UC Santa Barbara (10-6, 4-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-8, 6-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 3
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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CSUN (6-11, 2-5 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-8, 6-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 5
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team is back in the Bren Events Center this week as it is set to host UC Santa Barbara and CSUN in Big West action. The Anteaters will take on the Gauchos in their annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. UCI then returns to the hardwood on Saturday, Feb. 5, for a 2 p.m. showdown with the Matadors.

In accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health, UC Irvine Athletics is requiring fans in attendance (ages 3 and older) at all indoor home events to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within one day for an antigen test and two days for a PCR test prior to entry. 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
• UC Irvine is starting the second half of Big West play, but will be facing both UCSB and CSUN for the first time this season.
• UCI's previously scheduled games against the Matadors (Dec. 30) and Gauchos (Jan. 1) were canceled.
• The 'Eaters enter the week in a tie for first with Long Beach State and UC San Diego in the Big West standings.
• The Anteaters have won three of their last four.
• During that stretch, they held their opponents to 39% (91-236) shooting from the field and 15% (9-60) from beyond the arc.
• UC Irvine remained unbeaten in Big West road games, improving to 4-0 with wins at CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly last week.
• Chloe Webb went 10-for-11 from the floor and 6-of-8 at the free throw line for a career-high 26 points against the Roadrunners.
• Webb's 90.9 field goal percentage set a single-game school record for individual performances with at least 10 FGs made.
• Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 16-straight outings.
• She is averaging a team-best 14.1 ppg, and is also tops on the squad in 3FG made (36), assists (79) and steals (40).
• Williams ranks among the top-six in the conference in all four categories.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara (10-6, 4-3 Big West) is fifth in the conference standings after picking up wins over CSUN and Hawai'i last week. Danae Miller leads the Gauchos with 12.1 points per outing, while Ila Lane, a 2020 AP All-American and Big West Freshman of the Year, is averaging 11.4 points and a league-best 9.7 rebounds per contest. Lane opted out of the 2020-21 season.
 
SERIES RECORD
Since 1974-75, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine have met 102 times with the Gauchos leading the all-time series, 67-35. The Anteaters won all three meetings last year, sweeping the regular-season series on the road before taking down UCSB, 92-90, in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament in Las Vegas.
 
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN (6-11, 2-5 Big West) has lost four in a row after a 76-67 setback to Hawai'i last Saturday. Tess Amundsen has paced the Matadors with 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. CSUN was picked to finish last in the Big West Preseason Poll after opting out of the 2020-21 season.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with CSUN, 32-26. The Matadors won the last two as they earned a 70-62 victory at home on Jan. 11, 2020, before upending the Anteaters, 56-51, at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 23, 2020.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine led wire-to-wire in a 64-52 win over Cal Poly last Saturday at Mott Athletics Center. The Anteaters raced out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back as they were up by double digits for a majority of the game. Kayla Williams anchored a balanced scoring effort with 14 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Hunter Hernandez added nine points and two steals.
 
NEAR PERFECTION
Chloe Webb was just shy of becoming the first Anteater in program history to have a perfect shooting performance with at least 10 field goals made. She still set the single-game school record at 90.9% (10-11) in a win at CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 27. Her only miss against the Roadrunners came at the 8:33 mark of the third period, and on that miss she got her own rebound, was fouled and went to the charity stripe where she made both free throws. Webb finished the evening with a career-high 26 points.

BENCH PRODUCTION
UCI has outscored its opponents in bench points, 485-281. All 15 'Eaters have made their way into the scoring column, 11 have at least one double-figure scoring game, and eight are averaging at least 4.0 points per outing. In addition, every Anteater who has appeared in at least 10 games is averaging more than 5.0 minutes.
 
STARTING FIVE
UC Irvine used the same starters in its first 11 contests, but has mixed it up in conference play where it has used four different starting rotations. In five of their eight Big West games,  the 'Eaters have had at least two true freshmen in their first five with Hunter Hernandez (Jan. 6), Nikki Tom (Jan. 8), Déja Lee (Jan. 11) and Melodie Kapinga (Jan. 11) all making their first career starts. Freshman Olivia Williams is the lone 'Eater to have started every game.
 
CLEANING UP
UCI has been impressive on the offensive glass this season where it has held the advantage against its opponents on 11 occasions. In Big West play, the Anteaters own a league-leading 13.4 offensive rebounds per game and a +3.8 margin as they have won the battle in o-boards in six of their eight conference outings.
 
TURNOVER TALK
The 'Eaters have forced 15+ turnovers on 14 occasions (17.3/gm), with a season-high 25 vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8. Since 2016-17, they have forced 17.9 turnovers per game and have consistently been one of the top teams in the Big West in that category.
 
BIG WEST LEADERS
UC Irvine enters the week ranked first in the Big West in overall scoring offense (69.3 ppg), FT percentage (75.6), and offensive rebounds per game (13.3). Individually, Kayla Williams is the only student-athlete among the top-six in the conference in scoring (6th), assists (4th), steals (4th) and 3FG made (3rd).
 
RECEIVING VOTES
UCI was back in the receiving votes column of the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Feb. 1. The Anteaters were also receiving votes in the first five weeks of the season (Preseason-Dec. 7). The 'Eaters were last featured in the mid-major rankings in 2018-19 when they rose to as high as No. 15 in the nation.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT TIDBITS
UCI has had multiple players score in double figures in 17 of its 19 games. Kayla Williams is tops on the team with 16 double-digit performances, while Chloe Webb is second with 11. In addition, six of the Anteaters' 11 wins have come by 10+ points.
 
RECORD WATCH
Jayde Cadee has made her way into UCI's all-time top-10 in 3-pointers made with her 121 career triples ranking sixth in program history. With 18 blocks this season, Sophia Locandro increased her career total to 76, which puts her in sole possession of ninth all-time at UC Irvine.
 
HOME & AWAY
UC Irvine has been impressive at home in recent years, compiling a 42-20 (.677) record at the Bren Events Center since 2017-18. This season, six of the Anteaters' 11 victories have come at home and they own a +8.4 scoring margin in games at the Bren. The 'Eaters are also 4-4 in true road games, with all four of those wins coming in Big West play.
 
WALKING BUCKET
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 35 of 41 career games played with eight 20-plus point performances. Williams, who is averaging a team-best 14.1 ppg, has scored 10+ in each of her last 16 outings, with a season-high 25 at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 20. She also has a streak of 32 consecutive games played with a 3-pointer made. The 5-foot-7 point guard owns a career high of 32 points which she set at Cal Poly on Jan. 23, 2021. 
 
SPINNING HER WEBB
Chloe Webb, who earned All-Big West honors last year, is out to an impressive start in conference action, averaging 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals in seven games played. She has reached double figures in scoring in five of those outings with a career-high 26 points at CSUB on Jan. 27. Since Jan. 6, she has shot 50.8% (33-65) from the field, 55.5% (5-9) from beyond the arc and 82.8% (24-29) at the free throw line.
 
CATCHING FIRE
After battling through a 2-for-10 slump over a six-game stretch from Nov. 26-Dec. 21, Jayde Cadee has caught fire from beyond the arc. In her last eight outings, she has made 17 3-pointers, while shooting 43% from deep. On Jan. 8, Cadee went 5-for-10 for a season-high 15 points against UC Riverside.
 
BLOCK PARTY
Sophia Locandro is tops on the team and sixth in the Big West with 1.0 blocks per game. The 6-foot-3 forward has registered at least one block in 11 of her 18 appearances and has had multiple blocks on five occasions. Locandro matched her career high with four swats at California Baptist on Nov. 20. She also ranks third on the squad in scoring (8.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.1 rpg).
 
DOUBLE DUTY
UCI is 4-0 when an Anteater finishes with a double-double this season. Chloe Webb has a team-best two double-doubles, putting up 11 points/10 rebounds vs. SJSU, and 14 points/13 boards against Southern Utah. Melodie Kapinga had the first of the year with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in 13 minutes against Westcliff (Nov. 9), while Naomi Hunt registered 17 points and 12 rebounds vs. Sacramento State.
 
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 vs. the Warriors.

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 school history with 82 victories. The 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year is four wins away from tying Mark Adams (86) for second.
 
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 to come in behind five-time defending regular-season champion UC Davis, which earned 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 also named to the six-member Preseason All-Big West Team.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will travel to UC Riverside (Feb. 10) and UC Davis (Feb. 12) next week.