BIG WEST QUARTERFINAL
No. 7 Cal State Fullerton (11-17, 5-12 Big West) vs.
No. 2 UC Irvine (19-10, 14-4 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, March 9
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Dollar Loan Center (6,019) - Henderson, Nev.
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UC Irvine Game Notes (PDF)

IRVINE, Calif. - Second-seeded UC Irvine is set to begin the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Championships Presented by the Hawaiian Islands in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, March 9. The Anteaters will face No. 7 Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.
  
STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters led the conference and set a school record with 14 Big West wins.
• Their 19 overall victories are also tied for fourth in program history.
• UC Irvine came in behind Hawai'i (13-3) in the league standings based on win percentage for its third-straight runner-up finish.
• The Anteaters advanced to the championship game in 2021 and are 6-5 all-time when playing as the second seed.
• Over the last two years, UCI is 25-8 in regular-season Big West games.
• The 'Eaters allowed fewer than 60 points in 11 of their 18 league games.
• Four Anteaters made the 2022 All-Big West Team - Kayla Williams, Chloe Webb, Hunter Hernandez and Olivia Williams.
• Kayla Williams earned first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row.
• She averaged a team-best 16.7 points, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals in 17 conference games played.
• Williams finished the regular-season ranked among the top-four in the league in all three categories.
• Williams entered UC Irvine's single-season top-10 with 60 triples (T4th) and 66 steals (7th).
• She has connected from deep in 42 consecutive games played.
• Webb also garnered honorable mention distinction, while Hernandez and O. Williams were named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
WITH A WIN...
• UCI will advance to the Big West semifinals for the ninth time in program history and third time in the last four seasons.
• UC Irvine would face the winner of No. 3 Long Beach State/No. 6 UC Davis on Friday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m.
 
BIG WEST NOTABLES
UC Irvine, which led the Big West with 14 conference victories, finished second in the regular-season standings based on win percentage. The Anteaters earned the No. 2 seed for the second year in a row, and sixth time in program history. They are 6-5 all-time when playing as the No. 2 seed. UCI, which is making its 33rd tournament appearance in its 39th year as a member of the conference, has won one Big West title (1995).
 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Kayla Williams earned first-team All-Big West honors for the second year in a row, while she was also one of six players selected to the All-Defensive Team. Williams ranks among the top-five in the conference in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (4.2 apg), steals (2.4 spg) and 3-pointers made (60). Chloe Webb also garnered honorable mention recognition after averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.4 steals in 13 Big West games played. Hunter Hernandez and Olivia Williams were both named to the All-Freshman Team.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kayla Williams was also tabbed the Big West Player of the Week on Monday, March 7. She was recognized after averaging 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals in the final two games of the regular season. The 5-foot-7 point guard started the week by carrying the Anteaters to a 67-66 comeback win against Cal Poly with a season-high 26 points, 22 of which came in the second half. She was unstoppable over the final 10 minutes where she tied a school record for points scored in a quarter with 16 in the fourth. Williams added 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals in a 67-52 victory over CSUB.
 
WINNING WAYS
UC Irvine had been in a drought, going through 11 losing seasons in 13 years before head coach Tamara Inoue took over and quickly turned the program around. The Anteaters increased their win total in each of her first three years at the helm, culminating with the third 20-win campaign (2018-19) in school history. Now in her sixth season, which included last year's shortened schedule, the 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year has made her way up to No. 2 on UCI's all-time wins list with 90 career victories. This year, the 'Eaters have secured their fourth winning season in the Inoue era with a 19-10 record. Their 19 overall victories are tied for the fourth most in program history, while they set a school record with 14 Big West wins.
 
SCOUTING THE TITANS
Seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton (11-17, 5-12 Big West) defeated No. 10 Cal Poly, 70-64, in a first-round match-up on Tuesday. The Titans are led by Big West Freshman of the Year Lily Wahinekapu and Best Hustle Player Carolyn Gill. Wahinekapu is averaging 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals, while Gill has put up 7.6 points and a team-leading 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 46-39. The Anteaters swept the regular-season series for the third-straight year with a 75-67 win at Fullerton (Jan. 20) and a 54-51 comeback victory at the Bren Events Center where they trailed by 15 with eight minutes remaining (Feb. 24). UCI is 2-3 against the Titans in postseason play with the last Big West Tournament meeting coming in 2010.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine closed out the regular season with its fourth-straight win, defeating CSU Bakersfield, 67-52, last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters never trailed, breaking an early 4-4 tie with a 9-0 run. They kept their foot on the gas, going up by as many as 20 in the 15-point victory. Kayla Williams finished with a game-high 20 points, while Hunter Hernandez had her second consecutive double-figure scoring game with a season-best 12 (6-12 FG). Nikki Tom added nine points and a season-high seven rebounds, while Jayde Cadee contributed eight points, four boards, two steals and a career-best four assists. The 'Eaters honored their two seniors, Tara Dusharm and Melodie Kapinga, after the win.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine enters the Big West tournament ranked first in the league in overall scoring offense (66.7 ppg), scoring margin (+6.5), FT percentage (75.9), and offensive rebounds per game (13.3). Individually, Kayla Williams is among the top-five in the conference in scoring (4th, 15.3 ppg), assists (2nd, 4.2 apg), steals (3rd, 2.4 spg), 3FG made (3rd, 2.1/gm) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.4).
 
DOUBLE DIGIT TIDBITS
UCI had multiple players score in double figures in 25 of its 29 games. Kayla Williams is tops on the squad with 25 double-digit performances, while Chloe Webb is second with 14. In addition, 12 of the team's 19 wins have come by 10+ points.
 
DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The 'Eaters have held their opponents to under 60 points 15 times this season (14-1), 11 of which came in Big West games. They limited UC Santa Barbara to a season-low in points scored in a 58-31 win on Feb. 3. It was the fewest points the Anteaters allowed against an NCAA Division I opponent since 1991. UC Irvine also held UC Riverside to a season-low three points in the fourth quarter on Feb. 10.
 
TURNOVER TALK
The Anteaters have forced 15+ turnovers in 22 of their 29 games (17.1/gm), with a season-high 25 vs. UC Riverside on Jan. 8. Since 2016-17, they have forced 17.9 turnovers per outing and have consistently been one of the top teams in the Big West in that category.
 
HOME & AWAY
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine has compiled a 48-20 (.706) record at the Bren Events Center. This season, 12 of the Anteaters' 19 victories came at home, and they owned a +10.0 scoring margin in games at the Bren. The 'Eaters also went 6-6 in true road games, with all of those wins coming during Big West play (6-2).
 
BENCH PRODUCTION
All 14 'Eaters have made their way into the scoring column this year, while 11 have at least one double-figure scoring game, and seven are averaging at least 4.0 points per outing. In addition, every Anteater who has appeared in at least 10 games is averaging more than 5.0 minutes.
 
RECORD WATCH
Jayde Cadee is making her way up UCI's all-time charts in 3-pointers made as she is fourth in program history with 142 career triples. With 27 blocks this season, Sophia Locandro has also increased her career total to 85, which puts her in sole possession of eighth all-time at UC Irvine. In addition, Kayla Williams is tied for fourth in single-season school history in 3-pointers made (60) and is seventh in steals (66).
 
THE HUNT FOR 1,000
Naomi Hunt needs four points to reach 1,000 in her collegiate career. The graduate transfer scored 803 points in her three seasons at Long Beach State, while she has 193 (6.9 ppg) this year at UCI. Hunt has 10 double-figure scoring games as an Anteater.
 
WALKING BUCKET
Kayla Williams has reached double figures in scoring in 44 of 51 career games played with 11 20-plus point performances. Williams, who had a season-high 26 points against Cal Poly on March 3, is averaging a team-best 15.3 ppg overall and 16.7 ppg against Big West opponents. The 5-foot-7 point guard owns a career high of 32 points which she set at Cal Poly on Jan. 23, 2021. 
 
SPINNING HER WEBB
Chloe Webb has been impressive in conference action, averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.4 steals in 13 games played. She reached double figures in scoring in eight of those outings with a career-high 26 points at CSUB on Jan. 27. Since Jan. 6, she has shot 50% (55-110) from the field, 53% (8-15) from beyond the arc and 82% (32-39) at the free throw line.
 
NEAR PERFECTION
Webb was just shy of becoming the first Anteater in program history to have a perfect shooting performance with at least 10 field goals made. She still set the single-game school record at 90.9% (10-11) in a win at CSU Bakersfield on Jan. 27. Her only miss against the Roadrunners came at the 8:33 mark of the third period, and on that miss she got her own rebound, was fouled and went to the charity stripe where she made both free throws. Webb finished the evening with a career-high 26 points.
 
3-POINT THREAT
Jayde Cadee is one of the Anteaters' biggest threats from the perimeter. In 17 Big West games, she made 36 3-pointers, and shot 40% from deep. On Feb. 5, Cadee went 6-for-11 from behind the arc for a season-high 20 points against CSUN, while she was also 5-of-10 for 15 points vs. UC Riverside (Jan. 8).
 
ACCESS DENIED
Sophia Locandro is third in the Big West with 0.96 blocks per game. The 6-foot-3 forward has registered at least one block in 18 of her 28 appearances with a career-high tying four at California Baptist on Nov. 20. Locandro also ranks third on the squad in scoring (7.9 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.8 rpg).
 
FIRST YEAR SUCCESS
Hunter Hernandez and Olivia Williams, who were teammates at Archbishop Mitty High School, were both named to the six-member Big West All-Freshman Team. Hernandez enters the postseason averaging 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. She came on strong late in the year with 10 points against Cal Poly (March 3) and a season-high 12 in the finale vs. CSU Bakersfield (March 5). Williams has also put up 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per outing. She started the first 19 games of her collegiate career.
 
UP NEXT
If the 'Eaters win on Wednesday, they will advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 11, where they would face either No. 3 Long Beach State or No. 6 UC Davis at 2:30 p.m.