IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team saw its nine-game win streak come to an end as it dropped a 66-64 overtime decision to Cal State Fullerton Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
It was the Anteaters' first Big West loss and their first home loss of the season.
 
UCI (15-4, 7-1 Big West) went up by as many as nine early in the fourth quarter and held a 52-44 lead following a jumper from Nevaeh Parkinson with 4:43 remaining in regulation. The 'Eaters then went scoreless the rest of the way, allowing the Titans to go on an 8-0 run, capped by the game-tying 3-pointer with 34 seconds on the clock.
 
Fullerton kept the momentum in overtime as it started the extra period going 6-for-6 from the field. The visitors pulled ahead, 64-56, with 1:43 to play, and were able to hold off a late rally by UC Irvine to escape with the win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Hunter Hernandez led the Anteaters with 17 points and eight rebounds. Junior Nevaeh Dean also finished in double figures with 11 points on a 5-of-8 shooting performance.
 
Sophomore Nikki Tom added nine points and five boards, while sophomore Amelia Scharpf and junior Nevaeh Parkinson chipped in eight points each. Parkinson also pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds and Scharpf dished out a team-best four assists.
 
The 'Eaters shot just 38.1% from the field compared to a 47.5% clip for the Titans. Una Jovanovic led Cal State Fullerton with 24 points, while Ashlee Lewis finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Cal State Fullerton (9-10, 4-6 Big West) took the early lead but layups from Hernandez and Scharpf evened the score at 4-4 with 7:40 remaining. The two teams then went back-and-forth until five-straight points from Déja Lee put UC Irvine on top, 12-8, at the 4:40 mark. After the Titans closed the gap to one, the Anteaters used another 5-0 spurt to go up, 17-11, at the end of the first quarter.
 
Tom got the scoring started in the second period to put UCI up by eight. Fullerton then came storming back as it rode a 19-4 run to a 30-23 advantage at the two-minute mark. The 'Eaters were able to hold the deficit at five thanks to a late putback by Parkinson that made it 32-27 at the half.
 
UC Irvine responded in the third frame where it outscored Cal State Fullerton, 17-7. The Anteaters opened with a 10-3 spurt to reclaim the lead at 37-35 following a Hernandez jumper with 4:36 to play. The Titans kept it close, but a Tom 3-pointer with just over a minute to go made it 44-39.
 
It looked like the 'Eaters would keep rolling in the fourth as four-straight points from Hernandez increased their margin to 48-39. They stayed out front and were still up eight after a Parkinson jumper with 4:43 remaining. UCI then went cold on the offensive end and Fullerton took advantage as it scored eight unanswered points. Gabi Vidmar capped the rally with a corner three to tie it up at 52-all with 34 ticks on the clock. UC Irvine had a couple more opportunities down the stretch but was unable to convert, sending the game to overtime.
 
It was all Titans to start the extra period as they made their first six field goals to pull ahead, 64-56, with 1:43 to go. Hernandez then knocked down a triple and UCI went 3-of-4 at the charity stripe to close the gap to 65-62. Fullerton would make it a two-possession game with a free throw on the other end, ultimately putting the game out of reach as it held on for the 66-64 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine makes its way to Northridge on Saturday, Jan. 28, for a 2 p.m. Big West showdown at CSUN.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine suffered its first Big West regular-season loss since Feb. 19, 2022.
• The 'Eaters fell to the Titans for the first time since Feb. 27, 2019, as they saw their eight-game win streak in the all-time series come to an end.
• The Anteaters have gone to overtime in each of their last two games.
• UCI is still first in the Big West standings with a half-game lead over UC Santa Barbara (7-2) and Long Beach State (7-2).
• Hunter Hernandez has scored 14+ points in each of her last five outings.
• Amelia Scharpf made her first career start and surpassed 100 career points.
• Diaba Konate has made 21 consecutive free throws and is now shooting a Big West-leading 92% at the charity stripe.