Women’s Basketball: ‘Eaters’ struggles persist

Three days of soul searching helped the UC Irvine women’s basketball team produce three successful quarters Friday night.

But some of the negative themes that had persisted in a three-game losing streak that featured an average margin of defeat of 35.3 points, resurfaced in the final period of a 71-55 nonconference loss to visiting Northern Arizona at the Bren Events Center.

UCI (1-5), led, 44-43, after three quarters, but surrendered seven layups in the final 10 minutes to help NAU score 28 points and run away with its third win in seven contests.

The Lumberjacks converted 18 layups to help create a 44-32 scoring advantage in the paint, and both teams struggled from three-point range, as well as the foul line.

“That’s the way we’ve played almost the entire season, so far,” UCI Coach Doug Oliver said. “We give up easy baskets, and we can’t make open shots. And it’s a struggle.”

UCI made its final three-point try to finish two for 12 from beyond the arc and sank only nine of 19 free-throw attempts. The Anteaters utilized post players Mokun Fajemisin and Shereen Sutherland to create some inside opportunities to help them shoot 37.9% from the field, almost 10 percentage points better than their accuracy in their first five contests.

But UCI’s porous defense allowed NAU to make 25 of its 41 two-point field-goal tries (61%) to shoot 48.3% overall.

The Lumberjacks were three for 17 from threedom (17.6%) and 12 for 26 from the foul line (46.2%), but still managed their second straight victory.

The fourth straight setback, in the first of four home games, for UCI, comes on the heels of a pair of blowout losses in a Thanksgiving tournament at Loyola Marymount.

“We had a tough week of practice after getting beat up pretty easily [at LMU],” Oliver said. “We had three days of soul searching and practice, and a lot of discussion about competitiveness and other things. I thought we at least put some things on the line. Now, we’ll try to get ready for a Nevada team [Sunday at 2 p.m.] that is 0-7, but is pretty good.”

Oliver said Fajemisin, who was six for 10 from the field on her way to a team-best 16 points, and Sutherland (15 points and a team-best nine rebounds), were bright spots for the ‘Eaters.

But UCI starters Irene Chavez, Mckenzie Piper and Raelyn Cheung-Sutton were a combined five for 22 from the field, including zero for eight from three-point range. They also were responsible for eight of the team’s 17 turnovers.

But defense, or the lack thereof, was the biggest issue for UCI.

“There were three or four possessions there where it was just a sieve,” Oliver said.

Alyssa Rader, a 6-foot-2 freshman center, and Brittani Lusain, a 5-8 junior guard, combined for 17 layups to help expose UCI’s soft underbelly.

Rader was 10 for 14 from the field on her way to 22 points, and her 10 rebounds gave her five double-doubles this season, tops in the Big Sky Conference.

Lusain was 11 for 17 from the field on her way to a game-high 25 points. She added eight rebounds to help the visitors earn a 42-35 advantage on the glass.

Senior guard Monique Mulder had 11 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-pointer near the end of an 11-2 Lumberjacks’ run that helped NAU pull away.

UCI had a rally of its own after trailing, 32-27, at halftime. The hosts used scoring contributions from five players to fuel a 17-3 run that created a 44-38 advantage with 1:28 left in the third quarter.

But UCI managed just three field goals over the next 10:25 to absorb its fifth double-digit loss.

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Nonconference

Northern Arizona 71, UC Irvine 55

SCORE BY QUARTERS

NAU 20 12 11 28 -- 71

UCI 10 17 17 11 – 55

NAU – Paplow 3, Cotton 0, Rader 22, Lusain 25, Coggins 6, Mulder 12, Willadson 2, Leyva 1.

3-pt. goals – Coggins 2, Mulder 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

UCI – Fajemisin 16, Sutherland 13, Cheung-Sutton 8, Piper 4, Chavez 2, Santana 9, Jackson 3.

3-pt. goals – Santana 1, Sutherland 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.