LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team got back to their winning ways Saturday, defeating Dartmouth, 72-57, in their final game of the Beach Classic at the Walter Pyramid.
 
A day after being held to 45 points on 31% shooting, the Anteaters came out firing, going 28-for-58 from the field and 11-of-23 from beyond the arc. It was their third 70+ point game of the season.
 
UCI (7-3) scored the first seven points and went up by as many as 27 in the fourth quarter. Although the Big Green made a late push, the 'Eaters were never threatened in the wire-to-wire victory.
 
"It was good that we came out more offensively-minded," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "We had been getting some good looks the past couple games but just weren't hitting. I think once you see the ball go in, you get a momentum going, so I was really proud of them for that."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Hunter Hernandez led all players with 20 points on a 7-of-10 (3-4 3FG) shooting performance. It was her second 20-point effort of the week as she initially set her career high against Westcliff on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
 
Graduate student Naomi Hunt finished with a season-high 18 points and four steals. Hunt was 7-for-11 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
 
Sophomore Amelia Scharpf was the third Anteater in double figures with a career-high 10 points, while also pulling down a career-best six rebounds. Junior Nevaeh Parkinson contributed six points and five boards, and junior Diaba Konate dished out a team-best five assists.
 
The 'Eaters shot a season-high 48.3% (28-58) overall and 47.8% (11-23) from long distance. They outrebounded Dartmouth, 36-28, and despite holding a narrow 22-20 margin in turnovers forced, they won the battle in points off miscues, 27-12.
 
Mekkena Boyd paced the Big Green with 14 points and three steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine scored the first seven points before Dartmouth got on the board with a triple at the 4:52 mark. The Anteaters then proceeded on a 12-0 run, capped by a Déja Lee three, to take a 16-point lead with 1:20 remaining. The Big Green connected for their second field goal of the game to make it 19-5 at the end of the first quarter. Hunt and Lee fueled the hot start with eight and six points, respectively.
 
After Dartmouth (2-10) knocked down a trey to start the second period, the 'Eaters scored eight unanswered for a 27-8 margin. UCI kept its foot on the gas, going up by as many as 21 on a Scharpf 3-pointer with 14 seconds on the clock. The Big Green converted on their final possession of the half as UC Irvine held a 36-17 cushion at the break.
 
The two teams exchanged buckets to start the third frame. The Anteaters went back on top by 20 (48-28) thanks to a Hernandez three at the 3:47 mark. Parkinson followed with a layup and UCI continued to roll, pulling ahead 62-37 with back-to-back 3-pointers from Scharpf and Hernandez in the final minute.
 
The 'Eaters took a 69-42 advantage on a Scharpf putback before Dartmouth made a late run, outscoring UC Irvine, 15-3, over the final six minutes.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine concludes its non-conference slate at home next Wednesday, Dec. 21, when it welcomes Grand Canyon to the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. showdown.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has allowed fewer than 60 points in eight of its 10 games.
• The Anteaters have forced 20+ turnovers on eight occasions.
• UCI, which entered the weekend ranked seventh in the nation in steals per game, had 14+ takeaways for the sixth time.
• Hunter Hernandez owns UC Irvine's two 20-point efforts of the season, and both came this week.
• This was the first meeting between UC Irvine and Dartmouth.