LONG BEACH, Calif. – The top-seeded UC Irvine women's water polo team dropped a narrow 7-6 decision to No. 2 Hawaii in the Big West Championship Game Sunday at Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.
 
UC Irvine, the top-seed and ranked seventh nationally, finishes with a 19-9 overall record. The second-seeded, fifth ranked Rainbow Wahine improve to 18-5 overall and earn the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Kayleigh Schultz led UCI with two goals
> Mary Brooks, Sarah Nichols, Toni Shackelford and Tara Prentice each finished with one goal
> Morgan Jones had seven saves and a steal in goal
> UCI outshot UH 37-21 and Brooks won all four sprints
> Neither team fared well in extra-man situations as the Anteaters went 0-6 and the 'Bows were 0-5
> Elyse Lemay-Lavoie tallied a game-high three goals for UH. Molly DiLalla and Bridget Layburn each played a half in goal as Layburn closed out the game making 10 saves
 
QUARTER ONE
> Prentice got the 'Eaters on the board first with a goal at 4:56
> UH answered scoring back-to-back goals to go up 2-1 (2:06)
> The 'Bows' Irene Gonzalez tallied another to give UH a 3-1 lead with less than two minutes to go
> Schultz fired in a goal from five-meters as time expired to make it 3-2
 
QUARTER TWO
> Shackelford found Brooks who drilled in a bank-handed shot to even things up, 3-3 (6:32)
> A Shackelford skip shot from outside the perimeter would give the 'Eaters a 4-3 lead (5:32)
> UH evened things up with a goal at 5:02 but Schultz scored from distance (3:19) as the 'Eaters took a 5-4 halftime lead

QUARTER THREE
> UH held UCI scoreless in the frame while tallying three goals to take a 7-5 lead

QUARTER FOUR
> The Anteater defense shutout the 'Bows in the fourth quarter
> Sarah Nichols scored with 1:46 to play but UCI ran out of time and UH earned the narrow victory
 
NOTES
> Prentice finishes the season with a team-best 70 goals
> Mary Brooks ends her career with 206 goals, good for fourth all-time
> UCI will lose three players to graduation, Brooks, Raegan Castillo and Jenna Phreaner