IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team played an inspired second half to turn a 12-point deficit into a 67-55 win over Illinois State in Friday's opening game of the UCI Thanksgiving Classic at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (3-2) outscored the Redbirds, 43-19, over the final 20 minutes. The second-half surge started on the defensive end where they had eight of their nine steals, and forced the visitors into 13 of their 20 turnovers. UCI ended up scoring 23 points off ISU's miscues.
 
"I thought our team did a really good job of adjusting in the second half," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "But, we have to start better. We haven't started well the last three games so we have to figure that out. I like my starters and I believe in them, we just have to get a better rhythm."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Tara Dusharm led the charge in the second half as she scored all of her season-high 14 points after the break. She went 4-for-7 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Dusharm also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds.
 
"Being a seventh-year senior, I knew my team needed me," Dusharm said of her second-half performance. "I needed to step up with our other bigs in foul trouble. That was a point in time where I felt my team needed me to do a little more, so I brought the energy and helped our younger ones keep our composure. We had some people hit big shots and rallied together."
 
Kayla Williams led UCI in scoring with 15 points, to go along with five assists, four steals and two boards. Olivia Williams added nine points and two steals, while Chloe Webb put up seven points, seven rebounds and two steals.
 
The 'Eaters finished the game shooting 43% from the field, while holding ISU to 38%. They also won the battle in rebounds (35-29), assists (14-11), turnovers forced (20-16) and steals (9-4).
 
Mary Crompton and DeAnna Wilson paced the Redbirds with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first with a Kayla Williams layup on the opening possession. After trading buckets over the next few minutes, Illinois State (1-4) closed out the first quarter on a 10-2 run to take an 18-8 lead.
 
The Anteaters eventually cut the deficit to five in the second period as an and-1 from Webb made it 25-20 at the 6:39 mark. ISU responded with a triple and increased its cushion to 36-24 at the break.
 
The 'Eaters got going in the third, sparked by back-to-back steals from Kayla Williams. Both of her takeaways ended with a layup from Olivia Williams, and kicked off a 10-0 run that closed the gap to 38-36 with 4:57 remaining. Illinois State came right back with six unanswered, but Dusharm stopped the rally with a couple free throws. She would go on to sink four more before the buzzer to bring UCI within two (46-44).
 
UC Irvine kept the momentum in the fourth quarter as a Dusharm jumper knotted it up, and a 3-pointer from Jayde Cadee put the Anteaters on top, 49-46, with 8:23 to play. The Redbirds would tie it up one more time before an Olivia Williams triple gave the home team the lead for good. UCI continued to build its cushion, finishing the game on a 9-1 run for the 67-55 victory.
 
UP NEXT: The Anteaters close out the UCI Thanksgiving Classic against Sacramento State on Sunday, Nov. 28. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.
 
 
NOTES
• All of UC Irvine's wins this season have been by double digits.
• The Anteaters overcame their largest deficit (12) this year.
• They also picked up their first victory after trailing at the half.
• UCI has forced 20+ turnovers in three of its last four outings.
• Kayla Williams extended her streak of consecutive games played with a 3FG made to 19.
• Williams has also reached double figures in scoring in 22 of 28 career games played.
• Tara Dusharm, who went 6-of-6 at the FT line tonight, has made 10 consecutive free throws.