Cal State Fullerton (10-13, 5-8 Big West) at
UC Irvine (15-10, 10-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 24
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine (15-10, 10-4 Big West) at
Long Beach State (17-5, 10-4 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 26
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team welcomes Cal State Fullerton to the Bren Events Center for a 7 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Feb. 24. The Anteaters then head to Long Beach State for their final regular-season road game on Saturday, Feb. 26. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
 
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
• The 'Eaters were the first Big West team to reach 10 wins in conference play with a 67-50 victory over UC San Diego on Feb. 15.
• Over the last two years, the Anteaters are 21-8 in regular-season Big West games.
• They have secured back-to-back campaigns with 10+ conference victories for the first time in program history.
• Sixth-year head coach Tamara Inoue is tied for second in school history with 86 career wins.
• UC Irvine enters the week in a tie for second with LBSU as the two teams have identical 10-4 (.714) league records. 
• UCI has held its opponents to fewer than 60 points in eight of its 14 Big West games.
• Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 22-straight outings.
• She is averaging a team-best 14.9 ppg, and is also tops on the squad in 3FG made (50), assists (107) and steals (56).
• Williams is the only player in the league to rank among the Big West's top-five in all four categories.
• Jayde Cadee is second on the squad with 41 threes made.
• Thirty of her triples have come in Big West games where she is shooting 42% from beyond the arc.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (10-13, 5-8 Big West) wrapped up a four-game homestand with a couple wins last week, defeating UC Santa Barbara, 61-48, and CSUN, 61-53. Lily Wahinekapu leads the Titans with 15.1 points and 4.1 assists per outing, while Fujika Nimmo is also averaging 10.1 points per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UCI leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 45-39, and has won the last five. Earlier this year, the Anteaters topped CSF, 75-67, at Titan Gym. Kayla Williams finished with a season-high 25 points to go along with seven assists, four rebounds and three steals, while Sophia Locandro added 16 points, six boards and two blocks. Kathryn Neff paced the Titans with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State (17-5, 10-4 Big West) snapped a two-game skid with a 65-62 win over UC Santa Barbara last Saturday. Maddi Utti leads the Beach with 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per outing. Justina King has also registered 11.9 points and a team-best 4.7 assists.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 63-19. LBSU won the first meeting of the season in Irvine, 62-50 (Jan. 22). Kayla Williams had 15 points, while Chloe Webb added 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Ma'Qhi Berry had a team-high 15 points for the Beach.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine fell to Hawai'i, 67-57, in a battle for first place in the Big West last Saturday at Stan Sheriff Center. The Anteaters and Rainbow Wahine went back-and-forth in the first half, heading into the locker room in a 35-35 tie. The 'Bows then created some separation in the final 20 minutes where they outscored UCI, 32-22. Kayla Williams led the 'Eaters with 21 points, four assists and two steals. Jayde Cadee also knocked down four threes for 14 points.
 
BIG WEST BATTLE
With four games remaining, it is still a tight race for the Big West regular-season championship and No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Hawai'i (9-3) currently holds the top spot, with UC Irvine (10-4) and Long Beach State (10-4) tied for second. UC Santa Barbara (7-6) and UC Davis (6-6) are also fourth and fifth, respectively.

CONFERENCE LEADERS
UC Irvine enters the week ranked first in the Big West in overall scoring offense (67.0 ppg), FT percentage (75.0), and offensive rebounds per game (13.2). Individually, Kayla Williams is among the top-five in the conference in scoring (5th), assists (2nd), steals (3rd), 3FG made (3rd) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd).
 
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The 'Eaters have held their opponents to under 60 points 12 times this season (11-1), eight of which have come in Big West games. They limited UC Santa Barbara to a season-low in points scored in a 58-31 win on Feb. 3. It was the fewest points the Anteaters allowed against an NCAA Division I opponent since 1991. UC Irvine also held UCR to a season-low three points in the fourth quarter on Feb. 10.
 
BENCH PRODUCTION
UCI has outscored its opponents in bench points, 568-353 (+8.6). All 14 'Eaters have made their way into the scoring column, 11 have at least one double-figure scoring game, and seven 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.
 
TURNOVER TALK
The Anteaters have forced 15+ turnovers on 19 occasions (17.2/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.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT TIDBITS
UCI has had multiple players score in double figures in 22 of its 25 games. Kayla Williams is tops on the team with 22 double-digit performances, while Chloe Webb is second with 13. In addition, 10 of the team's 15 wins have come by 10+ points, while they are also 6-0 when an 'Eater finishes with a double-double.
 
RECORD WATCH
Jayde Cadee is making her way up UCI's all-time charts in 3-pointers made with her 136 career triples ranking fifth in program history. With 25 blocks this season, Sophia Locandro has increased her career total to 83, which puts her in sole possession of eighth all-time at UC Irvine. Kayla Williams is also tied for ninth in single-season school history with 50 3-pointers made.

HOME & AWAY
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine has compiled a 45-20 (.692) record at the Bren Events Center. This season, nine of the Anteaters' 15 victories have come at home while they own a +10.8 scoring margin in games at the Bren. The 'Eaters are also 5-6 in true road games, with all of those wins coming in Big West play where they are 5-2.
 
WALKING BUCKET
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 41 of 47 career games played with nine 20-plus point performances. Williams, who is averaging a team-best 14.9 ppg, has scored 10+ in each of her last 22 outings, with a season-high 25 at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 20. She also has a streak of 38 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, has been impressive in conference action, averaging 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals in 12 games played. She has reached double figures in scoring in seven of those outings with a career-high 26 points at CSUB on Jan. 27, and 20 vs. CSUN on Feb. 5. Since Jan. 6, she has shot 50% (50-101) from the field, 53% (8-15) from beyond the arc and 82% (32-39) at the free throw line.
 
NEAR PERFECTION
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.
 
3-POINT THREAT
Jayde Cadee is one of the Anteaters' biggest threats from the perimeter. In her last 14 outings, she has made 32 3-pointers, and is shooting 42% from deep. On Feb. 5, Cadee went 6-for-11 from behind the arc for a season-high 20 points against CSUN, while she was also 5-of-10 for 15 points vs. UC Riverside (Jan. 8).
 
ACCESS DENIED
Sophia Locandro ranks third in the Big West with 1.04 blocks per game. The 6-foot-3 forward has registered at least one block in 16 of her 24 appearances. She has also had multiple blocks on six occasions with a career-high tying four at California Baptist on Nov. 20. In addition, she ranks third on the squad in scoring (8.7 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.9 rpg).
 
DOUBLE DUTY
UCI is 6-0 when an Anteater finishes with a double-double this season. Chloe Webb has a team-best three, putting up 13 points/13 rebounds at UC Riverside, 11 points/10 rebounds vs. SJSU, and 14 points/13 rebounds against Southern Utah. Melodie Kapinga had the first of the year with 11 points and a career-high 10 boards in 13 minutes against Westcliff. Naomi Hunt also registered 17 points and 12 rebounds vs. Sacramento State, while Sophia Locandro notched 10 points/10 boards vs. UCSD.
 
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 is already tied for second in school history with 86 career victories. The 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year is one win away from passing Mark Adams for sole possession of No. 2 on the all-time wins list.
 
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.
 
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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine wraps up the regular season at home next week, hosting Cal Poly (March 3) and CSU Bakersfield on Senior Day (March 5).