Consistency Will Be Key for the Anteaters
Things are very familiar for the UC Irvine women’s basketball team this season.
The Anteaters return, down to the last player, the same team that went 16-13 and reached the Big West Conference championship game a year ago.
The new head coach, Mark Adams, was an Anteater assistant the last three seasons.
Even Jeff Dow returns as an assistant coach.
But status quo is not on the agenda.
“We got beat by some people we should have beat,” Adams said. “We got blown out by some people we should have beat. We had a consistency problem. We now want everyone to play hard every game.
“I feel we should be near the top of the conference with the talent we have returning. Our goal is to win 20 games.”
Sounds simple. There is, however, a glitch.
When the Anteaters open their season Sunday (2 p.m., Bren Center) against San Diego, they will do so without Leticia Oseguera, their leading scorer. Oseguera broke a bone in her left hand in the team’s exhibition game against Kilsyth (an Australian club team) last Sunday and is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Oseguera, a senior, was a first-team All-Big West Conference player last season. She averaged 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds. A big gap to fill.
“We just need some people to step up,” Adams said.
Simple. But who? Sabrina Roberson, a senior guard, can be counted on for 10 points a game, Adams said. Char-Pei Chen, a 6-foot forward, is steady. But to cover for Oseguera, the Anteaters will need more from last season’s talented freshman class.
Top candidates are Megan Stafford, Chelsea Mackey and Shannon Anders. All are sophomores and all went throw growing pains a year ago. How far they have come is to be seen.
Stafford, a 5-8 point guard, was a key factor last season. She averaged 12.4 points and 5.6 assists--with a school single-season record 161. Her 30-point game against New Mexico State in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament pushed the Anteaters to victory.
Mackey and Anders are lesser-known quantities.
Anders, a 5-8 guard, is a returning starter who averaged 8.1 points. She had 16 points to lead the Anteaters in their 67-65 overtime victory over Santa Barbara, the eventual conference champion. But Anders also had difficulty getting shots off.
“She worked on her strength this summer and that should allow her to get shots off quickly,” Adams said. “She’s also very good at slashing to the basket. She’s deceptive with her speed.”
Mackey, a 6-3 center, averaged 4.5 points as a role player last season. But Adams said Mackey has been the team’s most improved player. She will be expected to pick up more of the rebounding slack while Oseguera is out. Kirsten Cappel, a 6-2 sophomore, will have to be consistent inside.
“We have some depth off the bench that we haven’t had in the past,” Adams said. “But we need to win games we are supposed to win and stay competitive in ones we aren’t.”
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
SCHEDULE
DATE: OPPONENT, TIME
Nov. 23: San Diego, 2 p.m.
Nov. 28: at Utah, 6 p.m.
Nov. 30: Fairfield, 1 p.m.
Dec. 5: San Jose State, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6: Northern Arizona, 7 p.m.
Dec. 15: at Portland State, 7 p.m.
Dec. 19: * First round, TBA
Dec. 20: * Final or consolation, TBA
Dec. 29: Lehigh, 7 p.m.
Jan. 2: at St. Mary’s, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4: at Santa Clara, 2 p.m.
Jan. 9: North Texas, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11: New Mexico State, 2 p.m.
Jan. 16: at Boise State, 6 p.m.
Jan. 18: at Idaho, 2 p.m.
Jan. 22: Pacific, 7 p.m.
Jan. 24: Long Beach State, 7 p.m.
Jan. 30: at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 7 p.m
Feb. 1: at UC Santa Barbara, 2 p.m.
Feb. 6: Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.
Feb. 8: Nevada, 2 p.m.
Feb. 15: at Cal State Fullerton, 2 p.m.
Feb. 20: at Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22: at Pacific, 2 p.m.
Feb. 26: UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.
Mar. 1: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 2 p.m.
Mar. 4-7: Big West tournament
* Texas San Antonio Tournament
ROSTER
*--*
No. Player Ht. Yr. 22 Shannon Anders 5-8 So. 12 Teniesha Bayless 5-8 Fr. 43 Kirsten Cappel 6-2 So. 24 Char-Pei Chen 6-0 Jr. 40 Krissy Duperron 5-11 Fr. 4 Princess Hatcher 5-8 Jr. 10 Leticia Hodge 5-3 Fr. 23 Yuriko Jung 5-7 Jr. 21 Tamara Kataroyan 5-10 Fr. 50 Chelsea Mackey 6-3 So. 20 Leticia Oseguera 5-11 Sr. 32 Nikole Payton 5-7 Jr. 14 Sabrina Roberson 5-8 Sr. 44 Megan Stafford 5-8 So.
*--*
