Waves roll over ‘Eaters, 71-47

Barry Faulkner

As the UC Irvine women’s basketball team continues to grope for a

passageway through the relative darkness of its 0-2 start, it would

do well to fall in line behind the beam of light carried Monday night

by spirited senior Kristen Green.

Green, who averaged 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds as a junior, but

produced just six points in a season-opening loss to visiting Eastern

Washington Friday, led the Anteaters with 15 points and eight

rebounds in a 71-47 nonconference setback to visiting Pepperdine

(1-1).

“Greenie played an outstanding game,” said UCI Coach Mark Adams,

whose postgame praise of his senior leader topped some encouraging

words about his team’s improvement from Game 1.

“I commended [Green] in the locker room and told our other

players, ‘That’s how you’ve got to play,’ ” Adams said. “We did some

other things better, we just didn’t shoot real well.”

Green’s determined effort was highlighted by 10 second-half

points, including two of the hosts’ three three-pointers after

intermission. She also had two steals and took two charges,

contributing to 20 turnovers by the Waves, two more than UCI.

Adams also saw improvement in offensive execution, typified by a

9-0 run early in the second half in which the Anteaters scored on

four straight possessions to pull within 37-27.

And the season debut of sophomore point guard Jackie Lord, still

hampered by the strained right quadriceps that forced her to sit out

the opener, provided some assurance the Anteaters may have a floor

leader who can handle the ball, distribute, and also pose an

outside-shooting threat.

Lord, shuttling in and out and applying a hot pad to her thigh

muscle each time she was on the bench, had five points on 2-of-4

shooting and led the ‘Eaters with four assists and three steals. This

despite playing only 18 minutes.

Lauren Yadon, a 6-3 sophomore who scored a team-high 14 off the

bench in the opener, added 10 points and six rebounds in a starting

role, while senior Christina Callaway had six points and seven boards

for UCI.

But a dismal shooting performance, in which UCI netted just 6 of

33 first-half field-goal attempts (18.2%) and finished 15 of 59 for

the game (25.4%), helped the Waves record their ninth straight win

over the Anteaters.

Pepperdine, which gave No. 6-ranked Stanford a significant

challenge before falling, 69-61, at home in Friday’s opener, scored

the first seven points of the game. Then, after Yadon broke the ice

with a 19-foot jumper and Green converted a free throw, the Waves

scored six straight points to create a double-figure lead.

Another 7-0 Pepperdine run midway through the opening half upped

the advantage to 24-8 and the Waves cruised to a 35-18 lead at the

break.

After UCI closed to within 37-27 with 16:36 left in the game,

Pepperdine produced a 16-4 surge, including 10 straight points in a

three-minute span, to secure its first of many expected victories.

“[The Waves] are tall and physical and they gave us some

problems,” Adams said of Coach Mark Trakh’s squad, which returns nine

players from last year’s 22-8 campaign. The Waves, however, were

without All-American candidate Shandrika Lee, their point guard and

best player, sidelined by a knee ailment.

Junior guard Shanell Law, still recovering from an ankle sprain,

came off the bench to produce 12 points, topped only by 6-0 senior

Nicole Funn, who paced the visitors with 16.

UCI returns to action Dec. 2 against visiting San Diego State.

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Nonconference

Pepperdine 81, UCI 47

Pepperdine - Spencer 9, Clarendon 6, Greathouse 6, Funn 16, Wodarski 3, Law 12, Lacy 9, Mayberry 8, Wenski 2. 3-pt. goals - Law 3, Spencer 1, Funn 1. Fouled out - Mayberry. Technicals - None. UC Irvine - Yadon 10, Callaway 6, Biggins 4, Green 15,

Stanley 2, Lord 5, Ferguson 3, Urban 2. 3-pt. goals - Green 2, Ferguson 1, Lord 1. Fouled out - Biggins. Technicals - None. Halftime - 35-18, Pepperdine.

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