RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The UC Riverside Women's Basketball Team (8-20, 5-9) will play its final two games of the regular season this week, beginning with Long Beach State (6-22, 4-10) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Walter Pyramid.
The Highlanders will then take on UC Davis (23-4, 13-1) this Saturday on Senior Night at SRC Arena. The early tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m., with the Senior Night ceremony set to take place immediately after the game.
LAST TIME OUT
UC Riverside just fell short in a 72-70 loss at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, despite career-highs of 31 points and 14 rebounds from Michelle Curry. Lauren Holt scored 21 points herself, surpassing the 20-point mark for the third time in four games.
BATTLE FOR POSTSEASON POSITION
Although the Highlanders currently occupy the No. 6 seed in the Big West with just two games remaining, there is still a very slim chance they could fall out of postseason contention.
If UCR qualifies, it will play a First Round game at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Gym on Tuesday, Mar. 6.
CONSISTENT CASH
Lauren Holt has scored in double-figures in 21 consecutive games, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the Highlanders' Division I era (2001-pres). The only players to surpass 21 straight games are Réjane Vérin (24 games, 2016-17) and Brittany Crain (37 games, 2013-14). During conference play, Holt has only improved upon her top-10 marks for scoring and three-pointers, currently sitting 6th in points per game (18.2) and 5th in threes per game (2.1). She has also ranks a close second in minutes per game (38.1).
HOLT HITS 1K
With a career-high 33 points against UC Irvine on Jan. 25, Lauren Holt became the second Highlander this season to surpass 1,000 career points. Holt scored 344 points at Portland State from 2013-15 and is at 692 points and counting as a Highlander since 2016.
CHEF CURRY
Michelle Curry has been doing it all during conference play, ranking 3rd in the Big West in scoring (19.3 ppg) and steals (2.3 spg), 5th in free throws (4.7 per game), and 7th in assists (3.9 apg). With 19 points at South Dakota on Dec. 19, Curry became the 18th 1,000-point scorer in program history. She has scored in double-figures in 31 of her last 35 games dating back to last season, including a career-high 31 point game at UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 24.
ADD 'EM UP
Michelle Curry has reached several significant milestones this season, including cracking the all-time UCR top-10 in a number of statistical categories. She currently sits No. 10 in points (1,277), No. 5 in assists (313), No. 6 in free throws (308), and No. 9 in offensive rebounds (195).
BLOCK PARTY
During conference play, UC Riverside is tied for the Big West lead in blocks (4.4 bpg). That is due in large part to having a pair of top-5 shot blockers in forwards Skyler Lewis (2.0 bpg, 2nd) and Marina Ewodo (1.4 bpg, T-4th).
BIG WEST SUCCESS
The Highlanders hold a 30-16 (.652) record in conference games since the 2015-16 season. That year, UCR became just the second Big West team ever to go undefeated in conference, posting a perfect 16-0 mark.
FREE THROW DISPARITY
UC Riverside has struggled to keep opposing teams off the free throw line this season, currently allowing 23.2 free throw attempts and 15.8 free throw makes per game. Those currently stand as the 2nd and 3rd highest marks since the 2001-02 season.
However, those numbers have dropped since the beginning of conference play to 17.9 attempts and 13.1 makes per game.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
UC Riverside defeated UNLV, 95-88 on Dec. 2, posting the third-highest scoring total in the Highlanders' Division I era. UCR shot 59.3 percent (35-59 FG) for the game and tallied 29 assists, good for the fourth-highest field goal percentage and seventh-most assists in the program's single-game history. Lauren Holt (28) and Michelle Curry (27) became the first Highlander tandem with 25 points apiece since Brittany Crain (30) and Réjane Vérin (25) at UC Davis on Feb. 20, 2016.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE
There are three Highlanders with a double-double this season: Skyler Lewis (4), Michelle Curry (3), and Marina Ewodo (2). Entering the week, Hawaii was the only other Big West team with three players boasting a double-double this year.
SHE DID WHAT?
Redshirt sophomore forward Skyler Lewis has four of UC Riverside's eight double-doubles this season, tied for 5th in the Big West entering the week. 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.
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. Stanford scored just 53 points—a mark which ranks as the second-fewest points allowed by the Highlanders against a top-25 team in the team's Division I era (2001-Pres). 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.
R' HOUSE
UC Riverside has won .714 of its home games since the start of the 2014-15 season, going 35-14 at SRC Arena. Through 11 home games this season, the Highlanders are 6-5.
ROADS OF THE RECENT PAST
The Highlanders have 30 regular season games on their schedule this year, 18 of which will be played on the road. Since 2015-16, UCR has a .389 record in contests played outside of SRC Arena, going 21-33 in away and neutral games combined.
DAZZLING DEBUT
Jannon Otto's 13 points in her UC Riverside debut 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.
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).
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.
HOLT HAS RANGE
Lauren Holt connected on 57-of-149 three-pointers last year, making the most threes of any Highlander in her debut season. That mark stands at No. 6 in program history for a single season, while her career 34.6 three-point percentage as a Highlander ranks fifth all-time.
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.
