Anteaters Make Improvements In Molly Goodenbour's Second Season
March 16, 2010
ON THE RECORD: UCI was 9-21 overall, a two game improvement in the win column from last year. The Anteaters finished seventh in the league standings with a 6-10 mark. UCI's win total is the most since the 2005-06 team was 9-19 overall and 7-8 in league. The Anteaters were 6-9 at home, the most wins in Irvine since 2002-03 when the squad went 9-4.
MALY-KARROS POSTS 41 POINTS AS UCI ENDS SEASON IN FIRST ROUND OF BIG WEST TOURNAMENT: The seventh seed UC Irvine women's basketball team lost 89-76 to sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the first round of the Big West Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Mikah Maly-Karros tied the UCI single game record with 41 points in the loss to the Titans. The forward tied Cheri Graham's performance against Nevada on Dec. 12, 1983. Maly-Karros was 17-31 from the floor which ties the school record for field goals made and sets a new mark for field goals attempted. 41 points is tied for 17th in the country for most points in a game this season.
Guard Keyonna Johnson added a career-high 17 points in her final game as an Anteater.
SOO CLOSE: The Anteaters lost eight games this year by six points or less, including five contests by three or less.
MALY-KARROS NAMED TO THE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Mikah Maly-Karros was named to the Big West All-Tournament team. She is the sixth Anteater to be named to the all-tournament team all-time and the first since Wendy Gabbe in 2003.
MALY-KARROS IN THE SEASON RECORD BOOKS: Mikah Maly-Karros set the UCI season record for free throws made with 145. She broke Natasha Parks' school record of 135 made in 1988-89. Maly-Karros also ranked fifth in free throws attempted (180), fifth in free throw percentage (.810) and 10th in points (452).
SMITH-WILLIAMS IN THE SEASON RECORD BOOKS AS WELL: Guard Jade Smith-Williams can also be found in the UCI season records at sixth in assists with 129, sixth in free throws made (119) and sixth in free throw percentage (.806).
SENIORS DOT CAREER RECORDS: Seniors Rebecca Maessen and Keyonna Johnson both end their careers with their name in the Anteater all-time records. Maessen is seventh all-time in three-pointers made (90) and sixth in attempted (286), while Johnson is eighth in assists with 249.
STEPPING UP TO THE LINE: UCI was 495-706 (.701) from the free throw line. The Anteaters' 495 free throws made is a new season record, topping the old mark of 490 set in 1994-95.
TRANSFER IMPACT: Transfers Mikah Maly-Karros and Jade Smith-Williams made an immediate impact in their first season with the Anteaters. The duo combined for 834 of UCI's 1,908 points this season. Maly-Karros led the Anteaters with a 20.5 point and 11.1 rebound average while Smith-Williams was second with a 12.7 scoring mark. Both Maly-Karros' scoring and rebound averages are second best in a season at UCI.
MORE MALY-KARROS: Sophomore Mikah Maly-Karros held the Big West top mark for points (41), field goals made (17), field goals attempted (31), free throws made (16) and attempted (23) in a game. Maly-Karros didn't show up in the Big West overall statistics because she didn't play in 75% of the team's games, but she ranked second in scoring in league games only with a 19.5 mark and led the conference in rebounding with a 11.1 average. She was the only player to average a double-double overall and joined Cal Poly's Kristina Santiago as the only two players to average a double-double in conference play.
ANTEATER TRIO EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: Three Anteater players were named to All-Big West teams, the most selections in one year since 2003 when there were five honorees. Forward Jazmyne White was named Big West Freshman of the Year becoming the first Anteater to garner the top rookie distinction. White, who was also named to the All-Freshman Team, ranked third in the conference in rebounding with a 6.9 average and was ninth in steals (1.5).
Mikah Maly-Karros was named to the All-Big West first team, while Jade Smith-Williams earned honorable mention accolades. Maly-Karros became the sixth Anteater player to be named to the league's first team and is the first since Angie Ned garnered the award in 2005-06.
30+: UCI had two players (Maly-Karros, Smith-Williams) score 30 or more points twice this season. No other Big West team could make that claim.
LONG RANGE D: UCI led the Big West Conference in three-point defense with a .318 mark.
PUTTIN IT IN THE HOOP: The Anteaters averaged 63.6 points per game overall this year after managing just 49.5 a year ago. UCI scored more than 60 points 20 times this year, while only doing it six times over 30 games in 2008-09.
