HENDERSON, Nev. – The second-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team won an 84-75 overtime thriller against No. 6 seed UC Davis in the semifinals of the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Championships Presented by the Hawaiian Islands Friday at The Dollar Loan Center.
 
The Anteaters (21-10) are moving on to the Big West championship game for the second year in a row where they will face top-seeded Hawai'i tomorrow at 5 p.m.
 
After going up by as many as 11 in the third quarter, UCI found itself trailing by five late in in the fourth. Kayla Williams then knocked down a couple free throws and hit a three to tie it up at 59-all with 2:34 remaining. The Aggies pulled back out front with a two-point lead and possession with 31 seconds to go, but Williams stepped up once again with the steal, followed by a layup out of a timeout to make it 64-64 with 17 ticks on the clock. UCD's final attempt to win it at the buzzer fell short, sending the game to overtime.
 
Naomi Hunt set the tone in the extra period with back-to-back threes giving UC Irvine a 70-66 lead. Jayde Cadee and Williams followed with a jumper and layup to increase the cushion to eight. It then came down to the free throw line where the 'Eaters went 10-for-14 over the final 1:37 to seal the win.
 
"Credit to UC Davis; the sixth seed doesn't mean anything with such a veteran team and veteran coaches," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "We knew it was going to be a battle. I'm proud of my team for staying with those (UC Davis) runs which we knew were going to come. We just did a good job of battling back. I'm really happy we're going to the championship game."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams finished with a game-high tying 22 points to go along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Chloe Webb had 14 points, while Naomi Hunt added 11, seven of which came in overtime. Sophia Locandro and Jayde Cadee chipped in nine points each. Locandro also pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
 
The Anteaters shot 46% (27-59) from the field and 77% (23-30) at the free throw line. UC Davis, meanwhile, closed out the game with a 42% clip and an 11-of-14 performance at the charity stripe.
 
Cierra Hall (20 points, 14 rebounds), Evanne Turner (22 points) and Sage Stobbart (15 points, 10 rebounds) carried the Aggies.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The first quarter started as a seesaw battle with five lead changes. After UC Davis (15-13) went up by one at the 4:26 mark, UC Irvine used an 8-2 run, capped by a Locandro layup, to pull ahead, 13-8. The Aggies were able to get the final bucket of the period, cutting UCI's lead to three.
 
After going 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the first 10 minutes, the Anteaters got a boost from the three-ball in the second frame. Nikki Tom connected from downtown to give the 'Eaters an 18-12 advantage with 8:15 to go. UCD came back within three but a triple by Hunt started a 7-2 spurt that put UC Irvine on top, 25-17, at the 3:54 mark. With a couple jumpers from Tara Dusharm, and a Williams layup in the final seconds, UCI took its largest lead of the half into the locker room at 31-22.
 
Tom got the scoring started for the Anteaters in the third with an and-1 that made it 34-24. Turner single-handedly kept UC Davis close with eight-straight points for the Aggies, but UC Irvine proceeded to go up, 38-27, on a Webb layup with 7:01 remaining. UCD cut the deficit to single digits 23 seconds later and after trading buckets, the Aggies outscored the 'Eaters, 10-1, over the final three minutes for a 47-46 lead.
 
In similar fashion to the start of the game, the fourth quarter went back-and-forth with four ties over the first few minutes. UC Davis then scored six unanswered to pull ahead, 59-54, with 4:12 to play. UCI responded right away, knotting it up at 59-all. The Aggies went back out front, but Williams' layup evened the score once more at 64-64 with 17.4 seconds on the clock. UCD had a good look before the buzzer but a 3-point attempt by Turner bounced off the rim. 
 
It was all Anteaters in overtime where they outscored UC Davis, 20-11, for the 84-75 victory.
 
UP NEXT: Second-seeded UC Irvine advances to the Big West championship game for the second year in a row. The 'Eaters will square off against No. 1 seed Hawai'i at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 12.
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine knocked out two-time defending Big West tournament champion UC Davis.
• The Anteaters avenged last year's championship loss and a 2019 semifinal loss to the Aggies.
• The 'Eaters improved to 6-3 all-time in their Big West semifinal appearances.
• UCI has scored 80+ points in each of its first two tournament games (82.0 ppg).
• UC Irvine tied a school record with their 21st overall victory.
• The Anteaters have only had two overtime games in their postseason history and both have been wins over UC Davis.
• Kayla Williams had her fourth consecutive 20-point game.
• Williams also extended her streak of games played with a 3-pointer made to 44.
• Naomi Hunt, who joined the 1,000-point club on Wednesday, surpassed 400 career rebounds today.