Women’s basketball: Anteaters ready for upcoming season

Amara Aguilar

The best defense is a good offense ... sort of.

The UC Irvine women’s basketball team already has a solid defense.

Last year, the Anteaters were ranked 24th in the nation in that area.

Offense, however, is something UCI Coach Mark Adams would like to see

improve this season. The Anteaters made 704 of 1,725 field-goal attempts

last season, when they went 16-14.

UCI placed fourth in the Big West Conference with a 7-7 record.

This year, Adams will depend mainly on returning senior Cindy Oparah

and junior Wendy Gabbe to provide a scoring spark.

Oparah, a 5-foot-11 forward, led UCI in scoring with 10.5 points per

game last season and averaged 8.4 rebounds. She was also a first-team

All-Big West selection.

“(Oparah) is a silent leader,” Adams said. “She leads by example and

sets the tone for our work ethic.”

Gabbe, a 5-11 forward, averaged 10.4 points per game last year and led

the Anteaters in three-pointers with 35.

Brandy Hudson is another key returner for the Anteaters. The 6-1

senior forward averaged 10 points and 6.3 rebounds.

In addition, Lisa Woznick returns to help provide offensive support.

The 5-11 senior guard averaged 6.4 points per game and had 42 assists and

20 steals after transfering from San Joaquin Delta College.

Rounding out the key returners are Erin Tomlinson, Jana Ciperova,

Christina Callaway and Kristen Green.

Tomlinson, a 5-9 senior who played at Orange Coast College, will

contribute in the backcourt. She played in every game last year and

averaged 3 points. She also had 51 assists.

Ciperova, a 6-0 senior, averaged 5.9 points per game and had 48

assists.

Callaway, a tough post player, was sixth on the team in scoring (6

ppg). She also averaged 5.4 rebounds.

Green, a 5-8 sophomore, will contribute on defense. She averaged 2.4

points and 1.7 rebounds.

“We have got a really good nucleus of returners,” Adams said. “We have

some good balance in our offense this year and we’ve got some good depth

at the guard spot.”

Transfer Chanda McLeod will also look to contribute. McLeod, a 5-11

forward, sat out last season after transferring from the University of

Arkansas, where she played volleyball. She graduated from Marina High in

1999 and averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds as a senior.

Incoming freshmen who will also look to make an impact for the

Anteaters include Lisa Faulkner, Ashley Biggins, Katie Sturgeon and

Kimberly Martin.

“I am excited about all four of our incoming freshmen,” Adams said.

“(Faulkner) has gotten off to the fastest start. She has settled in

quickly.”

Faulkner, a 5-5 guard, averaged 12 points and seven assists as a

senior at Oregon City High.

Biggins will give the Anteaters some height in the key. At 6-4, she is

the tallest player on the team. The center produced 19.7 points and 20.2

rebounds per game last year at Santa Cruz High.

Sturgeon, a 6-2 forward, was a two-time Wyoming Valley Conference

All-Star at Crestwood High.

Martin averaged 19.8 points per game at Mount Miguel High last season.

The 6-0 forward was also an MVP of the Grossmont South League.

“I think I’ve got a really good group of players,” Adams said. “They

work hard. We have good chemistry on the team that will take us a long

way.”

Adams enters his fifth season as the head coach at UCI. He is 101-85

in seven seasons as a head coach and 55-56 at UCI.

The Anteaters, ranked fourth by coaches and media in the Big West

preseason polls, travel to the University of San Fransisco Saturday for a

2 p.m. nonconference game to begin the season.