UC Irvine Hosts UC Riverside Thursday
Feb. 16, 2010
UCI HOSTS UC RIVERSIDE: The UC Irvine women’s basketball team (8-17, 5-7) will host UC Riverside Thursday (Feb. 18) for a 7:00 p.m. game in the Bren Center.
THINK PINK THURSDAY: Thursday’s game has been dubbed Think Pink in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in the community and beyond. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game. An opportunity drawing will take place throughout the game for prizes such as weekend getaways at local hotels, autographed sports memorabilia, a free training session with Shape Up Fitness, restaurant gift certificates and more. Tickets are available at the UC Irvine Medical Center for a suggested donation of $1 a piece and includes admission to the game. A $5 donation will get ten tickets and $10 will get 25 tickets. Opportunity drawing tickets will also be available from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Bren Center. UC Irvine Athletics is proud to partner with the UC Irvine Breast Health Center at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center to raise awareness of breast cancer research.
VERSUS THE HIGHLANDERS: UCI trails UC Riverside, 26-11in the series records. UC Riverside has won the last seven meetings with UCI. The Anteaters last win against the Highlanders came on Feb. 4, 2006 when Kelly Cochran hit a last second shot to give the Anteaters a 65-63 victory in Riverside. The Highlanders enter the week 11-14 overall and 8-4 in league play.
In the first meeting of the year, UC Riverside used a 24-4 run to end the game with a come-from-behind 64-53 victory over UCI in Riverside. UCI led 49-40 with 8:07 remaining before the Highlanders went on their run. UCR scored 47 second half points, which is tied for the second most given up by the Anteaters in the final 20 minutes this season. The Highlanders shot 53.5 percent (23-43) from the floor for the game and a blistering 76.2 percent (16-21) in the second half. UCI shot 30.4 percent from the field for the game and did not register a three-pointer for the only time this season (0-8).
Mikah Maly-Karros led UCI with a double-double of 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Rebecca Maessen had 13 points all in the second half, going 7-7 from the line. UCR’s Rhaya Neabors led her team with 21 points, hitting 7-8 from the floor including 3-4 from three-point range. Alyssa Morris totaled 17 points with nine of them coming from the charity stripe. Rheya Neabors was 7-11 from the field to end with 16 points. UCR did not get one point off the bench.
SOO CLOSE: UCI has lost the last three games by a total of 11 points. The Anteaters have lost seven games this year by six points or less, including four contests by three or less.
PUTTIN IT IN THE HOOP: The Anteaters have averaged 72.0 points per outing over the last five games. UCI is averaging 62.4 points per game overall this year after managing just 49.5 a year ago. UCI has scored more than 60 points 16 times this year, while only doing it six times over 30 games in 2008-09.
HOME SWEET HOME: UCI is 6-6 at home this year. The Anteaters have won three of the last four at the Bren.
STEPPING UP TO THE LINE: UCI is shooting .691 from the free throw line making 407-589 in 25 games this season. The Anteaters were 340-531 (.640) overall from the line in 2008-09 and 403-604 (.667) in 2007-08.
FROM DOWNTOWN: UCI recorded nine three-pointers over two games (4.5) last week and average 3.2 on the year. Eight different Anteaters have knocked down a three this year.
ON THE BOARDS: UCI has out-rebounded seven of the last eight opponents. The Anteaters average 37.2 rebounds as opponents grab 38.8 caroms per game.
MALY-KARROS LEADS: Sophomore Mikah-Maly Karros leads the Big West and ranks 21st in the nation in double-doubles with 11. She leads UCI with a 19.9 scoring and 12.0 rebound average. She holds the Big West top mark for points (35), rebounds (17), field goals attempted (25), free throws made (16) and attempted (23) in a game. Maly-Karros does not show up in the Big West overall statistics until she plays in 75% of the teams games, but she ranks second in scoring in league games only with a 19.9 mark and leads the conference in rebounding with a 12.2 average. She has totaled 20 or more points in each of the last six games.
ANTEATERS LOSE TWO HEARTBREAKERS LAST WEEK: Mya Olivier hit a baseline jumper with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift Cal State Fullerton to a 76-74 victory over UCI Wednesday night at Titan Gym. The Anteaters, who trailed by 15 in the first half, battled back and took their first lead with 17 minutes to go in the game. The teams remained within four points of each other the rest of the way. Mikah Maly-Karros hit a two-footer with 11 seconds to tie the game before Olivier’s game-winner.
Maly-Karros led all players with 20 points and nine rebounds. Rebecca Maessen and Keyonna Johnson each added 12 points, while Cheyenne Cathey matched her career-high with eight points, going 4-6 from the field.
UC Davis’ Heidi Heintz would make as layup and a free throw after be fouled on the play to give the Aggies a 72-71 lead with 15.8 seconds remaining. UCI could not score on their final possession and fouled Kasey Riecks as she pulled down the rebound. She made two free throws for the 74-71 final score.
Maly-Karros scored a game-high 34 points, one shy of her career-high and grabbed 15 rebounds in the loss. Jade-Smith-Williams tied her career-high with nine assists to go with 10 points.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Feb. 15)
TEAM BIG WEST OVERALL
Cal Poly 9-3 .750 16-8 .667
UC Davis 8-3 .727 16-8 .667
UC Riverside 8-4 .667 11-14 .440
Long Beach State 7-4 .636 11-13 .458
Cal State Fullerton 6-6 .500 11-14 .440
UC Santa Barbara 5-7 .417 8-16 .333
UC Irvine 5-7 .417 8-17 .320
Pacific 2-9 .182 4-18 .182
Cal State Northridge 2-9 .182 4-18 .174
