NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team bounced back from its first Big West loss of the season with a 54-52 victory over CSUN Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
 
The short-handed Anteaters (16-4, 8-1 Big West) came out strong, taking the early lead and going up by as many as 16 in the third quarter. The Matadors then made a late push, but UCI was able to keep its composure down the stretch to complete the regular-season series sweep.
 
The 'Eaters were playing their second game without both Naomi Hunt and Olivia Williams who are out with injuries.
 
"It's been an emotional week and we've gone through a lot," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "I'm proud of these kids. It's not easy what they go through. When you have two season-ending injuries and your team cares so much about one another, it hits you hard. I'm just so proud of how they responded."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Nikki Tom led UC Irvine with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. She was 4-of-6 from the field and 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
 
Sophomore Hunter Hernandez had her sixth-straight double-figure scoring game with 13 points, while adding seven boards.
 
Sophomore Déja Lee also reached double digits with 10 points, and junior Diaba Konate finished with nine. Junior Nevaeh Parkinson chipped in five points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
UCI went 20-for-24 (83%) at the charity stripe, while CSUN was just 4-of-6 (67%). Both teams shot 38% from the field, but the Matadors were better from long distance where they were 6-of-14 compared to the Anteaters' 2-of-8 performance. UC Irvine won the battle on the boards, 36-26.
 
Jordyn Jackson made five of CSUN's six threes, finishing with a game-high 23 points and four steals.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It went back-and-forth in the first five minutes before UC Irvine put together a 10-0 run, fueled by eight points from Lee, for a 16-7 lead. CSUN (4-17, 3-8 Big West) closed out the first quarter with a 3-pointer to close the gap to six.
 
Tom kicked off the second period with a triple and a couple free throws to increase the Anteaters' cushion to 21-10 at the 8:50 mark. The Matadors then got back on the board and the two teams exchanged buckets until a traditional three-point play from Hernandez and two more free throws by Tom gave the 'Eaters a 32-18 advantage with three minutes remaining. UCI held steady the rest of the way, maintaining its 14-point lead (37-23) at the half.
 
UC Irvine struck first in the third frame to take its largest lead of the afternoon. The Anteaters went up by 16 two more times with the last coming at the 7:14 mark when Hernandez got to the foul line and made both for a 43-27 margin. The 'Eaters then went scoreless over the next five minutes but were able to stay out front by double digits as a Parkinson jumper with 16 seconds left put them on top, 47-36.
 
The Matadors took the momentum in the fourth quarter, using a 12-4 rally to cut the deficit to 51-48 with 2:26 remaining. Hernandez then sank two more free throws before four unanswered points by CSUN made it a one-point game with just over 30 seconds remaining. UCI missed a shot with 10 ticks on the clock but a big offensive rebound from Hernandez kept the visitors in possession. After a timeout, Parkinson was quickly fouled and connected on 1-of-2 at the charity stripe. The Anteaters then locked down defensively, not allowing the Matadors to get a shot off before the final buzzer to hold on for the 54-52 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will be home for two next week, hosting UC San Diego (Feb. 2) and Long Beach State (Feb. 4).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine secured its first regular-season series sweep over CSUN since 2014.
• The two teams met only once last year, while the Matadors opted out of the 2020-21 season.
• The Anteaters held their opponent to 60 points or less for the 15th time this season (13-2).
• The 'Eaters still have not had back-to-back losses this year.
• They are 7-0 when playing on a Saturday.
• UCI went 15-for-15 at the free throw line in the first half.
• Hunter Hernandez reached double digits in scoring for the sixth game in a row.
• Diaba Konate has made 25 consecutive free throws and is now shooting a Big West-leading 92.6% at the charity stripe.
• Konate has also registered at least one steal in all 17 of her appearances.
• Nikki Tom had her eighth double-figure scoring game and first since finishing with 13 in a 69-62 win over CSUN on Jan. 14.