MORAGA, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team fell to Saint Mary's, 52-37, Tuesday evening at the University Credit Union Pavilion.
 
The Anteaters (1-2) couldn't find their rhythm offensively, shooting 14-for-51 from the field and just 1-of-21 from beyond the arc. They still held their opponent to under 60 points for the second-straight outing.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Nevaeh Parkinson and junior Déja Lee led the 'Eaters with nine points apiece. Parkinson also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while Lee dished out a team-best five assists.
 
Senior Caiyle Kaupu added a season-best six points, and senior Nevaeh Dean had four points and five rebounds. Freshman Shirel Nahum also pulled down five boards as UCI outrebounded SMC, 32-29.
 
The Gaels (2-1) shot 44% overall and 29% from distance. They were paced by Addison Wedin, who had 15 points and six rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine got out to a slow start as Saint Mary's took an early 8-0 lead before Dean got the Anteaters on the board at the 6:46 mark. The Gaels stayed out front and held a 19-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
The 'Eaters closed the gap to nine on a jumper from Nahum with 7:34 to play, but SMC answered with four-straight points. After calling a timeout, UCI proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, capped by Clara Djoko's first collegiate bucket, to cut the deficit to 26-22 with 1:23 remaining. Lee sparked the rally with all five of her first-half points coming during that stretch.
 
Neither team scored the rest of the way as it remained a four-point game at the break.
 
It went back-and-forth over the first three minutes of the third frame. Saint Mary's then used a 13-5 spurt to go up, 43-31, with just under a minute to go. Kaupu was able to knock down a jumper with 35 seconds on the clock to make it a 10-point game heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Anteaters couldn't make any headway over the final 10 minutes. Although they held the Gaels to four field goals in the period, the 'Eaters converted just two of their own.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 20, when it welcomes Eastern Washington to the Bren Events Center for a 6 p.m. showdown.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has given up fewer than 70 points in 37 consecutive outings.
• On the other end, the Anteaters were held to under 40 points for the first time since Nov. 25, 2016.
• Their four points over the final 10 minutes were also the fewest they have scored in a quarter since Dec. 15, 2021.
• Déja Lee had her second-straight game with a season-best five assists.
• Lee is one away from 100 career assists.