IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team closed out the 2022 calendar year with a 55-49 Big West-opening win over CSU Bakersfield Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (9-3, 1-0 Big West), who are a perfect 5-0 at the Bren this year, extended their home winning streak to 11 games. They have not lost on their home court since Jan. 22, 2022.
 
UCI took an early lead and went up by as many as 12 before the Roadrunners threatened in the fourth quarter. The Anteaters went scoreless through the first five minutes of the final period, allowing CSUB to take a 46-44 advantage with 4:48 remaining. Nevaeh Parkinson then got the 'Eaters on the board with a putback before Olivia Williams knocked down a clutch three to put the home team up for good.
 
UC Irvine's defense was key in the second half where it forced 15 of CSUB's 22 turnovers.
 
"I thought we were a little hesitant at first, but once we started to get more aggressive and started to play our game we did much better," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "It's always tough to play the first game of conference so I'm glad we were at home. Anything can happen, you just have to be ready every single day."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Graduate student Naomi Hunt led the Anteaters with a game-high 18 points. She went 6-for-13 from the field with four made threes.
 
Sophomore Olivia Williams was perfect from the floor (3-3 FG, 2-2 3FG) and at the charity stripe (2-2) for 10 points. Junior Nevaeh Parkinson was also 2-of-2 from the field and made all four of her free throw attempts. She finished with eight points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
 
Sophomore Nikki Tom added six points, four boards and two assists, while junior Diaba Konate had four points, four rebounds and a game-high six assists.
 
UCI shot 34.5% overall, 34.6% from long distance and went 8-for-8 at the line. The 'Eaters held CSUB to 33.3% shooting and a 6-of-24 performance from deep.
 
Hennie van Schaik paced the 'Runners with 12 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Both teams got out to a slow start as they combined to go 0-for-9 from the field in the first two-plus minutes. CSU Bakersfield (4-6, 1-1 Big West) then started the scoring at the 7:12 mark, but Nevaeh Dean answered with a jumper on the other end. UC Irvine continued on an 11-0 run with threes from Williams, Tom and Hunter Hernandez giving the Anteaters a nine-point lead with 3:19 remaining. The Roadrunners cut the deficit to three before a triple from Hunt in the final seconds of the opening quarter put UCI up, 17-11.
 
The 'Eaters scored the first five points of the second period for a 22-11 margin. After exchanging buckets, the 'Runners used a 7-0 spurt to make it a four-point game with 2:42 to play. Amelia Scharpf then ended a two-minute scoring drought with a layup and Parkinson followed with a couple free throws to put UC Irvine on top, 30-22, at the half.

Hunt went on an 8-0 run of her own for the Anteaters' largest lead of the day at 38-26 with 8:05 left in the third frame. CSUB eventually answered with a 10-0 rally to close the gap to three, but Hunt capped off a 12-point quarter with four more to give UCI some breathing room at 44-38.
 
The 'Eaters faced some adversity in the fourth after Hunt, the team's leading scorer, went down with an injury in the final 25 seconds of the third period. They had trouble getting their offensive rhythm back, going scoreless through the first five minutes. CSU Bakersfield took advantage, pulling ahead 46-44 at the 4:48 mark.
 
Out of a media timeout, Parkinson's put-back tied it up, but the Roadrunners reclaimed the lead on a pair of free throws. After empty possessions on both sides, Williams drained a clutch three from the corner, and Hernandez followed with a steal and layup for a 51-48 edge with 1:42 remaining. From there, UCI locked down defensively, while sinking all four of its free throw attempts to secure the 55-49 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back in the Bren next Thursday, Jan. 5, when it plays host to UC Davis at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine won its Big West opener for the third consecutive season and for the fourth time in the last five years.
• UCI has now won four-straight in its all-time series with CSU Bakersfield.
• The Anteaters have held their last six opponents to under 60 points.
• They have allowed fewer than 60 points in 10 of their 12 games (8-2).
• The 'Eaters have forced 20+ turnovers on 10 occasions.
• Diaba Konate eclipsed 300 career rebounds; she now has 300+ points (910), assists (323) and boards (302).
• Nevaeh Parkinson also surpassed 100 career points (106).