Mikah Maly-Karros Has Career-Night To Carry UCI To 70-54 Win Over Pacific
Jan. 27, 2010
Stockton, Calif. – Mikah Maly-Karros recorded a career-high 35 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks to carry UC Irvine to a 70-54 victory over Pacific at the Alex G. Spanos Center Wednesday.
Maly-Karros, who recorded half of the Anteaters points, recorded her league-leading eighth double-double with a career-high 35 points and 17 rebounds, which tied her career-high. The sophomore’s 35 points is the most points by a Big West player this year. The forward, who was 12-21 from the floor and 10-13 from the free throw line, also had a career-high six blocks. It is the most points by an Anteater since Dec. 1, 2006 when Angie Ned poured in 37 points versus Loyola Marymount.
UCI also had 11 points and five assists from guard Jade Smith-Williams and 10 points from Kiara Belen off the bench. Senior Rebecca Maessen and freshman Jazmyne White each pulled down seven rebounds. UCI owned the glass, out-rebounding the Tigers, 46-28. The Anteaters recorded a season-high 17 assists and 10 blocks.
Emma Head and Christina Thompson each had 10 points for Pacific.
“Mikah had a tremendous game,” head coach Molly Goodenbour said. “ Our guards and our bench did a good job. They took care of the ball and did a good job defending. We moved the ball around and made good decisions.”
The Anteaters improve to 7-14 overall and 4-5 in the Big West, while UOP falls to 3-15 on the year and 1-6 in league play. The Anteaters’ seven overall wins and four conference wins ties last year’s total.
UOP scored the first four points of the game before UCI scored 10 unanswered to take a 10-4 lead on a Kiara Belen free throw line jumper with 14:40 to go in the first half. UCI led by seven (19-12) before the Tigers would rally out-scoring the Anteaters 9-2 and tie the game 21-21 at 9:09. Back-to-back layups by Jade Smith-Williams and Mikah Maly-Karros put UCI back up by four and they would never relinquish the lead the rest of the game going into halftime with the 34-31 advantage. Maly-Karros would score 17 of the Anteaters first half points. Pacific would stay in the ballgame by knocking down five three-pointers in the first stanza.
Guard Keyonna Johnson hit a layup to put UCI up by seven (42-35) then the Anteaters went on a 11-4 spurt to open the lead to 14 (53-39) capped by a jumper by Maly-Karros with 12:00 minutes remaining. Pacific would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
UCI returns home to host Cal State Fullerton Saturday (Jan. 30) at 4:00 p.m. at the Bren Center. UCI will also celebrate National Girls and Women In Sports Day on Saturday.
