 3-pointers this season. In 2019-20, the 'Eaters established single-season school records with 224 triples and 701 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
RECORD WATCH
Senior Tahlia Garza ranks seventh in the school record books with 88 career blocks. She is 12 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.

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 15.0 points, 5.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game. Williams, who has reached double figures in scoring in all but one contest, has two 20-point games, registering a season-high 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 in seven games played. 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. On the season, Webb is averaging 9.0 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per outing. She is shooting 47% from the field (23-for-49).
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Sophomore Jayde Cadee (Melbourne, Australia) has knocked down a team-leading 16 3-pointers through eight 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. Last year, Cadee tied a UCI single-game record with eight treys 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 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, while she is also averaging a team-best 1.0 blocks per contest. She has reached double figures in scoring in five of eight 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. Baker, who erupted for a season-high 17 points (6-10 FG) in a win at San Diego State, is averaging 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in eight games played. Kaupu has also put up 6.0 ppg, while shooting 53% from the field. She reached double figures with 10 points in just her fourth collegiate game at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 28).
 
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 as she is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. Talbert increased her offensive production over the first three games, finishing with seven points vs. California Baptist, 15 at LMU and 16 in an overtime victory against Westmont. She then missed the first games of her career as she was sidelined with an injury against Saint Mary's (Dec. 16), at San Diego (Dec. 20) and at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 27-28).
 
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.