Women's Basketball Hosts Hawai'i on Saturday

Saturday, January 15

Irvine, Calif.

4:00 PM

UC Irvine

Hawai'i

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Women's Basketball Hosts Hawai'i on Saturday

January 14, 2022 | Women's Basketball

Hawai'i (4-7, 1-1 Big West) at
UC Irvine (8-6, 3-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 15
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine will look to remain unbeaten in Big West play when it welcomes Hawai'i to the Bren Events Center for a 4 p.m. conference showdown on Saturday, Jan. 15. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

In accordance with guidance from the California Department of Public Health, UC Irvine Athletics is requiring fans in attendance (ages 3 and older) at all indoor home events to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within one day for an antigen test and two days for a PCR test prior to entry. In addition, all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a mask while indoors at UCI facilities unless actively eating or drinking.

UCI Athletics is utilizing mobile ticketing and a clear bag policy for all 2021-22 home games.

STORYLINES
• UC Irvine is off to its first 3-0 Big West start since 2010-11 after taking down UCSD, 59-44, Tuesday at RIMAC Arena.
• The Anteaters have held their opponent to under 60 points seven times this season, including in each of their last four outings.
• After using the same starters throughout non-conference play, UCI has mixed it up in its first three Big West games.
• During that stretch, Hunter Hernandez, Nikki Tom, Déja Lee and Melodie Kapinga all made their first career starts.
• Déja Lee became the 11th different 'Eater to score 10+ points in a game this year with a season-high 12 at UC San Diego.
• Lee has also made her presence felt on the defensive end with three steals in each of the last three games.
• Preseason All-Big West selection Kayla Williams is averaging a team-best 12.8 ppg.
• Williams is also tops on the squad in 3FG made (26), assists (55) and steals (29).
• She ranks among the top-five in the conference in all four categories.
• Chloe Webb is averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals in two Big West games played.
• Webb tied her season high with 16 points and dished out a career-best six assists against UC Davis.
• Jayde Cadee has caught fire from beyond the arc, making nine of her 18 3-pointers in her last three appearances.
• Sophia Locandro (15) and Tara Dusharm (9) have combined for nearly half of UCI's 49 blocks.
• Locandro has had at least one block in nine outings with a career-high tying four at California Baptist.

WITH A WIN...
• UCI would be 4-0 in Big West play for the first time since 1994-95.
• The 'Eaters would extend their overall win streak to four games.
• They would also pick up their third-straight victory in their all-time series with Hawai'i.

SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WAHINE
Hawai'i (4-7, 1-1 BWC) is coming off an 82-58 loss at UC San Diego on Thursday evening. The Rainbow Wahine are led by Amy Atwell, who has started every game and is averaging a team-best 18.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per outing. Atwell, a preseason All-Big West selection, is tops in the conference in scoring.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Hawai'i, 32-13, but has won the last two. The Anteaters came out on top, 82-68, in their only meeting with the Rainbow Wahine last year at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 29, 2021.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine improved to 3-0 in Big West play with a 59-44 victory at UC San Diego on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Four Anteaters scored in double figures, led by Naomi Hunt, who had 15 points (6-12 FG), six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kayla Williams finished with 12 points and a game-high six assists, while Déja Lee had a season-best 12 points, five rebounds and three steals. Nikki Tom also put up 11 points, five boards and three steals, and Melodie Kapinga contributed six points (2-2 FG, 2-2 FT), a team-high seven rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block.

STARTING FIVE
After using the same starting lineup in its first 11 contests, UC Irvine has mixed it up in each of its last three. Against Big West opponents, the 'Eaters have had at least two true freshmen in their first five. Hunter Hernandez (Jan. 6), Nikki Tom (Jan. 8), Déja Lee (Jan. 11) and Melodie Kapinga (Jan. 11) all made their first career starts in the last two weeks, while freshman Olivia Williams remains the lone Anteater to have started every game.

BENCH PRODUCTION
UCI has outscored its opponents in bench points, 347-183. All 15 'Eaters have made their way into the scoring column, 11 have at least one double-figure scoring game, and nine are averaging at least 4.0 points per outing.

HOME & AWAY
After playing five of their six games in the month of November within the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center, the Anteaters did the opposite in December with four of their five contests on the road. UCI is 6-2 at home, 1-4 in true road games, and 1-0 in neutral-site contests. Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 42-18 (.700) at the Bren.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The Anteaters have held their opponent to under 60 points seven times this season (6-1), including in each of the last four outings. Since Dec. 23, UC Irvine has allowed 53.5 ppg, while averaging 18.8 turnovers forced, 10.3 steals and a +7.3 turnover margin. Déja Lee has provided the spark during that stretch with 10 steals, nine of which have come in Big West games.

TURNOVER TALK
The 'Eaters have forced 15+ turnovers on 10 occasions (17.3/gm), with a season-high 25 vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8. Since 2016-17, they have forced 17.9 turnovers per game and have consistently been one of the top teams in the Big West in that category.

DOUBLE DIGIT TIDBITS
UCI has had multiple players score in double figures in 13 of its 14 games. Kayla Williams is tops on the team with 11 double-digit performances, while Chloe Webb is second with eight. In addition, five of the Anteaters' eight wins have come by 10+ points.

RECORD WATCH
With 15 blocks this season, Sophia Locandro has increased her career total to 73, which puts her in sole possession of ninth all-time at UC Irvine. Jayde Cadee has also made her way into UCI's all-time top-10 in 3-pointers made as her 113 career triples are tied for seventh.

IRON WOMEN
Locandro and Cadee recently saw their streak of 68 consecutive games played snapped as they each missed the first contest of their Anteater careers Tuesday at UC San Diego. Locandro's streak of consecutive games started also came to an end at 54.

NEXT MAN UP
UC Irvine's next-man-up mentality has truly been on display in the last two games. Without starting point guard Kayla Williams, UCI defeated UC Riverside, 59-53. Chloe Webb and Jayde Cadee stepped up, tying for the game high with 15 points each. Three days later, with Webb, Cadee, Sophia Locandro and Hunter Hernandez unavailable, the 'Eaters toppled UC San Diego, 59-44, on the road. In her first career start, Déja Lee finished with 12 points, while Naomi Hunt led four Anteaters in double figures with 15.

DOUBLE DUTY
UCI is 4-0 when an Anteater finishes with a double-double this season. Chloe Webb has a team-best two double-doubles, putting up 11 points/10 rebounds vs. SJSU, and 14 points/13 boards against Southern Utah. Melodie Kapinga had the first of the year with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds in 13 minutes against Westcliff (Nov. 9), while Naomi Hunt registered 17 points and 12 rebounds vs. Sacramento State.

SCORING MACHINE
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 30 of 36 career games played with six 20+ point performances. Williams, who is averaging a team-best 12.8 ppg, has scored 10+ in each of her last 11 outings, with a season-high 20 points coming at CBU (Nov. 20). She also has a streak of 27 consecutive games played with a 3-pointer made. The 5-foot-7 point guard owns a career high of 32 points which she established at Cal Poly on Jan. 23, 2021.

CATCHING FIRE
After battling through a 2-for-10 slump over a six-game stretch from Nov. 26-Dec. 21, Jayde Cadee has caught fire from beyond the arc. In her last three outings, she has made nine of her 18 3-pointers and has shot 47% from deep. Most recently, Cadee went 5-for-10 for a season-high 15 points against UC Riverside (Jan. 8).

SPINNING HER WEBB
Chloe Webb, who earned All-Big West honors last year, had an impressive start to conference play, averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals in wins over UC Davis and UC Riverside. She also went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and 10-for-11 at the free throw line, while putting up a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio (9-to-2).

OPENING NIGHT
For the seventh-straight year, UCI started the campaign at home, and won its fourth opener in the last five seasons with a 114-53 victory over Westcliff on Nov. 9. The 114 points were a program record, breaking the previous mark of 107, which was set back in 1979 and matched in 2018. Of the five 100-point games in school history, four have come in the Tamara Inoue era. The 'Eaters also tied a 39-year old school record with 30 assists vs. the Warriors.

WINNING WAYS
UC Irvine increased its win total in each of head coach Tamara Inoue's first three years at the helm, culminating with the program's third 20-win campaign in 2018-19. In five-plus seasons, including last year's shortened schedule, Inoue already ranks third in program history with 79 victories. The 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year is seven wins away from tying Mark Adams (87) for second.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked to finish second in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The 'Eaters (88 points) received one first-place vote from the league's 11 head coaches to come in behind five-time defending regular-season champion UC Davis, which was tabbed the preseason favorite with nine first-place votes and 99 total points. This is the fourth year in a row the Anteaters were selected among the top-three in the Big West Preseason Poll.

Third-year freshman Kayla Williams was selected to the six-member Preseason All-Big West Team. Last year, Williams was named the Big West Freshman of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors after averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will make the short trip to Cal State Fullerton next Thursday, Jan. 20, before hosting Long Beach State on Saturday, Jan. 22.