ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Ryan Bailey

Water Polo

Bailey, a 6-foot-5 senior, scored five goals in an 8-2 victory over UC Santa Barbara Saturday, the Anteaters’ last regular-season game.

Bailey, who also plays for the U.S. national team, has 87 goals, the most by an Anteater since Tom Warde scored 103 in 1989. He was the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s leading scorer this year with 90 points.

THIS WEEK

Men’s basketball: Irvine lost to Pepperdine, 71-58, last Tuesday, but Coach Pat Douglass didn’t walk away too disappointed, especially since six first-year players played 10 minutes or more. “I think they learned they can play at this level,” Douglass said. “You could see that as the game went on.” Those players should get their first taste of victory tonight. Irvine hosts Division II Cal State Stanislaus at 7:30 p.m. in the Bren Center. Irvine plays at Oregon State Saturday and at Portland Monday. Douglass thinks the Anteaters can win those games as well. “The only team on our schedule I’m not sure we can beat is Arizona,” Douglass said. “That would take some effort.” Irvine faces Arizona on Dec. 14.

Women’s basketball: Irvine faces West Virginia tonight at 5 p.m., then travels to play in the Oregon State tournament, which begins Friday. Last season, the Anteaters lost all six road games they played when it rained or snowed. Not a good omen for a weekend in Corvallis. On the bright side, point guard Megan Stafford returns from a four-game suspension Friday against Ohio. Center Chelsea Mackey, who played her first game after serving a two-game suspension, made her first three shots and scored 16 points against Syracuse Saturday. “I don’t think we made shots on back-to-back possessions in our first game,” Coach Mark Adams said.

Water polo: Irvine plays in the unofficial national championship tournament this week. The Anteaters open with Pacific in the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament at 1 p.m. Friday at Newport Harbor High School. Ryan Bailey gets most of the attention, but junior Dan Klatt has scored 29 goals and senior Jason Gabarra has scored 24.