Tempe, AZ—Fresh off a strong offensive performance on Saturday, the UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team (2-6) will look to make it two in a row against Arizona State in the ASU Classic Championship Game on Sunday. Tip-off is slated for 1:30 pm PT.
GAME NOTES
DOWNING THE LADY REBELS
UC Riverside defeated UNLV, 95-88 on Saturday (
box score/
recap) behind career-highs from Lauren Holt (28 points) and Michelle Curry (27 points). Skyler Lewis added a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, while Jannon Otto added 14 points of her own along with eight boards. The Highlanders scored 30 points in the first quarter, marking their second 30-point quarter in their last four games and just their sixth ever. They shot 59.3 percent (35-59 FG) for the game, good for the fourth-highest single-game field goal percentage in program history.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The win over UNLV saw UCR put up the third-most single-game points (95) in its Division I history. The Highlanders also finished with the program's fourth-highest field goal percentage (.593) and seventh-highest assist total (29) ever. Michelle Curry (27 points) and Lauren Holt (28 points) became the first tandem to score 25 points each since Brittany Crain (33) and Réjane Vérin (25) at UC Davis on Feb. 20, 2016.
CHEF CURRY
Senior guard Michelle Curry notched her sixth career double-double against UNLV, setting new career-highs with 28 points (9-16 FG) and 12 assists—nine of which came in the first half alone. Curry has now scored at least 15 points in five of her last six appearances.
ADD 'EM UP
With 12 assists and and an 8-for-9 free throw mark against UNLV, Curry moved into UCR's top-10 all-time for both categories. She now has 251 career assists, surpassing Valerie Ruiz (250) and Alonda Varisco (250) for No. 10 all-time. Curry also has 237 career free throws, moving past Debbie Fischer (233) and Kemie Nkele (236), for the No. 9 ranking.
CASHING OUT
Over her last four games, redshirt senior guard Lauren Holt is averaging 17.8 points a night on 52.9 percent (27-51 FG) shooting from the field. Holt has scored 22 or more points in two of her last three outings, and has a team-leading eight 20-point performances since the start of last season.
SETTING THE TONE
The first quarter has been a predictor of UC Riverside's success early in the season. In five of their six losses, the Highlanders faced a double-digit deficit in the opening ten minutes. However, they have gone 2-0 when they end the opening period with the lead.
FREE THROW DISPARITY
UC Riverside has struggled to keep opposing teams off the free throw line this season, currently allowing 27.1 free throw attempts and 18.3 free throw makes per game—both of which would set new single-season program records. The Highlanders have attempted less free throws this season (126) than their opponents have made (146).
SHE DID WHAT?
Redshirt sophomore forward Skyler Lewis has three of UC Riverside's four double-doubles this season. Her first double-double of the season came in the Highlanders' first win at Fresno State on Nov. 19, as she put up 20 points (8-13 FG) and 15 rebounds—both career-highs—while adding season-highs of three blocks and two assists.
SKYLER'S HISTORIC STATLINE
Lewis' dominant performance against the Bulldogs was the program's 25th 15-rebound game, and its tenth 20 point-15 rebound double-double. It also made her the only Highlander not named Kemie Nkele to have a game with 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Despite giving up 99 points to Sacramento State on Nov. 26—tied for the most points allowed in UCR's Division I era—the Highlanders still entered the week ranked fourth in the Big West in scoring defense (68.6 ppg), first in opponent three-point percentage (.265), and second in opponent field goal percentage (.383). The program's all-time season-lows for opponent field goal and three-point percentage are 36.1 percent and 29.4 percent, respectively, both set in the 2006-07 season.
DEFENDING THE TOP-25
UCR has had two top-25 opponents this season: No. 14 Stanford on Nov. 17 and No. 7 UCLA on Nov. 28. After entering the game averaging 80.5 points per game, the Bruins were held to 68 points by the Highlanders. Stanford scored just 53 points—a mark which ranks as the second-fewest points allowed against a top-25 team in program history. The only time UC Riverside allowed fewer points against a nationally ranked opponent was in a 50-47 win over No. 16 Vanderbilt on Dec. 6, 2008.
BLOCK PARTY
Entering the week, the Highlanders ranked third in the Big West in blocks per game (3.9 bpg), thanks in large part to the frontcourt duo of Skyler Lewis and Marina Ewodo, who were both tied for eighth in the conference averaging one swat per night.
R' HOUSE
UC Riverside began the year with a pair of games at SRC Arena, where it has gone 30-11 since the 2014-15 season. The Highlanders' next game will be the last of seven straight on the road. From Nov. 17-Dec. 22, UCR will play 11 games, only one of which will be at home.
ROADS OF THE RECENT PAST
Since 2015-16, UCR has a .488 record in contests played outside of SRC Arena, going 21-22 in away and neutral games combined.
DAZZLING DEBUT
Jannon Otto's 13 points in her UC Riverside debut against LMU on Nov. 10 are the second-most of any Highlander currently on the roster. Lauren Holt scored 22 points in her first game with the team against San Diego State on Nov. 11, 2016.
LOOK BACK TO LAST YEAR
The Highlanders qualified for postseason play for the third consecutive season in 2016-17, after posting a 16-15 overall record and 9-7 mark in Big West play to take the No. 5 seed into the Big West Tournament. UCR went on to defeat UC Irvine 92-60 in the First Round, setting a new program postseason record for single-game points, and ending a five-year drought with its first playoff win since 2011.
SOCRATES, PLATO, ARISTOTLE, MARGARITIS
Last year's Big West Tournament win over UC Irvine was Head Coach John Margaritis' 200th victory with the program, making him just the fourth Big West coach ever to reach 200 wins. Now in his 14th season with the team, Margaritis will look to add to his six combined NCAA Tournament and WNIT appearances, three Big West Tournament titles and two Big West Conference regular season titles.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Highlanders have 30 regular season games on their schedule this year, 18 of which will be played on the road. The remaining non-conference road matchups include Arizona State (Dec. 3), Iowa State (Dec. 17), South Dakota (Dec. 19) and Minnesota (Dec. 22).
FOUR IN, FOUR OUT
After the departure of four players from last year's roster — including leading scorers Réjane Vérin and Simone DeCoud — the Highlanders bring four new faces to the team for 2017-18. They are redshirt freshman Halle Sam-Boudreau (Oak Hills HS), and true freshmen Tianna Eaton (Rowland HS), Keilanei Cooper (Vista Murrieta HS), and Daphne Gnago (Insep Scolarité, France).
HOLT HAS RANGE
Lauren Holt connected on 57-of-149 three-pointers last year, making the most threes of any Highlander in their debut season. That mark stands at No. 6 in program history for a single season, while her career 36.2 three-point percentage as a Highlander ranks fourth all-time.
ALL-CONFERENCE, ALL DAY
UC Riverside had at least four players named to the various All-Big West teams for the third consecutive year last season—something it had never done before. Michelle Curry (Honorable Mention) earned her third career all-conference selection, while Lauren Holt (Honorable Mention) and Skyler Lewis (All-Freshman) were both honored in their first seasons in the conference.
TOP QUARTER SCORERS
The NCAA switched from halves to quarters in the 2015-16 season. The Highlanders' single-quarter scoring highs for team and player this season both came against Sacramento State on Nov. 26. UCR scored 31 points in the fourth quarter, including 14 points from Lauren Holt. Two of the program's six 30-point quarters have come this season.
