HENDERSON, Nev. – The second-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team defeated No. 7 seed Cal State Fullerton, 80-68, in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Championships Presented by the Hawaiian Islands Wednesday evening at The Dollar Loan Center.
 
The Anteaters (20-10) are moving on to the semifinals for the third time in the last four years. They will face No. 6 UC Davis in a rematch of last year's championship game Friday at 2:30 p.m.
 
Cal State Fullerton (11-18) struck first, but after the 'Eaters tied it up a minute later, the Titans would not lead again. It stayed close until an 11-0 run in the second quarter gave UCI a 15-point advantage. The Anteaters, who went up by as many as 21 late in the third, saw that cut down to single digits in the fourth, but went 13-for-14 at the free throw line over the final 1:41 to seal the victory.
 
"I'm really proud of my team for showing up and finishing the game strong," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Fullerton never goes away; head coach Jeff Harada does a really good job of sticking to it for 40 minutes, and I thought our players stayed strong and finished the game really well."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Kayla Williams led the way with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Hunter Hernandez also finished with a season-high 15 points to go along with seven boards. She went 4-for-4 from the field and 5-of-5 at the free throw line.
 
Chloe Webb added six points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Sophia Locandro notched eight points and eight boards. Naomi Hunt had eight points to surpass 1,000 in her collegiate career, and Jayde Cadee chipped in seven.
 
The 'Eaters shot 41% from the field, while holding CSF to 33%. Both teams were solid at the charity stripe where the Anteaters were 24-for-27 and the Titans were 24-for-28. UC Irvine also won the rebounding battle, 47-34.
 
Lily Wahinekapu paced Fullerton with a game-high 26 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It went back-and-forth in the early going with four tie scores in the first six-and-a-half minutes. UC Irvine then broke an 8-8 deadlock with a 7-2 spurt, capped by a traditional three-point play by Hernandez at the 6:12 mark. The Anteaters still led by five in the final seconds, but Cal State Fullerton was able to knock down a triple before the buzzer to close the gap to 17-15 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The 'Eaters picked up the pace in the second period, opening up a 23-17 advantage on a Williams jumper. The Titans came back within four, but UCI responded with an 11-0 run to pull ahead, 36-21, with 3:26 remaining. UC Irvine maintained its double-digit lead, heading into the locker room with a 40-27 cushion.
 
After Hunt opened the third-frame with a 3-pointer, Cal State Fullerton scored six unanswered to make it a 10-point game at the 6:11 mark. Cadee ended the Titan rally with a trey and the Anteaters proceeded on a 15-4 run to go up, 58-37, with 1:26 left.
 
The 'Eaters ended up taking a 19-point lead into the fourth and although CSF made a late push, they were able to knock down their free throws for the win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will take on No. 6 UC Davis in the Big West semifinals on Friday, March 11.
 
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine secured the program's fourth 20-win season and second under head coach Tamara Inoue.
• The 20 victories are tied for second in school history.
• The Anteaters have matched their season long win streak at five games.
• The 'Eaters have also won their last seven meetings against Cal State Fullerton.
• They are now 11-2 against the Titans in the Inoue era (since 2016-17).
• Naomi Hunt joined the 1,000-point club as she increased her collegiate total to 1,004.
• Kayla Williams registered her third consecutive 20-point game, seventh of the season and 12th of her career.
• Williams extended her streak of games played with a 3-pointer made to 43.
• Hunter Hernandez notched her third-straight outing with 10+ points.
• Hernandez is shooting 59% during that three-game stretch.
• Chloe Webb had her team-leading fourth double-figure rebounding performance.