Nov. 2, 2009

ANTEATERS MEET CONCORDIA IN EXHIBITION GAME: The UC Irvine women’s basketball team will face Concordia in an exhibition game Thursday (Nov. 5) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.

HOWDY NEIGHBOR: Concordia is just 2.57 miles from the UC Irvine campus. The Eagles ended the 2008-09 season with a 14-14 overall record, including a 7-13 mark in Golden State Athletic Conference play. Concordia is coached by Jenny Hansen, who enters her second year at the helm of the Eagles.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Anteaters will open the regular season hosting San Diego State Nov. 13 at 5:00 p.m. at the Bren Center. The game is the first of a double-header as the men’s team takes on La Verne at 7:35 p.m.

UCI’s 2009-10 schedule features seven teams that competed in the post-season last year and 11 opponents that won 18 or more games a year ago.

YEAR IN REVIEW: UCI was 7-23 overall and ended the regular season with a 4-12 Big West record, a one game improvement over the 2007-08 league total. The Anteaters tied for seventh in the conference standings.

MAESSEN TOPS RETURNEES: Senior guard Rebecca Maessen returns to lead the Anteaters after earning All-Big West honorable mention distinction last season. She led the Anteaters with a 12.7 scoring average. She is ranked eighth in the Big West in scoring, ninth in three-point field goal percentage (.355), ninth in three-pointers made (1.31) and 10^th in offensive rebounds (1.90).

Other starters returning include senior guard Keyonna Johnson and junior center Kim Barnes. Johnson averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds, a year ago. She ranked fourth in the Big West in minutes (33.0) and ninth in assists (2.6). Barnes ranked 15^th among Big West players with a 5.2 rebound average and fifth in blocks at 1.1 per game. She also averaged 4.4 points last year.

BIG WEST PRE-SEASON MEDIA POLL: The Anteaters were picked ninth in the pre-season media poll.

Media Poll Results
1. UC Santa Barbara (10) - 162
2. UC Davis (6) - 155
3. Cal Poly (3) - 146
4. UC Riverside (1) - 112
5. Long Beach State - 99
6. Pacific - 87
7. Cal State Fullerton - 59
8. Cal State Northridge - 41
9. UC Irvine - 39
( ) First-place votes

TRANSFERS: UC Irvine gains the services of two transfers this season in Jade Smith Williams and Mikah Maly-Karros. Smith-Williams sat out last season after transfeering from Chico State where she played two years for coach Goodenbour. Smith-Williams averaged 9.8 points and led the Wildcats in assists (3.6) and steals (1.8).  Maly-Karros comes to UCI from Loyola Marymount where she played in seven games and averaged 2.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per outing. Maly-Karros will be eligible to play against Eastern Washington on Dec. 19.

FRESHMAN FACES: Moly Goodenbour's first recruiting class of Cheyenne Cathey, Lauren Spinazze and Jazmyne White join the roster in 2009-10. Cathey was the 2008-09 Delta-River League Player of the Year at Sheldon High School after averaging 15.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Spinazze was a McDonald’s All-American nominee from Esperanza High School where she was a four-time All-Sunset League honoree. White was a two-time All Mt. Baldy League choice from Colony High School.  Walk-on guard Tiana Henriks will also join the squad after earning first team All-South Coast League honors at Capistrano Valley High School.