HONOLULU – The UC Irvine women's basketball team rode the hot hands of juniors Morgan Green and Deijah Blanks to a 74-67 victory over Hawai'i as the duo combined for 51 points in the Anteaters' first Big West win Thursday evening in front of 1,480 fans at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
The 'Eaters improved to 9-7 overall and 1-1 in conference action as they earned their fifth-straight road victory. It is their longest streak since winning six consecutive road/neutral games in 1984-85.
 
"Playing at Hawai'i is one of the toughest road trips in the country, so to come out here and finish the game the way we did really showed our team's resiliency and togetherness," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Knocking down free throws, along with our defense and rebounding, was key down the stretch."
 
Green recorded UCI's first 30-point performance since Camille Buckley in 2014 as she finished with 31. Green went 9-for-15 from the field with five threes and was 8-of-9 at the free throw line.
 
Blanks also had 20 points (8-12 FG), just two shy of her season-high 22 which she established at Seattle. Freshman Jordan Sanders chipped in eight points and a team-best seven rebounds, while sophomore Lauren Saiki registered eight points, three boards, two assists and two steals.
 
"Morgan was able to get her team involved and score when we needed quick buckets," Inoue added. "Deijah also did a great job coming in with our post players getting in some foul trouble."
 
The Anteaters shot 42.9 percent overall, 47.1 percent from beyond the arc and 85.7 percent at the charity stripe. They forced the Rainbow Wahine into 22 turnovers and ended up winning the battle in points in the paint (34-22), points off turnovers (19-11) and bench points (27-15).
 
It was a seesaw battle early on with five ties and three lead changes in the first six minutes. UC Irvine then broke a 14-14 deadlock with an and-one from Blanks at the 3:43 mark. Green followed with four-straight free throws as the 'Eaters pushed their advantage to 21-14. The 'Bows answered with a 5-0 spurt, but the Anteaters closed out the opening quarter with a 25-20 cushion.
 
Hawai'i (7-9, 0-3 Big West) knotted it back up at 27-27 with 6:46 to go in the second period. UCI came right back with a 10-3 run that was bookended by a pair of Green 3-pointers, to pull ahead, 37-30, with 3:14 remaining. The home team chipped away, closing the gap to one, but UC Irvine was able to stay out front and held a 41-38 edge at the break.
 
Green led all players with 18 of her 31 points in the first half.
 
Hawai'i came out strong in the third frame, going up 46-45 at the 5:56 mark. That lead was short-lived, however, as Blanks responded with a jumper and a traditional three-point play to put the 'Eaters on top, 50-46. The Rainbow Wahine continued to battle as the Anteaters hung on to a one-point lead (53-52) heading into the final period.
 
UH carried the momentum into the fourth, pulling ahead 63-58 with just over six minutes left to play. Freshman Haleigh Talbert then knocked down a clutch 3-pointer to begin a 13-1 run that gave UCI a 71-64 advantage with 2:24 on the clock. Blanks also sparked the rally with eight of her 20 points during the stretch. That proved to be the separation UC Irvine needed as it came away with the 74-68 victory.
 
Lahni Salanoa led four 'Bows in double figures with 15 points. Makenna Woodfolk added 12 points and eight rebounds.
 
UC Irvine has a quick turnaround as it returns home to host UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 13. The 'Eaters and Gauchos are set to tip-off at 7 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.
 
NOTES: UC Irvine snapped an eight-game skid in its all-time series with Hawai'i … It was also the Anteaters' first road win against the Rainbow Wahine since 1995 … UCI has forced at least 20 turnovers in six of its last seven outings, including each of the last three … UC Irvine won the battle in bench points for the 14th time this season … Morgan Green became the 12th Anteater to lead the team in scoring (16 games) … Her 31 points were the most since Camille Buckley had 34 against UC Davis on March 12, 2014 … Green is averaging 23 points in two games … A pair of 'Eaters finished with at least 20 points in a game for the first time since Andee Ritter and Irene Chavez at Long Beach State on Feb. 25, 2017.