IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team trailed by 15 with just under eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before digging deep for a 21-3 run that gave them a thrilling 54-51 win over Cal State Fullerton Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters, who had not led since the first bucket of the game, went up 52-51, on a driving layup by Jayde Cadee with 1:24 to play. UCI's defense stayed locked in the rest of the way, forcing a missed shot, followed by a turnover in the final seconds. The 'Eaters did not allow a field goal after a Titan putback at the 6:52 mark.
 
UC Irvine held CSF to 3-of-10 (1-4 3FG) shooting in the fourth quarter, while going 8-for-14 (57%) on the offensive end.
 
The Anteaters (16-10, 11-4 Big West) remained in a tie for second with Long Beach State in the conference standings. Hawai'i defeated CSU Bakersfield to keep a hold of the top spot with a 10-3 Big West record.
 
"It doesn't matter what place you're in with this conference, it's never easy and at the end of the year, everyone is playing their best games," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "I thought we had some really good open shots in the first half, it just wasn't falling for us. But, in the second half, we settled down and really locked in on defense; our defense is what creates our offense."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Jayde Cadee led UC Irvine with a game-high 14 points. She was 5-for-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Tara Dusharm also had eight points (4-4 FG), three rebounds and two blocks. Six of Dusharm's points came in the fourth quarter. Nikki Tom pulled down a season-best six boards, while Kayla Williams dished out four assists.
 
Overall, the 'Eaters shot 38% (19-50) from the field, 19% (4-21) from distance and 80% (12-15) at the free throw line.
 
The Titans finished the night at 35% (17-48) overall, 40% (8-20) from 3-point range and 82% (9-11) at the charity stripe. Carolyn Gill and Fujika Nimmo paced CSF with 10 points each.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Naomi Hunt got UC Irvine on the board first with a layup at the 9:21 mark, but the Anteaters then went scoreless over the next seven minutes. Cal State Fullerton used an 8-0 spurt to pull ahead by six before Déja Lee ended UCI's drought with a couple free throws. The Titans stayed out front, taking a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Cadee knocked down UC Irvine's first three of the night to make it a six-point game early in the second period. The two teams then traded points over the next five minutes before CSF went on an 8-3 run to go up, 27-16, with 1:06 left in the half. The 'Eaters scored the final four points of the frame to close the gap to 27-20.
 
Cal State Fullerton (10-14, 5-9 Big West) made three triples in a two-minute stretch to go back on top by 11 in the third quarter. The Anteaters answered with five-straight points to cut the deficit to six, but the Titans ended the period with an and-1 for a 41-32 advantage.
 
CSF kept the momentum to start the fourth, taking its largest lead of the night at 48-33 with 7:48 to go. Sophia Locandro gave UCI some life with a traditional three-point play, but the visitors maintained a 14-point cushion following a putback on the other end with 6:52 remaining. That would be the Titans' final field goal, however, as UC Irvine locked down on defense to spark a furious 17-1 rally.
 
Olivia Williams got things going with a jumper, while Dusharm had six of her eight points during that stretch. O. Williams and K. Williams also connected from deep to help ignite the comeback.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine makes the short trip to Long Beach State for its final regular-season road game on Saturday, Feb. 26. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine's 11 conference victories are tied for the second most in program history.
• Over the last two years, the 'Eaters are 22-8 in regular-season Big West games.
• Head coach Tamara Inoue earned her 87th career victory, putting her in sole possession of No. 2 on UCI's all-time wins list.
• The Anteaters have come out on top in their last six meetings with Cal State Fullerton, improving their all-time record to 46-39.
• They are now 10-2 against the Titans in the Inoue era (since 2016-17).
• Jayde Cadee moved into a tie for fourth in school history with 138 career 3-pointers made.
• Kayla Williams saw her streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games come to an end at 22.
• Williams has still made at least one 3-pointer in 39-straight outings.
• Olivia Williams went 2-for-2 at the free throw line to remain perfect on the season (11-11 FT).