Solace for UCI women

BARRY FAULKNER

While the UC Irvine men’s basketball team was holding off a

second-half charge from Cal State Fullerton Saturday night, the UCI

women were doing the same.

The result for the Anteater women was a 75-74 triumph that snapped

a nine-game Big West Conference losing streak that included its first

five conference games this season.

Senior Ashley Biggins produced a career-high 16 points and 21 rebounds to key the victory, which also included a career-high 16

points from freshman guard Annie Mai.

Biggins, a 6-foot-4 center, had not led the team in scoring in any

game this season until busting loose against the visiting Titans. She

netted 8 of 11 field-goal tries.

Biggins’ 21 boards were the best single-game total by any Big West

player this season and the second-best single-game output in the

nation this season.

Biggins has produced double-figure rebounds in eight of her last

10 games and her 9.9 per-game average ranks second in the Big West.

The Anteaters (2-12, 1-5 in conference) are being guided by

interim coach Molly Tuter, who took over after Mark Adams resigned

following an 0-7 start.

But while the victory over Fullerton (1-12, 0-5) was cause for

celebration, UCI continues to absorb adversity. The latest blow was a

season-ending knee injury to senior guard Courtney Ferguson, who tore

her right patellar tendon in Thursday’s loss to UC Riverside.

Ferguson, who was averaging 7.4 points and ranks second on the

team with 15 three-pointers, joins freshman Kristee Davidson,

sophomore Stephanie Duda and senior Katie Sturgeon as players lost

for the season with injuries. Further, talented walk-on Katie Curtis

left the team early in the season.

*

Tuter, 29, hoping to make the most of her first head-coaching

opportunity, had only eight players available Saturday. But, the

former UCLA assistant who played at Arizona State, where she ranks

third on the career scoring list with 1,374 points, said help is on

the way.

Tuter, in her fifth season at UCI, said Kalee Davidson, who left

the team earlier in the season, has returned. Tuter also re-recruited

Kimberly Martin, a 6-foot-1 junior power forward, who last played at

UCI in 2001-02.

Martin, whom Tuter said could help the Anteaters’ front line,

happily accepted the coach’s recent invitation to return. Martin,

whose eligibility is being researched and must also pass a physical,

could begin practice this week. She may play as soon as she’s

physically ready, Tuter said.”She started a couple games as a

freshman, before dealing with some personal issues,” Tuter said. “She

went to Saddleback [Community College] for a year. She was at all our

games and I asked one of our players to get me her phone number. I

gave her a call to see if she would think about playing and she was

very excited about the idea.”

*

Tuter is also excited about her opportunity, though she laments

how it came about.

“It didn’t work out the way I wanted it to with Mark resigning,

but I’ve been given this opportunity and want to take full advantage.

I love challenges and this is one of the biggest ones I’ve faced. I’m

just taking it day by day.”

Tuter said she has become more comfortable with the added

responsibilities of running a program. “I think I have as good a

chance as anyone [to get the full-time job],” she said.

*

Meanwhile, there has been no shortage of good news for the

Vanguard University women’s basketball team, which continues to lead

the Golden State Athletic Conference, as well as occupy a marquee

presence on the national stage.

Coach Russ Davis’ Lions, ranked No. 2 in NAIA Division I, are

16-1, 6-0 in conference, heading into Thursday’s date with GSAC

visitor Cal Baptist.

Vanguard leads NAIA Division I in scoring margin (outscoring foes

by 34.7 points per game), rebounds per game (45.5) and assists per

game (22).

The Lions rank No. 2 nationally in scoring (90.8 ppg) and

three-point accuracy (39.4%) and are also in the top five in scoring

defense (third at 53.4 ppg), free-throw shooting (fourth at 76.1%)

and field-goal shooting (fifth at 48.3%).

Individually, senior point guard Lisa Faulkner, an NAIA

All-American last season, leads NAIA Division I in assists at 12.2

per contest. The No. 2 player on that list averages 8.7.

In addition, Vanguard sophomore Kelly Schmidt, another returning

All-American, is second in the nation in scoring (23.82 ppg),

trailing only Shalee Fackrell of Westminster College (Utah), who is

scoring 23.88 per contest.

*

Newport Harbor High product Greg Perrine, a point guard at Chapman

University, is sitting out his second collegiate season after

suffering his third torn ACL (the first two on his right knee and the

latest, days before the season opener, to his left knee) in the last

four years.

Obviously demoralized by his injuries, Perrine said recently he is

still undecided about whether to attempt yet another comeback.

Perrine, who has three years of eligibility remaining should he

wish to play again, is somewhat encouraged by what he said was less

structural damage with his latest injury. But he said he will wait

and see how his latest recovery goes before making a decision on

whether or not he’ll return.