Big West Tournament Semifinals
No. 2 UC Irvine (14-8, 11-4 Big West) vs.
No. 6 Cal Poly (13-10, 8-8 Big West)
Date: Friday, March 12
Time: 3 p.m. (PST)
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena (12,000) - Las Vegas, Nev.
Watch on ESPN3 // Listen on KUCI // Live Stats

UC Irvine Game Notes

LAS VEGAS - UC Irvine women's basketball continues its postseason journey against Cal Poly in the semifinals of the Air Force Reserve Big West Championships, presented by The Hawaiian Islands, Friday, March 12, at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The second-seeded Anteaters will square off against No. 6 seed Cal Poly at 3 p.m.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine is making its eighth overall appearance in the Big West semifinals, and second in the last three seasons.
• The Anteaters advanced with a 92-90 win over No. 7 seed UC Santa Barbara in Wednesday's quarterfinal round.
• It was the first time in Big West Tournament history that two teams scored 90+ points in a single game.
• The 'Eaters also established postseason program-records in points (92), field goals made (33) and FG% (55.9).
• UCI's 11 Big West regular-season victories were tied for first in the league this year, and tied for second in school history.
• UC Irvine reached double-digit wins in conference play for the fifth time in program history.
• Two of those seasons have come under 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year Tamara Inoue.
• The Anteaters locked up their highest Big West Tournament seed since 1998.
• They are 5-4 in their fifth tournament appearance as the second seed.
• This is the second-straight year UCI has placed among the top-two in the conference standings.
• In 2019-20, they tied for second, but earned the three seed due to a tiebreaker.
• Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams is UC Irvine's third Big West Freshman of the Year, and first since 2018.
• She ranks among the top-15 freshmen in all of NCAA Division I in assist average (T-7th) and scoring average (13th).
• Sophomore Chloe Webb, an All-Big West honorable mention pick, has scored 20+ points in two of her last three outings.
• In two career Big West Tournament games, sophomore Jayde Cadee has made 11 3-pointers (5.5/gm).
• She finished with five in the win over UCSB, and had six triples in last year's quarterfinal loss to Cal Poly.
 
WITH A WIN...
• UC Irvine would advance to the Big West championship game for the fifth time in program history, and first since 1997.
• The Anteaters would face the winner of No. 1 UC Davis/No. 5 Hawai'i Saturday at 5 p.m.
 
BIG WEST NOTABLES
Despite tying for the conference lead with 11 Big West victories, UC Irvine finished second in the regular-season standings based on win percentage. The Anteaters earned the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament for the fifth time in program history, and first since 1998, when they were second in the West Division. The 'Eaters are 5-4 all-time when playing as the No. 2 seed. UC Irvine is making its 32nd Big West Tournament appearance in its 38th year as a member of the conference.
 
This is the first time the Big West Tournament is being held outside the state of California since 2000 (Reno, Nev.), and the first time it is in Las Vegas since 1995, when the Anteaters won their first and only conference title to date.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE DISTINCTION
Kayla Williams earned multiple postseason honors as she was a first-team All-Big West and All-Freshman Team selection, while also becoming the third Big West Freshman of the Year in program history (first since 2018). She is UCI's first freshman to receive first-team all-conference honors. The 5-foot-7 point guard finished the regular season ranked first in the league in steals (2.7), second in assists (4.5 apg) and third in scoring (14.8 ppg). This is the fourth year in a row the 'Eaters have had a representative on the six-member All-Big West First Team.
 
Sophomore Chloe Webb, who missed the 2019-20 conference season with an injury, garnered her first postseason accolades with an All-Big West honorable mention nod. Webb ranks first in the league in field goal percentage (48.6%), seventh in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and 15th in scoring (11.6 ppg).
 
COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Tamara Inoue, who is in her fifth season at the helm, was voted Big West co-Coach of the Year. She is the second head coach in program history to win the award, joining Colleen Matsuhara (1995) in elite company. Despite a unique and challenging season with the pandemic, Inoue continued to forge a path forward for the Anteaters, leading them to a second-place Big West finish and their highest tournament seed in 24 years. Her team's 11 regular-season conference wins tied for second most in school history. She has also led the 'Eaters to their second Big West semifinal appearance in three years after the team advanced to the semis just once in the 10 seasons prior to her arrival.

HOW WE GOT HERE
UC Irvine advanced to the Big West semifinals with a 92-90 quarterfinal win over No. 7 seed UC Santa Barbara. The Anteaters showed their grit and resilience as they fought back from a 12-point deficit in the first half and overcame a conference tournament record 18 3-pointers from the Gauchos. The 'Eaters held their own from beyond the arc, shooting 58.8% (10-17). In a seesaw battle, it was Haleigh Talbert who made the game-winning layup with 7.0 seconds on the clock. Chloe Webb led six in double figures for UCI with 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
No. 6 seed Cal Poly moved on with a 61-60 buzzer-beating upset win over third-seeded Long Beach State. Maddie Willett made the game-winning shot with 0.6 seconds on the clock. Sierra Campisano led the overall effort with 30 points and 12 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly (13-10) finished sixth in the regular-season standings with an 8-8 Big West record. Campisano has paced the Mustangs with 16.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while Abbey Ellis is also averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 boards, 2.6 assists and 2.6 steals per outing.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal Poly, 37-24, but has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including a series sweep this year. This will be the third time the two teams will face each other in the Big West Tournament with the Mustangs holding a 2-0 edge. CP defeated UCI, 70-49, in the quarterfinal round last year before the remainder of the postseason was canceled.
 
PREVIOUSLY, AGAINST CAL POLY
The Anteaters beat Cal Poly twice in San Luis Obispo, winning 63-52 on Jan. 22, and 79-70 (OT) on Jan. 23. Kayla Williams had a remarkable series, putting up 24.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.5 apg and 3.0 spg. She was named the Big West Player of the Week for her effort. Chloe Webb also averaged a double-double with 11.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg.
 
WINNING WAYS
UC Irvine secured its fourth-straight season with at least 13 wins after a 79-70 triumph over Long Beach State on March 5. Since 2017, the Anteaters have won 65 games, marking their most victories in a four-year stretch since 1983-87.

TURNOVER TALK
UCI has forced a Big West-leading 18.7 turnovers per game. The 'Eaters have caused 17+ miscues in all but three outings this year.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT
UC Irvine ranks second in the Big West with 9.4 steals per game. Kayla Williams has led the charge with a conference-best 2.7 average. Her 57 takeaways on the season are tied for 10th in single-season school history.
 
CAREER RECORD WATCH
Senior Tahlia Garza ranks sixth in the school record books with 101 career blocks. Senior Haleigh Talbert sits just outside UCI's all-time top-10 with 103 career 3-pointers made. She needs four more threes to etch her name in the record books.
 
FIRST FIVE
UC Irvine has used nine different starting lineups on the year, seven of which debuted in the team's first 10 games. The Anteaters then found a winning recipe, using the same five over an eight-game stretch where they went 7-1. Due to injuries, UCI had to start mixing it up again at UC San Diego (Feb. 26-27). Sophia Locandro is the only 'Eater to have started every game this season.
 
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. In their Big West Tournament history, the Anteaters have gone to OT once, defeating UC Davis, 74-70, on March 12, 2014.
 
HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 36-16 (.692) at the Bren Events Center. The 36 home victories in three-plus seasons are more than the combined total from the previous six campaigns (2011-17).
 
BIG WEST LEADERBOARD
In Big West play, redshirt freshman Kayla Williams led the conference in steals (2.7 spg), while ranking second in assists (4.4 apg), and third in scoring (14.7 ppg). 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 had 24 points at UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 28), 24 at CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 5) and 20 vs. Hawai'i (Jan. 29), while registering her first collegiate double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Long Beach State (March 5). Williams added six assists and a career-best six steals against the Beach. In addition, she was the first of three players in the Big West with a double-digit assist game this year, dishing out 10 against UCSB on Dec. 28.
 
MAKING MOVES
Overall, Williams is tops on the squad with 14.8 points, 4.4 assists and 2.7 steals per contest. She has 17 double-figure scoring games and five 20-plus point performances. 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 74.8% (83-111) at the charity stripe this season.
 
DOUBLE DIPPING
Sophomore Chloe Webb is the only Anteater with multiple double-doubles this season, as she has five, including four against Big West opponents. Webb, who has scored 20+ in two of her last three outings, is averaging 11.6 points and a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per outing. The San Diego native registered a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a 79-70 win over Long Beach State (March 5), and finished with 20 in UCI's Big West Tournament quarterfinal win over UC Santa Barbara. Earlier in the year, Webb pulled down a career-best 15 rebounds, to go along with 14 points, in her first double-double vs. Westmont College (Dec. 9). The 5-foot-8 guard was the first 'Eater with 15 boards in a game since Nov. 17, 2016.
 
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 Anteaters this year. The 6-foot-3 forward ranks among the top-three on the squad with 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. She has reached double figures in scoring 12 times with a season-high 20 points vs. Saint Mary's on Dec. 16. It was 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.
 
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 (787), assists (188) and steals (128). The 5-foot-4 guard has continued to put up solid numbers in 2020-21, averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 15 games played. She missed a month of competition with an injury, snapping a streak of 97 consecutive games played.
 
SHOOTERS TOUCH
Sophomore Jayde Cadee (Melbourne, Australia) is tops on the squad with 35 3-pointers made. She is coming off a season-high tying 15-point performance, on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc in Wednesday's quarterfinal round. The 5-foot-11 guard also had 12 points (4-10 3FG) in the regular-season finale vs. Long Beach State. Cadee, who has 22 career games with multiple treys, has made 5+ threes in both of her career Big West Tournament games with five vs. UCSB and six vs. Cal Poly last season. In 2019-20, she also tied a single-game school record with eight triples, while ranking fifth in single-season history (59).
 
UP NEXT
The Big West championship game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 13.