HENDERSON, Nev. – The second-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team fell to No. 1 seed Hawai'i, 59-48, in the title game of the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Championships Presented by the Hawaiian Islands Saturday evening at The Dollar Loan Center.
 
The Anteaters (21-11) led by five at the half, holding the Rainbow Wahine to just 21 points on 28% shooting, which included an 0-for-10 performance from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. But, the 'Bows made up the difference at the free throw line after the break where they were 20-of-24. They finished the game going 27-of-32 (84%) at the charity stripe, while the 'Eaters were 7-for-14.
 
"Congratulations to Laura Beeman and the University of Hawai'i; they had a great second half and really finished the game strong," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Best of luck to them and I know they'll represent our conference well in the tournament. As for us, it hurts a lot. We had a lot of opportunities today and it just didn't fall for us."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams, who was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team, led UCI with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jayde Cadee also had 11 points, while Sophia Locandro registered nine points, a team-best seven boards and three blocks. Naomi Hunt and Nikki Tom added six points and four rebounds each, and Chloe Webb pulled down six boards.
 
The 'Eaters couldn't find their offensive rhythm, shooting under 30% from the field and from 3-point range.
 
Olivia Davies paced UH with a game-high 14 points, while Big West Player of the Year Amy Atwell had 13. The Anteaters held Atwell to 3-for-8 shooting.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It went back-and-forth over the first couple minutes before Cadee scored five unanswered to put UC Irvine on top, 8-4, at the 6:08 mark. The Anteaters stayed out front the rest of the way, but Hawai'i was able to close the gap to one (10-9) by the end of the first quarter.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (20-9) claimed the lead on their first possession of the second period, but UCI punched back with a 10-2 spurt that was bookended by threes from Tom and Williams, to pull ahead, 20-13, with 4:12 remaining. The 'Bows then scored four-straight points to come within three. The 'Eaters wouldn't budge, however, as buckets from Locandro and Cadee helped them carry a 26-21 advantage into the locker room.
 
Both teams connected from downtown in the first two minutes of the third frame before Hawai'i took the momentum with a 14-0 rally to go up, 38-29, at the 2:31 mark. UC Irvine called a timeout and regrouped with Hunt knocking down a corner three out of the break. The Anteaters proceeded on a 7-2 spurt to cut the deficit to four, but the 'Bows held on to a 41-36 cushion at the end of the quarter.
 
UH started the fourth with eight consecutive points to take its largest lead at 49-36 with 6:53 to play. Cadee then got the 'Eaters on the board with a triple and UCI continued to score seven-straight, making it a six-point game with 5:14 on the clock. The shots then stopped falling for the Anteaters as it remained 49-43 over the next four minutes. UC Irvine started fouling to stop the clock, but the 'Bows were solid at the line to come away with the 59-48 victory.
 
 
NOTES
• Kayla Williams was named to the Big West All-Tournament Team for the second year in a row.
• The Anteaters were making their second-straight appearance in the Big West championship game.
• The 'Eaters saw their season-long six-game win streak come to an end, while the 'Bows won their eighth-straight.
• This was only the third time all season UCI lost when leading at halftime.
• After shooting 83% (47-57) from the FT line in its first two games, UC Irvine went 7-for-14 at the charity stripe.
• The Anteaters' nine turnovers forced were a season low.
• Sophia Locandro had her third-straight outing with at least eight points and six rebounds.
• Kayla Williams has made at least one 3-pointer in 45 consecutive games played.
• Williams also moved into a tie for first in single-season school history with her 72nd steal.