IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a convincing 82-68 win over Hawai'i Friday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (8-5, 5-0 Big West) scored on the opening possession and built a double-digit lead by the three-minute mark of the first quarter. They remained in the driver's seat the rest of the way, going up by as many as 22 for their fourth-straight victory.
 
The 'Eaters shot 52% from the field and scored 28 points off 20 forced turnovers, while committing only seven miscues of their own.
 
"We emphasized taking care of the ball because we had been turning it over ourselves, just throwing it out of bounds and not communicating," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Today, they did a much better job of taking care of it. I also thought we did a good job of pressing. We forced 20 turnovers which led to 28 points, so I like the effort that our team is giving."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Redshirt freshman Kayla Williams led six Anteaters in double figures with 20 points on an 8-of-13 shooting performance. It was her second-straight 20+ point outing. Williams also finished with seven assists and three steals.
 
Freshman Caiyle Kaupu tied her season high with 11 points to go along with four rebounds. Senior Alexus Seaton and sophomore Chloe Webb added 11 points each. Sophomore Sophia Locandro contributed 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks, while senior Haleigh Talbert had 10 points, five boards and four assists.
 
Hawai'i (3-4, 2-3 Big West) shot 42% overall and went 19-for-20 at the free throw line. Amy Atwell paced the Rainbow Wahine with 16 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first with two free throws from Seaton, and never looked back. The Anteaters raced out to a 9-2 lead at the 6:42 mark, and after Hawai'i closed the gap to four, they responded with an 11-0 run, capped by a three from freshman Victoria Baker, to pull ahead by 15. The Rainbow Wahine were able to get the final bucket at the buzzer to make it 22-9 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The two teams traded points over the first four minutes of the second period. The 'Bows eventually made it a nine-point game with 3:56 remaining, but a Kaupu triple started a 9-4 spurt that put the 'Eaters on top, 41-27, at the half.
 
UCI did not let up after the break, and really started to pull away mid-way through the third frame as Talbert scored five-straight points to spark an 8-0 rally that gave the home team a 60-38 advantage with 2:59 to go. UH then broke a two-minute scoring drought, but the Anteaters maintained a comfortable 66-47 lead heading into the fourth.
 
The 'Eaters went back up by 22 following a steal and layup from Seaton at the 5:17 mark of the final period. Hawai'i then made a late push with a 12-0 run cutting the deficit to 10 with 1:44 remaining. Locandro quickly squandered any thoughts of a comeback with a layup, and UC Irvine closed out the 82-68 victory.
 
UP NEXT: The Anteaters and Rainbow Wahine will meet again at the Bren Events Center tomorrow at 4 p.m.
 
NOTES
• The Anteaters' 14-point win is their second-largest margin of victory in their all-time series with Hawai'i.
• The 82 points are also tied for the most they have scored against the 'Bows since their first meeting in 1985.
• UC Irvine is off to its first 5-0 start in Big West play since 1994-95.
• UCI is one of three Big West teams that remain undefeated in conference games.
• The 'Eaters sit at the top of the standings with Long Beach State (7-0) and UC Davis (3-0).
• Six Anteaters scored in double figures for the first time since Nov. 7, 2018.
• Over the last three games, Kayla Williams is averaging 22.7 points on 50% shooting.
• Tahlia Garza joined the 500-rebound club as her three boards tonight put her at 501 in her career.