California Irvine Athletics

San José State (0-0) at
UC Irvine (0-0)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Watch // Listen // Live Stats // Tickets (UCI Undergraduate Students Free with I.D.)

Game Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team will open the 2019-20 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when it welcomes San José State to the Bren Events Center for a 7 p.m. showdown.
 
STORYLINES
• UC Irvine's season opener will take place in the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center for the fifth year in a row.
• The Anteaters are looking for their third-straight season-opening win under fourth-year head coach Tamara Inoue.
• The 'Eaters have been invited to participate in the 16-team Preseason WNIT for the first time in program history.
• They start the prestigious tournament at Oregon State on Saturday, Nov. 9.
• UCI returns eight of its 10 letterwinners from last year's squad that went 20-11 overall.
• It was the third 20-win season in program history, joining the 1983-84 (20) and 1984-85 (21) teams in elite company.
• UC Irvine has increased its win total in each of Inoue's three years at the helm.
• Junior and first-team All-Big West selection Jordan Sanders is one of the NCAA's top-five returning scorers.
• Last year, she was second in the league and 23rd in the nation with 20.3 points per game.
• Her 547 total points were also the third-most in single-season school history.
• Senior Lauren Saiki earned 2018-19 All-Big West honorable mention recognition after averaging 11.9 points and 4.3 assists per contest.
• UCI was picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll and second in the Big West Preseason Media Poll.
 
WITH A WIN…
• UC Irvine would improve to 3-1 in season openers in the Tamara Inoue era.
• The Anteaters would win two-straight against San José State for the first time since 1995-96.
• They would also take an 18-12 lead in the all-time series that started back in 1982.

ABOUT SAN JOSÉ STATE
San José State returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad that went 6-24 overall. The Spartans, who saw five of their six wins come in conference play, were ninth in the Mountain West.
 
In an exhibition game on Oct. 29, SJSU defeated Fresno Pacific 102-97 (OT). Tyra Whitehead, a junior transfer from Wake Forest, finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes. Sophomore Ayzhiana Basallo also had 23 points, while senior Fieme'a Hafoka added 20. Basallo and junior Danae Marquez tied for the team lead with six assists each.
 
San José State is a former member of the Big West. The Spartans were part of the conference from 1986-1996.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with San José State, 17-12. The Anteaters snapped a four-game skid against the Spartans last year with a 74-66 victory in San Jose. Jordan Sanders paced the 'Eaters with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Lauren Saiki added 13 points and a game-high seven assists.
 
OPENING NIGHT
UCI will be looking for its third-straight season-opening win. Last year, the 'Eaters defeated Life Pacific College (NAIA), 105-31. The 74-point triumph tied the second-largest margin of victory in program history. In 2017-18, the Anteaters won in more dramatic fashion, erasing a 13-point deficit in the final minutes with a half-court shot at the buzzer capping the rally for an 87-84 victory over Utah State. Overall, UC Irvine is 13-32 in season openers and 6-15 when playing at home.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
For the first time in program history, the Anteaters were picked to finish first in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. They received six of the nine first-place votes to top the list with 77 points. Three-time defending regular season champion UC Davis was a close second with 70 points (two first-place votes). UC Riverside collected the final first-place nod and came in third with 60 points. Jordan Sanders was selected to the preseason all-conference team for the second year in a row. Sanders and Lauren Saiki also made the media's Preseason All-Big West Team.
 
PRESEASON WNIT
The 'Eaters are set to make the program's first appearance in the Preseason WNIT, which is an annual invitation-only tournament involving 16 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. Teams are selected based on their program's expected success, relevant past and conference standings. UCI drew Pac-12 member and NCAA Sweet 16 participant Oregon State in the first round. Other 2019 NCAA Tournament teams in the field are Missouri State, Boise State, DePaul and Pacific.

WINNING WAYS
In 2018-19, UC Irvine recorded the third 20-win season in program history, and first in 34 years. The 'Eaters have increased their win total in each of Tamara Inoue's three years as head coach. They upped their number of victories by one in 2016-17, 12 in 2017-18 and two in 2018-19.
 
THE TURNAROUND
The Anteaters made their biggest jump in 2017-18 with their highest win total (18) and first postseason appearance since 1994-95. They saw a 12.5-game improvement from 2016-17, which marked the second-best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I.
 
HISTORIC START
The 'Eaters had a historic start to the 2018-19 campaign, going 7-0 for the first time in program history. They were also the first team in the Big West to reach double figures in the win column, doing so in their final non-conference game. It was the fastest the Anteaters had ever hit the 10-win mark.
 
GROWING UP
UC Irvine is primed to continue its winning ways with 10 members from last year's team returning (8 letterwinners, 2 redshirts). For the first time since Inoue's initial season at the helm when she inherited five seniors, the 'Eaters will have more upperclassmen than underclassmen. Their roster is comprised of three seniors, six juniors and five freshmen.
 
HOME COOKING
Since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, UC Irvine is 22-8 (.733) at the Bren Events Center. The 22 home victories in two seasons equal the Anteaters' combined total from the previous five years.
 
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
The 'Eaters will be looking to continue their defensive presence after forcing 20+ turnovers 18 times last year. They pressured Life Pacific College into a season-high 36 miscues thanks to a school-record 25 steals. The Anteaters also held their opponents to 11 single-digit quarters with a program-best one point allowed in the third frame against LPC. Both of their records bettered the previous standards from 2017-18 when UCI had 24 steals vs. Long Beach State and gave up just three points in the second quarter at Bakersfield. UC Irvine finished the campaign ranked seventh in the nation in turnover margin (7.3), 22nd in turnovers forced (20.4/gm) and 23rd in steals (10.6/gm).
 
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000
Junior Jordan Sanders is 128 points away from becoming the 15th player to join UCI women's basketball's 1,000-point club. If she accomplishes the feat this year, she will be the sixth individual in program history to reach 1,000 points by the end of her third season.
 
JORDAN EFFECT
UC Irvine is in good shape when Jordan Sanders scores 10+ points. In her career, the Anteaters are 32-10 when she reaches double figures, and 12-4 when she hits the 20-point mark. The Springfield, Missouri, native played a key role in UCI's success last year, putting up double digits in 26 of 27 games played. Fourteen of those were 20+ performances, including seven against Big West opponents. In non-conference play, she also poured in a career-high 34 points on 15-of-25 shooting at Portland State.
 
BANNER SEASON
Sanders took home a single-season program-record three Big West Player of the Week awards in 2018-19. She also earned first-team All-Big West honors and was the Anteaters' first Big West All-Tournament selection in five years. In three postseason games, Sanders averaged 19.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals. She had a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards in the first round vs. UC Santa Barbara, and dropped 22 points in the semifinals against eventual champion UC Davis. On the year, Sanders led the 'Eaters in scoring (20.3 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg) and blocks (1.1 bpg).
 
THE LO-DOWN
Senior Lauren Saiki (Monterey Park, Calif.) was the Anteaters' floor general last year with a team-leading 134 assists. Her 4.3 assists per game also ranked fifth in the Big West. Saiki dished out 5+ helpers 13 times last year, with 10 of those coming in a consecutive stretch from Nov. 24-Jan. 12. During that streak, she recorded her first collegiate double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 assists in a 77-61 victory over Indiana State. Even more impressive was the fact she committed only one turnover against the Sycamores. Saiki's 13 dimes rank third in single-game program history and were the most by an 'Eater since Megan Stafford had 15 vs. Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 27, 1997. In two years, Saiki has amassed 232 assists, putting her 17 away from entering UCI's all-time top-10.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine begins the 2019 Preseason WNIT at sixth-ranked Oregon State on Saturday, Nov. 9.