IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team fell to Long Beach State, 80-62, in both teams' regular-season finale Saturday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
It was an emotional night as the Anteaters honored their five seniors, Joy Akaegbu-Cleveland, Tahlia Garza, Dani Guglielmo, Alexus Seaton and Haleigh Talbert prior to tip-off.

"This is my first group at UC Irvine so it's hard not to be emotional," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "They have set a culture here. We've gone through some great seasons and some tough seasons, but they never quit. They have fought through adversity and we're not done yet."
 
The 'Eaters (13-8, 11-4 Big West) got out to a slow start, while the Beach came out firing. LBSU raced out to an early lead and went up by as many as 24 in their first win since Feb. 6.
 
"Credit to Long Beach, they were on a seven-game losing streak and needed a win," added Inoue. "They were going to come out trying to find some momentum for Vegas, and they did a great job doing that tonight. For us, we'll watch film, regroup and get back at it. The Big West Tournament is going to be a tough battle, so we're looking forward to it."
 
UC Irvine will open postseason play as the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals next Wednesday, March 10.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Jayde Cadee finished with a team-high 12 points on four made threes. Sophomore Chloe Webb also had 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Freshman Victoria Baker added nine points, while senior Haleigh Talbert had eight. Freshman Caiyle Kaupu chipped in seven points and three boards.
 
The Anteaters shot 39% overall and were 6-of-25 (24%) from beyond the arc. They outrebounded Long Beach, 34-27, but committed 21 turnovers that led to 26 points for LBSU.
 
Naomi Hunt led the visitors with her second-straight 21-point game, while Justina King had 16. As a team, they closed out the evening shooting 56% from the field and 50% (6-12) from long distance.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: After committing five turnovers in the first three minutes, the 'Eaters found themselves in an 11-2 hole at the 6:58 mark. UC Irvine cut the deficit to six following back-to-back buckets from Webb, but the Beach pulled ahead, 24-15, by the end of the first quarter.
 
LBSU (12-8, 11-7 Big West) used an 11-0 run early in the second period to extend its lead to 37-18 with 5:23 remaining. Talbert ended a five-minute scoring drought for UCI, but Long Beach State continued to roll, going up, 41-19. The Anteaters then picked up the pace on both sides of the ball, using a 10-2 spurt over the final four-and-a-half minutes to close the gap to 43-29 at the break. UC Irvine held the Beach to just two free throws during that stretch.
 
The third frame started as a seesaw battle before a 7-0 'Eater rally made it 53-41 at the 3:42 mark. Hunt and Cadee followed with a three for their respective teams, but LBSU made the final push, outscoring UCI down the stretch for a 63-47 advantage.
 
Sophomore Melodie Kapinga got the scoring started in the fourth, but Long Beach proceeded to go back on top by 20 before closing out the 80-62 win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine has earned the No. 2 seed in next week's Big West Tournament, and is set to open postseason play against UC Santa Barbara in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal match-up on Wednesday, March 10.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has locked up the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament for the first time since 1998 (No. 2 seed in West Division).
• Since 2017-18, UCI's senior class has accumulated 64 victories, the program's best four-year stretch since 1983-87.
• The 'Eaters finish the regular season with their best conference record since 1997-98 (11-4).
• LBSU's 80 points are the most UC Irvine has allowed this season.
• Kayla Williams played a season-low 17 minutes.
• Chloe Webb registered her third-straight double-figure scoring game.
• Jayde Cadee has knocked down multiple threes in a game 20 times in her career.