‘Eaters’ fortunes Green-lit

BARRY FAULKNER

In the midst of its second six-game losing streak of the season, with

more players out with season-ending knee injuries than victories

(3-2), UC Irvine women’s basketball coach Mark Adams funneled his

frustration into a mid-January locker room tirade against his best

player.

“He got on me pretty bad,” recalled senior guard Kristen Green,

who rather than shrinking under the verbal cascade, took heed, then

took charge.

“She responded like no player I’ve ever coached,” Adams said of

the 5-foot-8 firebrand, who has helped the Anteaters (4-15, 3-8 in

the Big West Conference) win three of their last six conference games

to climb out of the cellar and into the hunt for one of the eight

berths in the conference tournament. “She has put the team on her

back and carried us.”

Green, who scored a team-high 19 points in a 63-48 home win over

Cal State Northridge Saturday, has averaged 18.5 points her last six

games, lifting her season average from 10.9 to a team-best 13.4. She

also leads the team in assists (5.1 per game) and is second in

rebounding (5.7 per contest) and steals.

“I like challenges and [Adams] gave me one,” said Green, who

called the team’s 1-12 start the most difficult stretch she has

experienced since arriving at UCI from Acalanes High School in

Lafayette, Calif., after three seasons at Borah High in Boise, Idaho.

“I had lost focus on my game and he challenged me to be a leader

for this team. I accepted. I figured if there was going to be one

person this team was going to follow, it would be me.”

Green, a two guard asked to handle more of the ball-handling

chores this year, since the team has lost three of its top four point

guard candidates to injury or transfer, has led with her play, as

well as her will.

Her recent hot stretch has featured improved perimeter shooting.

She had five three-pointers and 17 points in a Jan. 17 win at Cal

State Fullerton, then made four three-pointers en route to a

then-career-high 22 points a week later in a loss to Long Beach

State.

She had a career-high 27 points, including five more three balls,

in the Feb. 5 loss at University of the Pacific and hit 5 of 8 from

threedom against Northridge, playing all 40 minutes to up her season

average to 37.4 minutes per game.

“I have a lot of confidence right now,” Green, shooting 40.7% from

beyond the arc, said of her perimeter success, which has also come

with hard work.

“She wasn’t hitting her shots during a practice we had at Pacific

and we were about ready to wrap up the practice,” Adams recalled.

“She said ‘Coach, we’ve got to stay longer, because I need more work

on my shooting.’ ”

UCI has a chance to extend its recent upswing with two critical

home games this week. The ‘Eaters host Cal State Fullerton (5-14,

5-5) tonight and UC Riverside (5-14, 4-6) Saturday. With a pair of

wins, as well as a second victory against Utah State, (in Logan, Feb.

28), the Anteaters would virtually ensure their participation in the

Big West tournament, March 10-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

*

In addition to Green’s scoring, her energetic defense has been a

staple for the ‘Eaters. She became the program’s all-time steals

leader at UOP and added two more against Northridge to up her total

to 194.

With 124 three-pointers, she needs just nine more to move past

Wendy Gabbe (1999-2003) into the No. 2 spot on the school’s all-time

list (Kathy Lizarraga is No. 1 with 198).

Green also leads all Big West players this season in

three-pointers per game (2.56).

*

Another key performer for the UCI women all season has been senior

Christina Callaway. The 6-0 forward is averaging 11.5 points and 7.6

rebounds, the latter third among Big West players.

Callaway’s six double-doubles this season are tied for the

conference lead with Cal State Northridge’s Ofa Tulikihihifo.

*

Callaway gave Adams and her teammates a scare when she

hyper-extended a knee during a recent workout.

Callaway, however, did not miss any games, avoiding adding her

name to the UCI list of the walking and limping wounded.

That list includes: freshman point guard Megan Aaker, who tore her

ACL for a second straight season (different knees) early in preseason

workouts; sophomore guard Jackie Lord, whose attempt to come back

from a knee injury suffered in high school ended early in the season,

forcing her to give up basketball altogether; and freshman forward

Stephanie Duda (5.5 ppg), who had emerged as a solid contributor,

before blowing out her knee in practice Jan. 30.

The Anteaters have also played the last two games without junior

guard Courtney Ferguson (8.7 ppg), who has been bothered by the

effects of a concussion.

*

The UCI women’s single-game attendance record Saturday (2,227)

should include an asterisk, since it came as part of a doubleheader

with the men, who tipped off 30 minutes after their game at the Bren

Events Center.

Surely a portion of those counted among the women’s attendees were

early arrivals for the men’s game.

The previous women’s record was 1,384 for a single game only in

2002.