Long Island University (2-3) at
UC Irvine (3-1)
Date: Friday, Nov. 25
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif. 
* UC Irvine Athletics is utilizing mobile ticketing and a clear bag policy.

IRVINE, Calif. - After a three-game road stretch, UC Irvine women's basketball returns to the friendly confines of the Bren Events Center to host Long Island University on Friday, Nov. 25. The Anteaters and Sharks are set to square off at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• After a resounding 65-point win to open the season against NCAA Division III affiliate Whittier College, UCI's last three games have been decided by two points or less. The streak started with a 60-58 victory at Sacramento State where Diaba Konate beat the buzzer with a fall away jumper in the lane. The 'Eaters then fell at Pac-12 member Washington (Nov. 17), 62-60, in double overtime, before bouncing back two days later with a 54-53 win at Seattle U. They trailed the Redhawks by four with just over a minute remaining, but Olivia Williams drained a clutch 3-pointer and Nikki Tom delivered a perfect entry pass to Nevaeh Parkinson who converted the game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds on the clock.
 
• With a 3-1 record, the Anteaters are out to their best start since 2018-19 when they opened the campaign with seven consecutive wins. UC Irvine's only loss this year came at UW in the team's first double overtime game in seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue's tenure. UCI was recognized for its effort as it was receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll.
 
• As of Nov. 23, the 'Eaters lead The Big West in nine statistical categories, and rank among the top-10 in all of NCAA Division I in turnover margin (7th, 13.0), steals per game (7th, 15.0) and turnovers forced per game (10th, 26.3). UCI forced a season-high 28 turnovers at Sacramento State and matched that total at Washington.
 
• UC Irvine also leads The Big West in scoring defense at 51.5 points allowed per game. The Anteaters have held each of their first four opponents to at least one single-digit scoring quarter. In the season opener, they kept Whittier College off the scoreboard in the third frame of a 98-33 win, marking the first time UCI has not allowed a point in a 10-minute period since the NCAA switched to quarters in 2015-16. The 'Eaters have stepped up the defensive pressure in the second half where they are giving up just 19.3 ppg.
 
• UCI returns eight letterwinners from last year's squad that tied a school record with 21 wins and made the program's first WNIT appearance. The Anteaters also brought in four NCAA Division I transfers in Nevaeh Dean (Cincinnati), Nyagoa Gony (Purdue), Diaba Konate (Idaho State) and Nevaeh Parkinson (New Mexico).
 
SCOUTING THE SHARKS
Long Island University (2-3) split its first four games, all of which were on the road, before falling to NJIT, 57-50, in its home opener on Tuesday. Sophomore Emaia O'Brien, a preseason All-NEC selection, leads the Sharks with 13.0 points and 2.4 assists per outing. Graduate transfer Iris Mbulito has also registered 9.0 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine has faced Long Island University once with the lone meeting coming in their last year as the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. The Anteaters took the 84-71 win in the first game of the GCU Thanksgiving Classic in Phoenix, Arizona, on Nov. 23, 2018. The following academic year, LIU Brooklyn merged with Division II LIU Post and the program has competed as the LIU Sharks since 2019-20.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine led for 30 minutes but had to rally late for a 54-53 win over Seattle U last Saturday at the Redhawk Center. The Anteaters saw their 10-point lead from early in the third quarter disappear as SU came all the way back to go up, 53-49, with 1:15 remaining. Olivia Williams answered with her fourth 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to one with just under a minute to go. After a couple defensive stops, Nikki Tom found Nevaeh Parkinson down low for the go-ahead layup. With 4.2 seconds on the clock, the Redhawks had one more chance but Nyagoa Gony denied them with her career-high tying fourth block. Williams led the way with a game and career-high 16 points. She was 6-of-12 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. Déja Lee also had 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Hunter Hernandez added seven points and four boards, while Tom continued to have a steady presence on the court with four points, four boards, five assists and four steals.
 
QUARTER RECORDS
The 'Eaters outscored Whittier, 26-0, in the third period of their 98-33 season-opening win. It was the first time in program history UCI held its opponent scoreless in a quarter (since 2015-16). The previous school record was one point allowed in the third frame against Life Pacific on Nov. 7, 2018. UC Irvine was the third NCAA Division I team to blank its opponent in a quarter to start the 2022-23 season.

TURNOVER TALK
The Anteaters forced 20+ turnovers in each of their first four games with a season-high 28 at Sacramento State and at Washington. As of Nov. 22, UCI ranks among the top-10 in all of NCAA Division I in turnover margin (7th, 13.0), steals (7th, 15.0/gm) and turnovers forced (10th, 26.3/gm).  Since 2016-17, the 'Eaters have been one of the top teams in The Big West in turnovers forced with 17.9 per game.
 
SECOND HALF SUCCESS
UC Irvine has been a second-half team as it has outscored its opponents 141-77 (+16.0 margin) in the final 20 minutes of regulation. The Anteaters held both Whittier and Sac State to just seven points in the fourth quarter. Most of the lopsided second-half advantage has started on the defensive end where UCI has scored 58 points off 54 forced turnovers, while committing only 21 miscues of its own.
 
COUNTDOWN TO 100
Head coach Tamara Inoue needs five more victories to hit the 100-win milestone. She is currently the second-winningest coach in program history (95). The 2021 co-Big West Coach of the Year has led the 'Eaters to two of their four 20-win campaigns, including a school-record tying 21 last year.
 
CARDIAC KIDS
UC Irvine's last three games have all been decided in the final seconds. At Sacramento State (Nov. 12), Diaba Konate hit the game-winning jumper with 0.2 ticks on the clock to lift the Anteaters to the 60-58 win. In a 54-53 victory at Seatte U on Nov. 19, it was Nevaeh Parkinson who finished the go-ahead layup with 4.2 seconds remaining. In addition, UCI's 62-60 double overtime loss at Pac-12 member Washington (Nov. 17) was won by the Huskies with nine seconds to go.
 
WILLIAMS FOR THREE
Sophomore Olivia Williams found her stroke at Seattle U where she finished with a game and career-high 16 points. Williams topped her previous best of 14 from the season opener against Whittier. The 6-foot-1 guard went 6-of-12 from the field and drained a career-high four 3-pointers on eight attempts against the Redhawks. Williams is now tops on the team with nine threes made and ranks third with 10.5 points per outing.
 
THE HUNT FOR 1,000
Naomi Hunt reached a significant milestone at the 2022 Big West Championships where she surpassed 1,000 points in her collegiate career. The graduate student now has 1,079 points with 803 in her three seasons at Long Beach State and 276 in her time at UCI. She is approaching another career benchmark as she is just shy of 200 3-pointers made (196). Hunt, who had a season-high 17 points at Sac State and at Washington (5-11 3FG), is currently tops on the squad in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg).
 
GIVE AND TAKE
Sophomore Nikki Tom is the Anteaters' assists (15) leader, while she also ranks second in steals (8). In the team's 54-53 win at Seattle U, she finished with a season-high five assists and a career-best four steals. Her fifth dime came on the game-winning play as she delivered a perfect entry pass to Nevaeh Parkinson for the go-ahead layup. Tom has also reached double figures in scoring in two of her four outings this year with 12 points at Sac State and 10 vs. Whittier.
 
TRANSFER PRESENCE
Junior transfer Diaba Konate ranks second on the team with 11.7 ppg, while she has also registered eight assists and nine steals in three outings. Konate made an immediate impact as an Anteater, scoring 11 points in the opener against Whittier, and netting a season-high 16, including a buzzer-beating jumper, at Sac State. Junior transfer Nevaeh Parkinson also delivered the game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds remaining in UCI's 54-53 win at Seattle U. Parkinson is averaging 5.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.
 
LATE GAME IMPACT
Graduate transfer Nyagoa Gony played a key defensive role in UC Irvine's last two wins. At Sac State, the 6-foot-3 forward had three of her career-high four blocks during a 15-2 fourth-quarter run that gave the Anteaters a late 58-56 advantage, which was their first lead since the opening minute of the game. Gony's fourth block at Seattle U also came on the last play of the contest to seal the 54-53 victory for the 'Eaters.
 
OPENING STATEMENT
Sophomore Déja Lee had the best game of her young career in UCI's season-opening win over Whittier College. Lee came off the bench to lead all players with a career-high 16 points (7-9 FG). She also set career bests with eight rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in 18 minutes of action. In her first start of the season at Seattle U last weekend, Lee put up 12 points, four boards, three dimes and three steals.
 
HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 48-20 (.706) at the Bren Events Center. Last year, 12 of the Anteaters' school-record tying 21 victories came at home, and they owned a +10.0 scoring margin in games at the Bren. UCI has won its last seven home games.
 
OVERTIME NOTES
UC Irvine played its first double overtime game in more than 40 years last Thursday at the University of Washington. The Anteaters had not gone to a second extra period since Jan. 3, 1981, when they edged Army, 84-82. Last week also marked UCI's seventh overtime game (4-3) in head coach Tamara Inoue's tenure.
 
BIG WEST DOMINANCE
No team has been better in Big West regular-season play over the last two years than UC Irvine. The 'Eaters are coming off back-to-back four-loss campaigns, combining for a conference-leading 25-8 record. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, UCI had the most victories in league play, but finished second based on win percentage.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine makes its way back to the Pacific Northwest next week, traveling to Eastern Washington for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Dec. 1.