UC Irvine (2-1) at
California Baptist University (1-1)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 20
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: CBU Events Center (5,050) - Riverside, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team heads to California Baptist on Saturday, Nov. 20, for its first road game of the season. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the CBU Events Center, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
STORYLINES
• The Anteaters kicked off the 2021-22 campaign with three games in six days.
• They finished the season-opening homestand with a 2-1 record, defeating Westcliff and Southern Utah before falling to SDSU.
• UCI established a single-game program record with 114 points in the season-opening win over Westcliff.
• That broke the previous mark of 107, which was originally set back in 1979, and matched in 2018.
• The 'Eaters also tied a 39-year old school record with 30 assists (on 43 made field goals).
• True freshman Olivia Williams leads the squad in scoring (10.3 ppg), 3-pointers made (6) and 3FG percentage (54.5).
• Melodie Kapinga and Chloe Webb both had a double-double to start the year.
• Kapinga recorded the first of the season, and of her career, with 11 points/10 rebounds vs. Westcliff.
• Webb notched her sixth career double-double with 14 points/13 rebounds against Southern Utah.
• Webb, a 2021 All-Big West honorable mention selection, is averaging 10.0 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per outing.
• She is also tops on the squad in field goal percentage at 59.1% (13-22).

SCOUTING THE LANCERS
California Baptist (1-1) is ranked eighth in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll. The Lancers opened their season with a 62-59 win at UC Riverside (Nov. 9), before falling at No. 15 Oregon State, 80-72, on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Caitlyn Harper leads the team with 21.5 points per game, while Georgia Dale is averaging a double-double with 12.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per outing.
 
CBU is the defending Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2021 WNIT. The Lancers, who are in the fourth and final year of their NCAA Division I transition period, welcome back 12 letterwinners from last year's squad. They were picked as the favorites to win the 2021-22 WAC regular-season, with Ane Olaeta being tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine and California Baptist met for the first time last year with the Lancers taking the 72-55 win in Irvine (Nov. 28, 2021). Ane Olaeta led CBU with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and seven steals, while Sophia Locandro and Kayla Williams paced UCI, tying for a team high with 11 points each.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The 'Eaters (88 points) received one first-place vote from the league's 11 head coaches to come in behind five-time defending regular-season champion UC Davis, which was tabbed the preseason favorite with nine first-place votes and 99 total points. This is the fourth year in a row the Anteaters were selected among the top-three in the Big West Preseason Poll.
 
Third-year freshman Kayla Williams was selected to the six-member Preseason All-Big West Team by both the coaches and the media. Last year, Williams was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors. The 5-foot-7 guard averaged a team-best 14.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.
 
RECEIVING VOTES
UC Irvine was receiving votes in the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll that was released on Nov. 16. The Anteaters were last featured in the mid-major rankings in 2018-19 when they rose to as high as No. 15 in the nation.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Playing its third game in six days, UC Irvine suffered its first loss, falling to San Diego State, 68-60, Sunday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters finished the afternoon shooting an uncharacteristic 28% overall and 15% from beyond the arc. Despite their offensive struggles, they were able to keep it close by scoring 19 points off 19 SDSU turnovers, while also going a season-best 20-of-25 at the free throw line. Kayla Williams, Olivia Williams and Chloe Webb tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece.
 
OPENING NIGHT
UC Irvine started the campaign at home for the seventh-straight year. The Anteaters won their fourth opener in the last five seasons with a 114-53 victory over Westcliff on Nov. 9.
 
WINNING WAYS
Since 2017-18, the 'Eaters have registered 68 wins, marking the program's best four-year stretch since 1983-87 (69). They have finished above .500 three times in head coach Tamara Inoue's five full seasons.
 
THE TURNAROUND
Prior to head coach Tamara Inoue's arrival in 2016-17, UC Irvine had just two winning seasons in 15 years. But, ever since Inoue's first campaign with her own recruits in 2017-18, the 'Eaters have been on the rise. That 2017-18 squad put together the second-best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I as they posted 18 wins after finishing with just five in 2016-17. The following year, the Anteaters notched the program's first 20-win season since 1985. In 2020-21, they also advanced to the Big West championship game for the first time in 24 years. UCI has placed among the top-three in the conference standings three times under Inoue.
 
HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 38-17 (.691) at the Bren Events Center. The 38 home victories in four-plus seasons are more than the combined total from the previous six campaigns (2011-17).
 
SPREADING THE WEALTH
UC Irvine has shown its depth early in the season, with nearly half of its points coming off the bench. Through the first three games, the Anteaters have a lopsided 121-40 advantage in bench points. All 15 'Eaters have scored with 13 averaging at least 4.0 ppg. Olivia Williams leads the way at 10.3 ppg, while Chloe Webb is second at 10.0 ppg.
 
HELPING HAND
In a 114-53 win over Westcliff (Nov. 9), UC Irvine dished out 30 assists on 43 made field goals. The 30 helpers tied a program record that was set during the 1982-83 season. This year, they are averaging 18.0 assists per outing, and are led by Kayla Williams (4.7 apg) and Nikki Tom (3.3 apg), who have combined for 24 of the team's 54 dimes.
 
DOUBLE DUTY
The Anteaters produced two double-doubles last week. Melodie Kapinga had the first of the season with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in 13 minutes against Westcliff (Nov. 9). Chloe Webb followed with 14 points and 13 boards for her sixth career double-double in a win over Southern Utah on Nov. 11. Webb is averaging 10.0 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds per outing.
 
BACK TO WORK
Despite losing five seniors to graduation, UC Irvine welcomes back eight returning letterwinners, including its top-three scorers from a year ago in Kayla Williams (14.4 ppg), Chloe Webb (12.2 ppg) and Sophia Locandro (10.1 ppg). Williams was named the 2021 Big West Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors, while Webb received an honorable mention nod.
 
JOINING THE CREW
The Anteaters bring in a group of seven newcomers in 2021-22. UCI has five true freshmen - Hunter Hernandez, Déja Lee, Amelia Scharpf, Nikki Tom and Olivia Williams - while adding some experience with grad transfers Tara Dusharm (Pepperdine) and Naomi Hunt (Long Beach State).
 
TURNOVER TALK
The 'Eaters forced 16+ turnovers in each of their first three contests (18.3/gm), with a season-high 20 vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 11. They have averaged at least 15.0 turnovers forced per game every year since Tamara Inoue took over the program in 2016-17. They led the Big West in that category in three of Inoue's five seasons at the helm with averages of 18.6 TO's forced per game in 2020-21, 19.9 in 2018-19 and 20.3 in 2017-18.
 
RECORD WATCH
With four blocks this season, Sophia Locandro has increased her career total to 62, which puts her in sole possession of 10th all-time at UC Irvine. Jayde Cadee is also on the verge of breaking into UCI's all-time top-10 in 3-pointers made with her 99 career triples sitting just eight behind 2020 graduate Lauren Saiki (107).
 
SCORING MACHINE
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 20 of her 26 career games played. As a redshirt freshman last year, she ranked among the best in the Big West in scoring (6th, 14.4 ppg), assists (3rd, 4.1 apg) and steals (2nd, 2.6 spg). In the second of back-to-back wins at Cal Poly (Jan. 23, 2021), Williams dropped a career-high 32 points on 10-of-22 shooting (7-11 3FG). Her 32 points are T-11th in single-game school history, while her seven triples are T-3rd.
 
YEAR THREE
Sophia Locandro is UCI's active career leader with 613 points, 299 rebounds and 62 blocks. The 6-foot-3 forward is a two-time Big West Player of the Week, and garnered all-conference recognition as a freshman in 2019-20.
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Jayde Cadee is the Anteaters' active career leader in 3-pointers made (99). As a freshman, she knocked down a team-leading 59 triples, which ranks fifth in single-season school history. The 5-foot-10 guard, who has 23 career games with multiple threes made, also tied a single-game program record with eight 3-pointers at Long Beach State on Feb. 20, 2020.
 
TAKE TWO
The NCAA's Division I Council voted to give eligibility relief to winter-sport athletes regardless of how many games they played during the 2020-21 academic year. Those athletes now have the opportunity to play five seasons within a six-year span rather than the typical four seasons in five years. For the Anteaters, Kayla Williams, Victoria Baker and Caiyle Kaupu are all in their second year on the court, but are still considered freshmen eligibility-wise. Chloe Webb, Jayde Cadee and Sophia Locandro are also third-year student-athletes listed as sophomores.
 
MITTY CONNECTION
UC Irvine has three true freshmen who were teammates at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. Hunter Hernandez, Amelia Scharpf and Olivia Williams helped the Monarchs to four league championships and three CIF Central Coast Section titles. They also won the 2020 Nor Cal Championship and advanced to the state championship before the game was canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, associate head coach Cecilia Russell-Nava is a Mitty alum, while recent UCI graduates Dani Guglielmo and Tahlia Garza were also Monarchs.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
UC Irvine has three international student-athletes in Jayde Cadee, Sophia Locandro and Déja Lee. Lee, a freshman from Surrey, British Columbia, was one of the top-ranked 2021 prospects in Canada. She competed with the Canadian National Team at the 2021 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup (5th) and the 2019 FIBA U16 Americas Championship (2nd). Cadee and Locandro both hail from Melbourne, Australia, where they won national titles with the Victoria Metro State team. In addition, freshman Olivia Williams, who has dual citizenship, has competed with the New Zealand National Team, winning silver at the 2019 FIBA U17 Women's Oceania Championship.
 
EMPOWERED WOMEN EMPOWER WOMEN
UCI women's basketball has an all-female staff with head coach Tamara Inoue, associate head coach Cecilia Russell-Nava, assistants Jualeah Woods and Cinnamon Lister, and Director of Operations Tyler Ellis. All five played Division I basketball and have made it to the NCAA Tournament as a player and/or coach. In addition, Tayyiba Haneef-Park, a three-time Olympian and two-time silver medalist with the U.S. Women's Indoor Volleyball Team, is in her fourth year as the program's Director of Administration.
 
UP NEXT
The Anteaters are back home next weekend, hosting the UCI Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 26-28. They will face Illinois State on Friday (Nov. 26) and Sacramento State on Sunday (Nov. 28).