UC Irvine (11-3, 3-0 Big West) at
Cal State Fullerton (6-7, 1-3 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 11
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Titan Gym (4,000) - Fullerton, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball begins a busy stretch of Big West games Wednesday, Jan. 11, when it makes the short trip to Cal State Fullerton for a 7 p.m. showdown. It will be the first of three games in six days for the Anteaters who are looking to remain unbeaten in conference play.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• After the first two weeks of Big West action, UC Irvine is the only team that remains undefeated in league games at 3-0. It is the fifth time in program history the Anteaters have started conference play with three consecutive wins as they were also 3-0 in 2021-22, 2010-11, 1994-95 and 1984-85. Over the last two-plus seasons, UCI owns a Big West-leading 28 victories and a .778 (28-8) win percentage in regular-season conference games.
 
• At 11-3, the Anteaters have their best 14-game record since 2018-19 when they went 12-2. They are currently on a season-long five-game win streak. It is the sixth time under seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue that UCI has won at least five games in a row. UC Irvine's success has not gone unnoticed as it entered the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 on Dec. 27, before moving up two spots to No. 19 in last week's poll that was released on Jan. 3. A new College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Prior to being ranked, the 'Eaters were receiving votes for five-straight weeks (Nov. 22-Dec. 20).
 
• UC Irvine ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense. At 51.4 points allowed per game, UCI is right behind No. 1 South Carolina (44.0 ppg), No. 5 LSU (49.9 ppg) and No. 16 Duke (50.3 ppg). The Anteaters have held 12 of their 14 opponents, including each of the last eight, to under 60 points. They also have three outings with fewer than 40 points allowed, most recently limiting UC Davis to a season-low 38 on Jan. 5. The 'Eaters also rank among the top-30 in all of NCAA Division I in steals (11th, 12.1 spg), turnovers forced (16th, 21.6) and field goal percentage defense (27th, .356).
 
• UCI has 47 all-time victories against Cal State Fullerton, its most against current Big West members. The Anteaters have dominated the series in recent years as they have won seven in a row and 11 of the last 12 meetings. They have not lost to the Titans since a 67-58 road defeat on Feb. 27, 2019.
 
• Ten Anteaters are averaging 12.0+ minutes per game. They have a balanced scoring attack with seven putting up at least 6.5 points per outing. Eight 'Eaters have reached double digits at least once this year, while they have had seven different scoring leaders through 14 games. Sophomore Déja Lee recently joined classmate Hunter Hernandez as UCI's two players with a 20-point effort this season after pouring in a career-high 22 vs. UC Davis on Jan. 5.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton dropped to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in Big West play with a 66-53 setback at Hawai'i on Saturday, Jan. 7. It was the Titans' fourth loss in their last five games. Senior Fujika Nimmo is tops on the squad and second in The Big West with 15.2 points per outing. Sophomore Una Jovanovic is also averaging 14.3 points and 3.1 assists, while junior Ashlee Lewis has pulled down a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per contest.
 
SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 47-39. The Anteaters have won seven in a row and 11 of the last 12. Last year, the 'Eaters went 3-0 against the Titans as they swept the regular-season series before picking up an 80-68 victory in the Big West quarterfinals on March 9, 2022. Since head coach Tamara Inoue's first year at the helm in 2016-17, UCI is 11-2 against Fullerton.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine came back from a six-point halftime deficit before holding off a late Long Beach State rally to earn a 60-57 Black & Blue Rivalry win last Saturday at the Walter Pyramid. Nevaeh Parkinson provided the spark for the Anteaters with 12 of her 14 points coming in the second half, including eight in the fourth quarter. She broke a late 54-54 tie on a putback and had a big block with 12 seconds left to lift UCI to its fifth consecutive victory. Parkinson's 14 points (7-9 FG) were a career high. Nikki Tom also finished with 11 points, five boards and four steals, while Olivia Williams registered 10 points and seven rebounds. Hunter Hernandez chipped in eight points and a team-best nine boards. Diaba Konate and Déja Lee each dished out five dimes as UC Irvine had 17 assists on 22 made field goals.
 
LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
The Anteaters have an early hold on first place in the Big West standings with a 3-0 record. They are the only team to remain unbeaten through the first two weeks of the conference slate. Over the last two-plus seasons, no team has been better in Big West regular-season play than UC Irvine. The 'Eaters are coming off back-to-back four-loss campaigns, combining for a 28-8 (.778) league record since 2020-21.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
UCI moved up two spots to No. 19 in last week's College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25. The Anteaters entered the rankings at No. 21 on Dec. 27, after receiving votes in each of the previous five polls. They are 3-1 against teams that are currently ranked or receiving votes. This week's top-25 will be announced on Tuesday (Jan. 10) afternoon.
 
DEFENSIVE MINDED
The 'Eaters are fourth in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense with their 51.4 points allowed per game coming in behind only No. 1 South Carolina, No. 5 LSU and No. 16 Duke. The Anteaters have held 12 of their 14 opponents to under 60 points (10-2), including each of their last eight. The last time they gave up more than 60 points was in a 67-65 win at Eastern Washington on Dec. 1. UCI also ranks 11th in the nation in steals (12.1 spg), 16th in turnovers forced (21.6/gm) and 27th in FG% defense (35.6%).
 
FROM THE LINE
After starting the season at just 65.4% from the free throw line, UCI has seen a significant improvement since Nov. 25, bumping its percentage up to a Big West-leading 76.6%. Through their last 10 outings, the 'Eaters have shot 80.7% (113-140) at the charity stripe. Individually, Diaba Konate is tops on the squad and in The Big West with an 88.9% clip.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The 'Eaters have played eight of their 14 games away from Irvine and are 5-3 in those contests. After closing out a season-long three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 5, UCI is now on the front end of a stretch where it will be on the road for four of five games.
 
ATTENDANCE RECORDS
UC Irvine has already set two of the program's top-eight attendance records this season. On Dec. 14, the Anteaters hosted a successful Kids Day where they brought in eight local elementary schools for the sixth-best attendance mark of 1,101. Against UC Davis (Jan. 5), the 'Eaters also welcomed 1,093 fans to the Bren Events Center. It is the first time since 2011 that UCI women's basketball has seen a home crowd of over 1,000.
 
HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 54-20 (.730) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are a perfect 6-0 at home this year and have won 12 consecutive games at the Bren dating back to last season.
 
100 AND COUNTING
Seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue earned her 100th career win in the non-conference finale against Grand Canyon on Dec. 21. Inoue is the second coach in program history to reach the century mark as her 103 victories rank second all-time behind only Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue, the 2021 co-Big West Coach of the Year has led the 'Eaters to two of the program's three national postseason tournaments and two of their four 20-win campaigns.
 
HUNT OUT FOR SEASON
Graduate student Naomi Hunt, a starter who was leading the Anteaters in both scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.9 rpg), suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Big West opener against CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 31. Hunt has reached two milestones in her time at UCI as she eclipsed 1,000 career points last season and surpassed 200 career 3-pointers made in the win at Eastern Washington on Dec. 1. The 6-foot-1 forward knocked down 212 threes and totaled 1,161 points with 803 in her three seasons at Long Beach State and 358 in her two years at UC Irvine.
 
GIVE AND TAKE
Junior transfer Diaba Konate leads the team and ranks among the top-four in The Big West in both assists (4.4 apg) and steals (2.6 spg) per game. Konate has dished out  3+ dimes in each of her last nine outings, including a season-high seven vs. LIU on Nov. 25. She has also registered at least one steal in all 11 of her appearances, with a season-best five takeaways at Fresno State (Dec. 11). The Paris, France, native, has been one of UCI's top offensive threats as well, ranking among the team's scoring leaders at 8.5 ppg. She has reached double digits five times with a season-high 16 points at Sac State (Nov. 12).
 
OPENING STATEMENT
In her five starts this season, sophomore Déja Lee is averaging 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting 46% (17-37) from the field, 56% (10-18) from beyond the arc and 92% (12-13) at the free throw line. Most recently, she stepped seamlessly back into the first five as she set career highs of 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lead UCI to a 67-38 win over UC Davis on Jan. 5. The 5-foot-9 point guard also had 12 points against Seattle U in her first start of the year on Nov. 19, and 11 points and a career-best six assists in a start vs. Westcliff (Dec. 14). In the season opener, Lee came off the bench to lead all players with 16 points (7-9 FG), eight boards, five dimes and no turnovers vs. Whittier College.
 
WILLIAMS FOR THREE
Sophomore Olivia Williams has seven games with multiple 3FG made and ranks second on the squad with 20 triples. She went 4-for-8 from beyond the arc for a career-high 16 points at Seattle U. The 6-foot-1 guard, who has reached double digits in scoring in three of her last four outings, also had 15 points vs. Westcliff, 14 vs. Whittier, 11 vs. GCU, 10 vs. CSU Bakersfield and 10 at Long Beach State. She is averaging 8.6 ppg.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Sophomore Hunter Hernandez has a pair of double-doubles and 20-point games this season. In her first start of the year on Dec. 14, Hernandez finished with career-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds against Westcliff. Three days later, she matched that point total in a 72-57 win over Dartmouth. The 5-foot-9 guard added 13 points and 10 boards in the non-conference finale vs. Grand Canyon. Hernandez leads UCI's active players with 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
 
COURT PRESENCE
Sophomore Nikki Tom has been a steady presence on the court for UCI, starting every game and averaging 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals. She is tied for the team lead with six double-figure scoring performances, including a career-high 18 points on a near perfect outing where she was 6-of-7 from the field (4-4 3FG) vs. LIU on Nov. 25. In addition, the 5-foot-9 guard registered a career-high five steals and six assists vs. Westcliff on Dec. 14.
 
ON THE HORIZON
Diaba Konate, who dished out her 300th career assist at Eastern Washington on Dec. 1, is approaching another benchmark as she is on pace to reach 1,000 points. Konate (916) needs 84 more points to join the 1K club.
 
QUARTER RECORDS
The 'Eaters outscored Whittier, 26-0, in the third period of their 98-33 season-opening win. It was the first time in program history UCI held its opponent scoreless in a quarter (since 2015-16). The previous school record was one point allowed in the third frame against Life Pacific on Nov. 7, 2018.
 
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UC Irvine had four non-conference games that were decided by two points or less. At Sacramento State (Nov. 12), Diaba Konate hit the game-winning jumper with 0.2 ticks on the clock to lift the Anteaters to the 60-58 win. In a 54-53 victory at Seattle U on Nov. 19, it was Nevaeh Parkinson who finished the go-ahead layup with 4.2 seconds remaining. In addition, UCI's 62-60 double overtime loss at Pac-12 member Washington (Nov. 17) was won by the Huskies with nine seconds to go. On Dec. 1, the 'Eaters got it done on the defensive end with a stop on EWU's final possession to secure the 67-65 triumph.
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine will host CSUN on Saturday, Jan. 14. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.