IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team fell in a first-place battle with Long Beach State, 62-50, Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (9-8, 4-2 Big West) and Beach were tied for first in the Big West standings heading into today's Black & Blue Rivalry showdown. The game lived up to the hype with a tightly-contested first half where neither team led by more than four. There were also seven tie scores, including a 25-25 deadlock at intermission. LBSU then pulled away in the third quarter where it outscored UCI, 22-10.

That third period was the difference as the two squads finished with identical point totals in the first (10), second (15) and fourth (15) frames. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams scored a team-high 15 points, while Chloe Webb finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Jayde Cadee added eight points, and Naomi Hunt chipped in six boards and four assists.
 
The 'Eaters shot 34% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Defensively, they held Long Beach to a 39% clip and a 1-of-14 performance from deep, but the Beach made up for it at the free throw line where it was 21-of-23. UC Irvine, meanwhile, got to the charity stripe nine times.
 
The Anteaters won the battle on the boards, 40-20, but committed a season-high 22 turnovers.
 
Ma'Qhi Berry led three LBSU players in double figures with 15 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Long Beach State (12-2, 5-1 Big West) struck first and held an early lead through the first three minutes. UC Irvine then went on an 8-2 run that was bookended by 3-pointers from Olivia Williams and Kayla Williams to pull ahead, 10-6, at the 5:45 mark. The Anteaters went scoreless the rest of the way, allowing the Beach to knot it up at 10-all at the end of the first quarter.
 
It went back-and-forth in the second period with five ties and four lead changes. Neither team led by more than two as the 'Eaters pulled out front, 25-23, with just under a minute remaining in the half. Still with a two-point lead, UCI had the ball, trying to hold for the last shot, but a steal from Maddi Utti led to a layup at the buzzer as the teams went into the locker room tied at 25-25.
 
LBSU created its separation in the third frame, outscoring UC Irvine by 12. The visitors took advantage at the foul line where they accounted for 12 of their 22 points in the quarter. Long Beach State went on top, 31-27, before an and-1 from Webb cut the deficit to one at the 7:16 mark. The Beach then used a 10-0 rally to increase its cushion to 41-30. LBSU kept the momentum with a 47-35 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
The Anteaters scored the first five points of the final period, making it 47-40 with 6:47 remaining, but Long Beach State came right back with seven unanswered to double its lead. UCI was able to close the gap to single digits one more time on back-to-back threes from Cadee and K. Williams, but LBSU finished strong for the 62-50 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine hits the road next week, traveling to CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 27) and Cal Poly (Jan. 29).
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine dropped to second in the Big West standings, sitting one game behind Long Beach State.
• Jayde Cadee knocked down at least two 3-pointers for the fifth time in her last six outings.
• Cadee now ranks sixth in school history with 118 career threes made.
• Kayla Williams extended her streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games to 14.
• The 'Eaters held a 17-to-7 advantage in offensive rebounds, but were outscored 10-9 in second-chance points.
• In Big West games, UCI is outrebounding its opponents on the offensive glass, 87-47.