UC Irvine Prepares for Saturday Showdown with San Diego

Saturday, December 11

Irvine, Calif.

2:00 PM

UC Irvine

San Diego

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UC Irvine Prepares for Saturday Showdown with San Diego

December 08, 2021 | Women's Basketball

San Diego (6-2) at
UC Irvine (4-3)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 11
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is back in action this weekend with its final home game of the 2021 calendar year. The Anteaters are set to host the University of San Diego in a 2 p.m. tilt at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Dec. 11.

In accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health, UC Irvine Athletics is requiring fans in attendance (ages 2 and older) at all indoor home events to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before the event starts. In addition, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask while indoors at UCI facilities unless actively eating or drinking.

UCI Athletics is utilizing mobile ticketing and a clear bag policy for all 2021-22 home games.

STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters will play five of their six games in the month of December on the road.
• UCI is coming off a nine-point loss (78-69) at Pac-12 member USC last Thursday, Dec. 2.
• Kayla Williams led the Anteaters with 17 points for her fifth-straight double-figure scoring performance.
• On the season, Williams is averaging a team-best 12.7 ppg.
• She is also tops on the squad in FG made (31), 3FG made (12), assists (28) and steals (19).
• UC Irvine won its last two home games (Nov. 26 & 28), improving to 4-1 at the Bren Events Center this season.
• Since 2017-18, the Anteaters own a 40-17 home record.
• The 'Eaters have a +10.6 scoring margin as three of their four wins have been by double figures.
• All three of UCI's losses have also been by single digits with its largest defeat coming at USC last week.
• Over the last two games, Naomi Hunt is averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, while shooting 42% from the field.
• Hunt had her first double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 12 boards in a win over Sacramento State.
• Sophia Locandro (10) and Tara Dusharm (7) have combined for 17 of the team's 31 blocks.
• Locandro has registered at least one block in six outings with a career-high tying four at California Baptist.
• Dusharm has registered multiple blocks three times.
• As of Dec. 7, UC Irvine ranked 43rd in all of NCAA Division I in scoring offense (76.7 ppg).
• The Anteaters have scored 80+ points three times, including a program-record 114 in a season-opening win over Westcliff.
• The 'Eaters have forced 16+ turnovers in five of their seven contests (17.9/gm).
• UCI has used the same starting lineup in all seven games.

SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego improved to 6-2 overall, and 3-1 on the road, with an 83-70 overtime win at CSUN on Sunday (Dec. 5). USD was receiving votes in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Poll, coming in at No. 28. Steph Gorman leads the Toreros with 12.0 points and 3.9 assists per game. Sydney Hunter is also averaging 8.9 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds. Cindy Fisher is in her 17th year at the helm of the San Diego program where she owns a 300-197 record.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with San Diego, 17-13. The two teams last met on Dec. 20, 2020, with the Toreros earning the 75-56 home win. UCI will be looking to snap a three-game skid against USD.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine put itself in position for an upset at Pac-12 member USC, but was unable to close it out in the fourth quarter, falling 78-69 last Thursday at the Galen Center. The Anteaters were up by two early in the final frame and were locked in a 61-61 tie with 6:25 remaining before the Trojans went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to pull out the win. Kayla Williams led the 'Eaters with 17 points and three assists. Chloe Webb also had 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Naomi Hunt added 13 points and four boards. Sophia Locandro chipped in nine points and six rebounds.

RECEIVING VOTES
UC Irvine continued to receive votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll (Dec. 7). 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.

HOME & AWAY
After playing five of their six games in the month of November within the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center, the 'Eaters will now hit the road for four of their final five non-conference contests. UCI is 4-1 at home, and 0-2 on the road this year. Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 40-17 (.702) at the Bren Events Center.

WINNING WAYS
UC Irvine increased its win total in each of head coach Tamara Inoue's first three years at the helm, culminating with the program's third 20-win campaign in 2018-19. In five-plus seasons, including last year's shortened schedule, Inoue already ranks third in program history with 75 victories. The 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year is 11 wins away from tying Mark Adams (86) for second.

THE TURNAROUND
Prior to Inoue's arrival in 2016-17, UC Irvine had 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.

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. Last year, Williams was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors after averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI ranks first in the Big West in scoring offense (76.7 ppg), free throw percentage (.754), 3-point FG percentage (.343) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.15). The 'Eaters are also among the top-75 in the nation in all four categories.

BENCH PRODUCTION
Through the first seven games, UC Irvine has outscored its opponents, 217-84, in bench points. All 15 Anteaters have made their way into the scoring column, nine have at least one double-figure scoring game, and eight are averaging at least 4.0 points per outing.

TURNOVER TALK
The Anteaters have forced 16+ turnovers in five of seven contests (17.9/gm), with a season-high 24 at California Baptist on Nov. 20. Since 2016-17, they have forced 18.0 turnovers per game and have consistently been one of the top teams in the Big West in that category.

DOUBLE DUTY
Three different 'Eaters have a double-double on the young season. Melodie Kapinga had the first of the year 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, while Naomi Hunt recently had 17 points and 12 rebounds vs. Sacramento State (Nov. 28).

IRON WOMEN
Sophia Locandro and Jayde Cadee are tied for the team lead with 62 consecutive games played. The two Australians have not missed a contest since their arrival in Irvine in 2019-20. Locandro, a 6-foot-3 forward, is the team's active UCI career leader in points (648), rebounds (316) and blocks (68). Cadee, meanwhile, surpassed 100 career 3-pointers made with the first of her three triples at California Baptist on Nov. 20. The 5-foot-10 guard, who has 24 career games with multiple threes made, previously tied a single-game program record with eight 3-pointers at Long Beach State on Feb. 20, 2020.

RECORD WATCH
With 10 blocks this season, Sophia Locandro has increased her career total to 68, 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 104 career triples sitting three behind 2020 graduate Lauren Saiki (107).

SCORING MACHINE
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 24 of 30 career games played with six 20+ point performances. She has increased her season average to 12.7 ppg after scoring 10+ in each of the last five outings, including a season-high 20 at California Baptist. Williams also has a streak of 21 consecutive games played with at least one 3-pointer made. She owns a career high of 32 points which she established at Cal Poly on Jan. 23, 2021.

ON THE HUNT
Naomi Hunt has reached double figures in scoring in each of the last two games with a season-high 17 points against Sacramento State and 15 points at USC. She shot 42% from the field, while knocking down six 3-pointers during that stretch. In her career (including three years at Long Beach State), Hunt has registered 857 points, 327 rebounds, 99 steals and 88 assists.

OPENING NIGHT
For the seventh-straight year, UCI started the campaign at home, and won its fourth opener in the last five seasons with a 114-53 victory over Westcliff on Nov. 9. The 114 points were a program record, breaking the previous mark of 107, which was set back in 1979 and matched in 2018. Of the five 100-point games in school history, four have come in the Tamara Inoue era. The 'Eaters also tied a 39-year old school record with 30 assists (on 43 made field goals) against the Warriors.

BACK TO WORK
Despite losing five seniors to graduation, UC Irvine welcomes back eight 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).

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
UC Irvine begins a five-game road stretch at San Jose State on Wednesday, Dec. 15.