SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team took care of business on the road as it led wire-to-wire in a 70-60 victory over UC Santa Barbara Monday evening at The Thunderdome.
 
The Anteaters (14-3, 6-0 Big West) remained unbeaten in conference play and now have a two-game lead over four teams, including UCSB, that are tied for second at 4-2 in the Big West standings.
 
UCI was in control early with a 13-point lead at the half, but the Gauchos punched back in the third period, where they outscored the 'Eaters 22-12. UCSB (11-5, 4-2 Big West) cut the deficit to one before UC Irvine responded with a 6-0 spurt to create some separation. The Anteaters then had a big 23-point fourth quarter to seal their eight consecutive win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Hunter Hernandez had her third-straight 14-point game to go along with five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Junior Diaba Konate also had 14 points to tie for the team lead.
 
Sophomore Nikki Tom added eight points, while classmates Amelia Scharpf, Olivia Williams and Déja Lee finished with seven each. Graduate student Nyagoa Gony contributed six points, five boards and four blocks.
 
As a team, the 'Eaters shot 46% from the field, 44% from beyond the arc and 94% at the free throw line. They held UCSB to 42% shooting and a 5-of-16 performance from deep. UCI also won the battle in turnovers forced (20-10) and points off turnovers (22-10).
 
Alexis Whitfield paced the Gauchos with 15 points, while Ila Lane had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Hernandez got the scoring started with a corner three at the 8:56 mark. UC Irvine kept the momentum, making five of its first six from the field to race out to an 11-3 lead. After UC Santa Barbara knocked down a jumper, the Anteaters proceeded to go up by nine (15-6) on back-to-back buckets from Konate. The 'Eaters were then held scoreless over the final two-and-a-half minutes, allowing UCSB to close the gap to 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The two teams exchanged points to start the second period before the Gauchos scored four unanswered to make it 17-16. UCI came right back with an 11-0 run, capped by a Gony jumper, for a 28-16 advantage with 4:42 remaining. The Anteaters kept rolling, pulling ahead, 35-22, at the half.
 
UC Santa Barbara came out strong in the third frame, using an 8-0 rally to cut the deficit to 35-30 at the 7:29 mark. Williams then drained a 3-pointer, and it went back-and-forth over the next minute until another 7-0 spurt by UCSB brought it back to one (41-40) with just under four to go. The 'Eaters then had three consecutive layups from Lee, Scharpf and Konate to increase their margin and they stayed out front, 47-44, heading into the fourth.
 
UC Irvine left no doubt in the final quarter, quickly taking an eight-point lead after five-straight points from Scharpf. Although the Gauchos climbed back within four, the Anteaters continued to answer on the offensive end. Down the stretch, they got the job done at the charity stripe where they were 8-of-8 in the final minute for the 10-point victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine continues a grueling Big West stretch this week as it visits Hawai'i for its fourth game in nine days. The Anteaters and Rainbow Wahine will meet in a rematch of last year's Big West championship game on Thursday, Jan. 19, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. (HT) / 9 p.m. (PST) at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine is out to its best conference start at 6-0.
• The Anteaters' eight-game win streak is also tied for the second-longest in program history.
• The 'Eaters are 14-0 when they have multiple players score in double figures.
• UCI has forced at least 20 turnovers in 12 of its 17 games.
• Hunter Hernandez had her third-straight outing with 14 points and 4+ assists.
• Nyagoa Gony had four blocks in a game for the third time this season.
• Nikki Tom played in her 50th consecutive game as an Anteater.