Seniors Try to Recapture Winning Feeling

They came in as freshmen and helped push the UC Irvine women’s basketball team to the Big West Tournament championship game. They have tried ever since to get back to that level.

Megan Stafford, Shannon Anders, Chelsea Mackey and Kirsten Cappel were freshmen in 1996-97 and will go out together this season. They will try one more time to regain the success they had that first season.

“It feels real good to still be together on the floor,” said Mackey, a 6-foot-3 center. “The last two years have been a little disappointing. It’s nice to be able to come back again and have a second chance.”

Or third, depending on how you look at it.

The Anteaters lost to UC Santa Barbara in the tournament final in 1997.

The next season, Stafford, the team’s point guard, suffered a stress fracture in her left foot, hampering her play down the stretch. Irvine lost to Idaho in the first round of the playoffs.

Last year, Mackey and Stafford were suspended at the start of the season and the Anteaters never got on track. They finished 11-16 and lost to North Texas in the first round.

Now, one more time, those four, plus senior Jeanine Horton--a junior college transfer last season--look to seize the moment. That starts tonight, when the Anteaters open their season at Arizona State.

“With five seniors, I would almost be embarrassed if we didn’t win,” Stafford said. “We have five seniors who can all play. We hope to go out good.”

It all begins with her.

The foot still bothers Stafford, but not enough to keep her out. She has been a key component since she hit campus. Stafford had a 30-point performance against New Mexico State in the conference tournament opener as a freshman. She was named second-team all-conference the last two seasons.

Stafford averaged 14 points and nearly four assists last season.

Inside, she will again have Mackey, who averaged a team-high 15 points, and Cappel, a 6-2 forward who averaged 10 points. Anders, who averaged seven points, is deadly from behind the three-point line and is being urged to shoot more.

Horton, a strong defender, has expanded her abilities on offense. She averaged four points last season but hit five of eight shots and scored 10 points in Irvine’s exhibition game Sunday.

“They have all been really focused,” Coach Mark Adams said. “I think they realize this is it. It’s now or never.”

In a strange twist, what might help them make it now is another group of freshmen.

Wendy Gabbe, Autumn Matthews and Kelly Murray will be needed for depth.

Gabbe, a 5-9 forward, led South Eugene High to the Oregon 4-A title last season. Murray, a 5-9 guard, was a second-team All-Southern Section selection at Ventura Buena. Matthews, a 6-1 small forward, is from Golden Sierra High in Cool, Calif.

“It will definitely be a cooperative effort,” Adams said.

It will also include center Brandy Huson, a 6-1 sophomore, forward Krissy Duperron, who has recovered from last year’s knee surgery, and forward Cindy Oparah, the team’s strongest player.

“I was working in practice with the team, and Cindy and I both grab the ball,” the 6-4 Adams said. “She almost broke my hand taking it away.

“I think we’ll be a good basketball team. The important thing will be getting used to the new kids.”

The old ones seem to know each other just fine.

“We’re the ‘Big Five,’ ” Mackey said. “We came to school this year knowing this was our last hurrah.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

UC IRVINE ANTEATERS AT A GLANCE

*--*

Date Opponent, Time

Nov. 19 at Arizona State, 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at Northern Arizona, 2 p.m. Nov. 26 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO, 7 p.m. Nov. 28 MINNESOTA, 2 p.m. Dec. 3 OREGON STATE 7 p.m. Dec. 4 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE 5 p.m. Dec. 12 at Stephen F. Austin noon Dec. 14 at Centenary 5 p.m. Dec. 17 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 7 p.m. Dec. 30 RHODE ISLAND 5 p.m. Jan. 2 UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO 2 p.m. Jan. 6 at Loyola Marymount 7 p.m. Jan. 14 NEW MEXICO STATE* 7 p.m. Jan. 16 NEVADA* 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at Idaho* 7 p.m. Jan. 23 at Boise State* 1 p.m. Jan. 27 LONG BEACH STATE* 7 p.m. Jan. 29 PACIFIC* 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at UC Santa Barbara* 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo* 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Cal State Fullerton* 7 p.m. Feb. 13 NORTH TEXAS* 2 p.m. Feb. 18 CAL STATE FULLERTON* 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Pacific* 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at Long Beach State* 2 p.m. Mar. 2 Cal POLY SAN LUIS OBISPO* 7 p.m. Mar. 4 UC SANTA BARBARA* 5 p.m. Mar 8-11 Big West tournament TBA * Big West Conference games

*--*

ROSTER

*--*

No. Player Pos. Ht. Year 3 Jeanine Horton G 5-8 Sr. 4 Kelly Murray G 5-8 Fr. 12 Wendy Gabbe G 5-9 Fr. 20 Kai Ito G 5-8 Fr. 21 Tamara Kataroyan F 5-10 Jr. 22 Shannon Anders G 5-8 Sr. 23 Autumn Matthews F 6-1 Fr. 34 Brandy Hudson F 6-1 So. 40 Krissy Duperron F 5-10 So. 42 Cindy Oparah F 5-11 So. 43 Kirsten Cappel F 6-2 Sr. 44 Megan Stafford G 5-8 Sr. 50 Chelsea Mackey C 6-3 Sr.

*--*