LONG BEACH, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team routed Long Beach State, 70-47, in a Black & Blue Rivalry game Saturday at the Walter Pyramid.
 
With the win, the Anteaters (17-10, 12-4 Big West) took over sole possession of second place in the conference standings. They will enter the final week of the regular season right behind Hawai'i (11-3), which holds the top spot, and one game ahead of LBSU in third.
 
After getting out to a slow start with only six points in the first quarter, the 'Eaters outscored the Beach, 28-10, in the second and never looked back as they led by double digits over the final 20 minutes.
 
"I thought we tried to push through too much in that first quarter," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Once we started playing good defense, getting tips and running the floor, we were fine. We just needed to settle down."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams finished with a game-high 18 points on a 7-for-11 shooting performance (3-4 3FG). She also had three steals, two assists and tied her season best with eight rebounds.
 
Naomi Hunt added 13 points and five boards, while Chloe Webb had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
 
The 'Eaters shot 43% from the field, 33% from 3-point range and 92% at the free throw line. They held LBSU to 32% shooting and just 1-of-12 from distance, while also winning the battle on the boards, 49-25.
 
Patricia Chung was the only Long Beach player in double figures with 11 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It was a low-scoring affair in the first quarter. Hunt got UC Irvine on the board at the 9:22 mark, but Long Beach State then scored six unanswered. The Anteaters eventually ended a nearly seven-minute scoring drought with a Webb jumper before the Beach closed out the opening period with a 10-6 lead.
 
LBSU (18-6, 11-5 Big West) scored on its first possession of the second frame to go up by six, but UCI stormed back with an 8-2 spurt, capped by a layup from Déja Lee, to knot it up at 14-14 with 6:27 remaining. The two teams traded buckets with three more ties before Williams sparked a 14-0 run to end the half. She scored all 10 of her first-half points over the final 2:55, including an and-1 with 0.5 seconds on the clock to give the 'Eaters a 34-20 lead at the break.
 
UC Irvine kept the momentum in the third quarter, quickly taking a 41-20 advantage on a Webb putback at the 6:12 mark. Long Beach State then scored its first points in nine minutes with a free throw and continued with a 6-0 spurt to close the gap to 15. That was the closest the Beach would get, however, as the Anteaters owned a comfortable 49-30 cushion heading into the fourth.
 
The 'Eaters started the final frame with an 8-3 run, capped by a Hunt triple, to go on top, 57-33. UCI cruised the rest of the way for the 70-47 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center for its final two regular-season games next week, hosting Cal Poly (March 3) and CSU Bakersfield (March 5).
 
 
NOTES
• The Anteaters' 12 Big West victories are tied for the most in program history, matching the 1994-95 NCAA Tournament team.
• Over the last two years, UC Irvine is 23-8 against Big West opponents in the regular season.
• The 'Eaters have held their adversaries to fewer than 60 points in 10 of their 16 conference games.
• In their two meetings this year, the Anteaters limited LBSU to 2-for-26 (7.7%) from beyond the arc.
• UCI is only the second team this year to score at least 70 points against the Beach, which entered the game allowing 55.7 ppg.
• All 13 'Eaters who played in today's game made their way into the scoring column.
• Naomi Hunt had her first double-figure scoring performance since Jan. 27.
• She snapped an 0-for-25 slump from deep by going 3-for-6.
• Kayla Williams has made a three in 40 consecutive outings.
• Williams' 54 triples on the year rank eighth in single-season school history.