Cal State Fullerton (2-14, 1-11 Big West) at
UC Irvine (9-6, 7-2 Big West)
Date: Friday, Feb. 19
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN3 // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats // Follow on Twitter

Cal State Fullerton (2-14, 1-11 Big West) at
UC Irvine (9-6, 7-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 20
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch on ESPN3 // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats // Follow on Twitter

UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is back in action this weekend, welcoming Cal State Fullerton to the Bren Events Center for a pair of Big West games, Feb. 19-20. Both contests are scheduled for a 4 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Per state, local and university guidelines, spectators will not be permitted at this time.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine was last in action Feb. 5-6, splitting two conference games at CSU Bakersfield.
• The series-opening loss snapped a season-long four-game win streak.
• UCI was off last weekend after its originally scheduled series against UC Riverside on Feb. 12-13 was canceled.
• With the cancelation, the Anteaters' previous games vs. the Highlanders (Jan. 8-9) will now count in the conference standings.
• That puts them at 7-2 in Big West play for the second time in head coach Tamara Inoue's five-year tenure (2017-18).
• The 'Eaters are third in the Big West as their .778 win percentage is behind UC Davis (6-0) and Long Beach State (10-2).
• Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams has scored 20+ points in three of her last four outings.
• Over the last four games, she is averaging 22.0 points, while shooting 50% overall, 54% from downtown and 78% at the FT line.
• She had a career-high 32 points at Cal Poly where she went 7-for-11 from 3-point range.
• Her 32 points are tied for 11th in single-game school history, and her seven made threes are tied for third.
• Sophomore Chloe Webb owns a team-best three double-doubles, and leads UC Irvine with 7.4 rebounds per game.
• She pulled down a career-best 15 boards against Westmont on Dec. 9.
• Sophomore Sophia Locandro ranks second on the team with 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per outing.
• Senior Haleigh Talbert has put up 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last three games.
• Four players have made at least 10 threes this year, led by Williams' team-best 23 triples.
• In 2019-20, the 'Eaters set single-season school records with 224 3FG made and 701 3FG attempted.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (2-14, 1-11 Big West) earned a split against Cal Poly last weekend, snapping a seven-game losing streak with a 65-49 win in the second meeting with the Mustangs. Amiee Book leads the Titans with 14.9 points per contest but has not played since Jan. 23 due to injury. Carolyn Gill is averaging 8.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg, while Joy Krupa has registered a team-best 7.8 rebounds per outing.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 42-39. The Anteaters have won six of their last seven meetings with the Titans including a regular-season series sweep last year.
 
FOR THE RECORD
UC Irvine and UC Riverside made a mutual decision, with the approval of the Big West, to cancel their originally scheduled series on Feb. 12-13. The two teams previously met in January as they split two games that were added during a common off week (Jan. 8-9). The results of those contests, which had been designated as non-conference, will now count toward the Big West standings, putting UCI in third at 7-2.
 
BIG WEST TOURNEY MOVES TO VEGAS
In late December, the conference office announced it will be moving this year's Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament to 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 made the adjustments it needed to earn a series split with a dominant 63-42 victory at CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, Feb. 6. It was the Anteaters' largest margin of victory this season and the fewest points they have given up against a Division I opponent since a 43-39 win at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 16, 2013. Chloe Webb led the way with a game-high 13 points and seven rebounds. Kayla Williams also finished with 12 points, five boards, three assists and a career-best five steals. Haleigh Talbert notched her third-straight double-figure scoring game with 10 points as she was 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Alexus Seaton pulled down a season-high six rebounds, while Melodie Kapinga contributed four boards in six minutes played.
 
FIRST FIVE
UC Irvine, which used seven different starting lineups in its first 10 games, has found a winning recipe of late. Over the last six contests where they are 5-1, the Anteaters have put the same first five on the court - Sophia Locandro, Alexus Seaton, Kayla Williams Dani Guglielmo and Chloe Webb. Locandro and Williams are the only two 'Eaters who have started every game this season.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT MARGIN
Ten of the Anteaters' 15 games, including six of their nine wins, have been decided by 10+ points. Their largest margin of victory this season is 21, which they established in their second meeting at CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 6).
 
HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UCI is 33-15 (.688) at the Bren Events Center. The 33 home victories in three-plus seasons are more than the combined total from the previous six campaigns (2011-17).
 
TURNOVER TALK
The Anteaters have forced a Big West-leading 19.7 turnovers per game. UCI has caused 17+ miscues in 12-straight outings, with 20+ in each of the last three contests. They forced a season-high 26 turnovers at SDSU (Dec. 19).
 
WORKING OVERTIME
After two seasons without an overtime game, the 'Eaters have gone to an extra period twice this year. It is the first time they have had multiple OT games since 2014-15, and multiple OT wins since 2013-14. UC Irvine has fared well this year as it is 2-0 in overtime games, while outscoring its opponents, 37-15, in the five-minute extra period.
 
RECORD WATCH
Senior Tahlia Garza ranks seventh in the school record books with 95 blocks. She is five away from passing Chelsea Mackey (99) and becoming the sixth Anteater in program history to record 100 career blocked shots. Senior Haleigh Talbert sits just outside UCI's all-time top-10 with 98 career 3-pointers made. She needs nine more threes to etch her name in the record books.
 
WINNING WAYS
UCI is on pace for its fourth-straight season with at least 13 wins. From 2017-20, the 'Eaters went 51-43, marking the program's best three-year stretch since 1983-86.
 
BIG WEST LEADERBOARD
Through nine Big West games, redshirt freshman Kayla Williams ranks among the league's top-five in scoring (2nd, 16.7 ppg), steals (2nd, 2.7 spg) and assists (4th, 4.7 apg). She earned her first career Big West Player of the Week award after dropping a career-high 32 points on 10-of-22 shooting (7-11 3FG) in the second of back-to-back wins at Cal Poly. The Los Angeles native also finished with 24 points at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 28), 24 at CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 5) and 20 vs. Hawai'i (Jan. 29). In addition, Williams was the first of three players in the Big West with a double-digit assist game this year as she dished out a career-best 10 dimes against the Gauchos on Dec. 27.
 
MAKING MOVES
Overall, Williams is tops on the squad with 16.0 points, 4.6 assists and 2.7 steals per contest. She has 13 double-figure scoring games and five 20-plus point performances, including in three of the last four outings. Her career-high 32 points are tied for 11th in single-game school history, while her seven triples are tied for third. 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).
 
FREE THROW RECORDS
In the first game at CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 5), Williams was a perfect 11-for-11 at the free throw line. It was the first time an 'Eater did not miss a free throw with at least 10 attempts since 2011. She also ranks among the top-three in UCI's single-game history with her 14 free throws made and 20 free throws attempted in a 24-point performance against Westmont College on Dec. 9. Williams is shooting 74% (69-93) at the charity stripe this season.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TIME
Sophomore Chloe Webb (San Diego) has a team-leading three 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 also recorded 12 points/10 boards at UCSB on Dec. 27, and 14 points/11 boards at Cal Poly on Jan. 22. Webb has led UC Irvine in rebounding in seven of the last eight contests. On the season, she is averaging 10.1 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per outing. She is shooting 46% from the field (51-for-112).
 
HEART OVER HEIGHT
Senior Haleigh Talbert (Euless, Texas) has been one of the Anteaters' most consistent all-around players over the last few years as she is the team's active career leader in points (728), assists (172) and steals (120). The 5-foot-4 guard has continued to put up solid numbers in 2020-21 with 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals in nine games played. She missed a month of competition with an injury, snapping a streak of 97 consecutive games played. Talbert has started to find her rhythm again after her return to the court on Jan. 22 as she has reached double figures in scoring and pulled down at least four rebounds in each of the last three games.

BACK TO BUSINESS
Sophomore Sophia Locandro, a 2019-20 All-Big West honorable mention selection, has continued to be a key presence on the court for the 'Eaters this year. The 6-foot-3 forward ranks second on the squad with 10.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. She has reached double figures in scoring eight times 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 (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.
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Despite hitting a bit of a slump from beyond the arc recently, sophomore Jayde Cadee (Melbourne, Australia) still ranks second on the squad with 20 3-pointers made. Cadee, who has 17 career games with multiple treys, tied a UCI single-game record with eight at Long Beach State last year, and finished the 2019-20 campaign with 59 3-pointers, which ranks fifth in single-season program history.
 
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.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will head south next weekend to take on UC San Diego, one of the newest members of the Big West. The Anteaters and Tritons are set to square off at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, and Saturday, Feb. 27.