RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team dropped a 93-88 overtime battle to defending Western Athletic Conference champion California Baptist Saturday afternoon at the CBU Events Center.
 
It was a back-and-forth affair with eight lead changes and nine tie scores. The Anteaters were out front for most of the second half, but the Lancers were able to do just enough to send it to overtime. CBU then outscored UCI, 12-7, in the extra period.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams led the 'Eaters with a season-high 20 points, all of which came in the second half and overtime. It was Williams' sixth career 20-point game. She also finished with four steals, two blocks and two assists.
 
Sophia Locandro had 14 points, eight rebounds and a career-high tying four blocks. Chloe Webb and Jayde Cadee added 10 points each, while Nikki Tom dished out a season-best six assists with no turnovers.
 
UCI shot the ball well, going 31-for-75 overall (41%) and 7-of-16 from beyond the arc (44%). They also went 19-for-24 at the free throw line.
 
CBU finished with a 51% (38-74) clip from the field and was 47% (14-30) from long distance. They had 35 assists on 38 made field goals. Caitlyn Harper scored a game-high 22 points, while Ane Olaeta put up 21 points, 17 assists, eight rebounds and four steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: California Baptist (2-1) raced out to an 11-2 lead in the first three minutes. Locandro then connected for UC Irvine's first field goal and the Anteaters proceeded to score seven unanswered, closing the gap to two. After a CBU three, the 'Eaters started to pour it on with a 12-0 run, capped by Cadee's third triple, to pull ahead, 21-14, at the 1:52 mark. The Lancers ended the rally with another trey as UCI held a 21-17 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
UC Irvine (2-2) stayed out front in the second period, and went up, 32-26, on an and-one from Webb with 5:16 remaining in the half. California Baptist then responded with a 10-2 spurt to reclaim the lead. It continued to go back-and-forth as the two teams went into the break all tied up at 38-38.
 
After trading buckets to start the third frame, Williams sparked a 20-7 Anteater run with 11 of her points coming during that stretch. That gave the 'Eaters their largest lead of the afternoon at 63-52 with 3:37 to go. CBU then started to chip away cutting its deficit down to single digits (69-61).
 
The Lancers kept the momentum to start the fourth quarter as they knotted it up at 76-76 with just under four minutes left in regulation. Free throws from Hunter Hernandez and Amelia Scharpf put UC Irvine back on top by four, but a Brittany Klaman trey, followed by a layup from Harper gave CBU an 81-80 edge at the 1:31 mark.
 
Webb would pull it back even at 81-all, sinking the second of her two free throws with 25.7 seconds on the clock, and neither team was able to find the game-winner down the stretch sending it to overtime.
 
Georgia Dale caught fire for the Lancers in the extra period with eight of her team's 12 points. Her triple with two minutes to go ultimately put the game out of reach as the Anteaters came up short, 93-88.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center next weekend to host the UCI Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 26-28. The 'Eaters will square off against Illinois State on Friday (Nov. 26) and Sacramento State on Sunday (Nov. 28).
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has scored 80+ points in three of its first four games.
• UCI had its fourth 30+ point quarter of the season.
• This was only the Anteaters' second loss in their last six overtime games.
• Nikki Tom led the 'Eaters in assists for the third-straight outing.
• Jayde Cadee surpassed 100 career 3-pointers made (102).
• CBU returned the core of last year's team that went 26-1, and suffered its only loss in the 2021 WNIT quarterfinals.