IRVINE, Calif.-  On the heels of a strong victory yesterday evening, The University of California, Riverside Highlanders women's basketball team returned to UC Irvine to play the second game in a pair of games played in the back-to-back series this weekend against the Anteaters. UC Irvine would come out on top thanks to a buzzer-beating layup for the 62-60 win.
 
Head Coach Nicole Powell said, "We are obviously disappointed with the outcome, but we had some strong moments where we battled back. Overall, it was a really great learning opportunity for us. A great chance to learn how to close games and practice finishing well."
 
UC Irvine (5-5,2-0) opened strong in the first quarter establishing a 21-13 lead and forcing six Highlanders turnovers while turning the ball over themselves just once.
 
The Anteaters would build on that momentum through the second quarter as the Highlander offense worked swiftly to recoup the deficit from the first. UCI would see their largest lead in the game in the second as they extended their lead to 12, 29-17, five minutes into the quarter. UC Riverside outscored their opponent in the second quarter 14-13, but it wouldn't be enough to close the gap and the Highlanders entered the locker room at the half down 34-27.
 
UC Riverside successfully outshot UCI in the back half of the game (53.5% FG), pushing for a comeback after the Anteater's aggressive first half. The Highlanders caught fire in the fourth, posting a 20-point quarter to take the lead, 60-55, with a little over a minute remaining. An Anteater layup with :40 on the clock and a three-pointer with only :03 left would tie the game at 60. It all came down to the final possession, and a costly UCR turnover would give UCI the small window they needed to score a layup as time expired and win the game 62-60.
 
Coach Powell reflected, "We didn't really play well in general, but we found a way to be in the game, so that was a positive. We've got to find a way to finish strong and close games that we should win. We split the weekend so we'll take it, but we have a lot to work to do and some things to improve upon going forward."
 
Next, our Highlanders will hit the road to take on new Big West Conference members California State University, Bakersfield in an inaugural conference bout between the two teams on Friday and Saturday January 22 and 23 at 4:00 PM.