PHOENIX - After digging itself into a double-digit deficit early in the fourth quarter, UC Irvine came storming back but ultimately ran out of time in a 58-53 loss to Grand Canyon Thursday afternoon at GCU Arena.
 
The Anteaters (5-6) were trailing, 49-38, with just over four minutes remaining. Jayde Cadee and Kayla Williams then got hot from beyond the arc as they both knocked down a couple 3-pointers on four-straight possessions.
 
The Lopes would sink their free throws on the other end, putting the 'Eaters behind, 55-50, with 21.8 seconds to go. Williams then got fouled on a corner trey and calmly sank all three of her free throws to make it, 55-53, with 15.5 ticks on the clock. GCU made 1-of-2 foul shots to keep it a one-possession game, but Cadee was off the mark on the game-tying attempt.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams paced UCI with 13 points and three assists. Sophia Locandro also finished with seven points and a season-best 10 rebounds. Jayde Cadee, Tara Dusharm and Caiyle Kaupu added six points each, while Naomi Hunt chipped in five points, five boards and two steals. Nikki Tom had five points and two steals as well.
 
The Anteaters shot 32% from the field, 24% from deep and 77% at the free throw line. The Lopes, meanwhile, were 35% overall, 35% from three and 71% at the charity stripe. Amara Graham led GCU with a game-high 15 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Grand Canyon (7-4) built a 5-0 lead before Tom got UC Irvine on the board with a 3-pointer at the 4:20 mark. The Anteaters then outscored the Lopes, 7-3, the rest of the way for a 10-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
Locandro struck first in the second period, increasing UCI's cushion to four. GCU came right back to go up, 14-12, but two ties and six lead changes would follow with the home team carrying a narrow 24-22 edge into the locker room.
 
Grand Canyon started the third frame on an 8-0 run to pull ahead, 32-22, at the 6:07 mark. Dusharm then got UC Irvine back on the board, and the two teams traded points over the next minute. The Anteaters then scored six unanswered to make it 36-32, but the Lopes responded with a pair of 3-pointers to go back on top by double digits.
 
The 'Eaters went down by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter before they put together the late rally sparked by Cadee and Williams.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is set to open Big West play on the road next weekend, traveling to CSUN (Dec. 30) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 1).
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine scored fewer than 60 points in consecutive games for the first time since the start of the 2020-21 season.  
• This is the first time this year UCI did not have multiple players reach double figures in the points column.
• Kayla Williams was the only Anteater with 10+ points, marking her ninth-straight double-digit scoring performance.
• Williams also extended her streak of consecutive games played with a 3-pointer made to 25.