IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team used a 34-0 second-half run to rout Whittier College, 98-33, in its season opener Tuesday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (1-0) held the Poets scoreless in the third quarter and also accounted for the first eight points of the fourth as their 17-point lead ballooned to 51 in a 12-plus minute stretch. It was the first time in program history UCI did not allow a point in a quarter.
 
"We settled down and came out ready to go in the second half," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "We have a lot of new faces so it's going to take some time to gel. It's still early in the season but once they started to play together they did a really good job."
 
Offensively, all 12 'Eaters made their way into the scoring column. They combined to shoot 46% (39-84) from the field and 37% (14-38) from long distance. Whittier finished the game shooting 23% overall and went 5-of-20 from beyond the arc.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Déja Lee led five in double figures for UC Irvine with a career-high 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. She also did not commit a turnover in 18 minutes of action.
 
Sophomore Olivia Williams had a collegiate-best 14 points to go along with five boards, while junior Diaba Konate added 11 points on a 4-of-4 shooting performance. Sophomore Nikki Tom (3-6 3FG) and junior Nevaeh Parkinson (5-6 FG) chipped in 10 points each. Tom also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
 
Sophomore Hunter Hernandez contributed nine points and three blocks. Graduate transfer Nyagoa Gony led the squad with nine rebounds and Caiyle Kaupu swiped a career-best three steals.
 
The Anteaters outrebounded Whittier, 56-27. They also forced 22 turnovers, while committing only five, and held a 37-0 advantage in points off those miscues.
 
Rhe Nae Leach paced the Poets with 15 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Whittier College got on the board first but Nevaeh Dean responded on the other end with a layup and Konate proceeded to knock down a 3-pointer for a 5-2 lead at the 7:08 mark. The Poets came back to knot the score twice before Lee and Hernandez took over. The duo combined for UC Irvine's final 12 points of the opening quarter to put the home team on top, 20-14.
 
Williams started the second period with back-to-back threes and the Anteaters continued on an 11-0 run to pull ahead, 31-14, with 6:39 remaining. UCI maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. The 'Eaters went up by 20 on a Gony putback with 24 seconds on the clock, but Whittier's Lalli Gurrola hit a triple with time winding down to make it 43-26 at intermission.
 
It was all UC Irvine after the break as it outscored the Poets, 26-0, in the third frame. Naomi Hunt got the scoring started and went 3-for-5 from the field for all seven of her points. UCI carried the momentum into the fourth where it shot 63% (12-19). Williams' putback was followed by consecutive 3-pointers from Konate and Tom before Whittier ended the 34-0 run with a three. The Anteaters went on to outscore the Poets 29-7 for the 65-point victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine embarks on its first road trip of the season, traveling to Northern California for a 1 p.m. showdown at Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 12.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine set a program record for fewest points allowed in a quarter.
• The previous record was one point in the third quarter against Life Pacific on Nov. 7, 2018.
• The Anteaters have now won five of their last six season openers.
• They also improved to 49-20 (.710) at the Bren Events Center since 2017-18.
• Tonight's game was an exhibition for Whittier, which advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament last year.