Anteaters Head to Stockton for Tiger Turkey Tip-Off

Friday, November 24

Stockton, Calif.

1:00 PM

UC Irvine

St. Thomas

Anteaters Head to Stockton for Tiger Turkey Tip-Off

November 22, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Broadcast Info Game Notes

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is set to compete in the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off at Alex G. Spanos Center in Stockton, California, Nov. 24-25. The Anteaters will kick off the weekend with a neutral-site game against St. Thomas Friday at 1 p.m., before squaring off against tournament host Pacific Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has a streak of 38 consecutive games holding its opponent to under 70 points. The last time the Anteaters gave up 70+ was in an overtime win against UC Davis in the 2022 Big West quarterfinals (March 11, 2022).

• UCI's defense, which ranks 62nd in all of NCAA Division I, will be tested on Friday when it goes up against a St. Thomas team that is averaging nearly 80 points per game (78.5 ppg).

• On Saturday, UC Irvine will face a West Coast Conference team for the third time in its first six games. The 'Eaters are looking for their first win against the WCC this season as they fell on the road at Pepperdine (Nov. 7) and Saint Mary's (Nov. 14). Under eighth-year head coach Tamara Inoue, UCI is 4-10 against the West Coast Conference.

• Senior Nevaeh Dean set career highs in points (15) and threes made (2) in Monday's 71-63 win over Eastern Washington. She also tied her best in field goals made (6) and blocks (2). Dean knocked down a pair of triples in the second half, including a dagger that put the 'Eaters up by four with 36 seconds on the clock.

• Senior Nevaeh Parkinson is averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per outing. Parkinson has been extremely efficient from the floor where she owns the fourth-best field goal percentage in the nation at 73.3% (22-30). The 6-foot-3 center has also led the squad with 7+ boards in each of the Anteaters' four games.

SCOUTING THE TOMMIES
St. Thomas (3-1) won its third-straight game with a 74-60 victory at Saint Mary's on Tuesday. The Tommies are in their third year at the Division I level after making the leap straight from Division III in 2021-22. Sophomore guard Amber Scalia is tops on the squad in scoring at 20.0 points per outing. Junior guard Jade Hill has also registered 16.5 points per contest, while junior center Jo Langbhen is averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Ruth Sinn is in her 19th season as head coach at her alma mater.

SERIES RECORD
Friday will mark the first meeting between UC Irvine and St. Thomas.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Pacific (3-1) bounced back from a loss at Washington with a 66-59 win against Yale on Monday, Nov. 20. UOP is 2-0 against the Big West this year with victories over Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield. Senior guard Liz Smith leads the Tigers in both scoring (16.3 ppg) and assists (5.5 apg). Junior guard Anaya James has also put up 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing, while senior forward Cecilia Holmberg is averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 boards. Bradley Davis is in his 18th year at Pacific and ninth as head coach.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with former Big West member Pacific, 35-29. The two teams have not met since 2013, the Tigers' last year in The Big West. Pacific swept the final regular-season series, winning 65-53 in Irvine (March 2, 2013) and 68-57 at home (Jan. 31, 2013).

THE BIG 5-0
The 2023-24 campaign is the 50th season of UC Irvine women's basketball. In their inaugural year (1974-75), the Anteaters went 7-4 under head coach Dorene Cowart. They earned the program's first win in their second game with a 52-33 victory over UC San Diego. Since then, UCI has produced five 20-win seasons, one Big West championship, one Big West tournament title, two All-Americans and four UCI Athletics Hall of Fame members.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 60-22 (.732) when playing at the Bren Events Center. Dating back to last year, the Anteaters have won five consecutive home games.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
UC Irvine will play seven of its 10 non-conference games on the road, with two of those contests at a neutral site. The Anteaters have already made their way to Pepperdine (Nov. 7) and Saint Mary's (Nov. 14), and will be in Stockton to take on St. Thomas and tournament host Pacific in the Tiger Turkey Tip-Off this weekend. Up next, UCI heads to Texas Tech (Nov. 29), New Mexico State (Dec. 5) and Long Beach where it will face Colorado State (Dec. 16).

IN THE RANKINGS
UC Irvine was receiving votes in the first two College Insider Women's Mid-Major Polls, but dropped out in the most recent rankings released on Nov. 21. Last year, the Anteaters made their way into the Top 25 on Dec. 27, 2022, and remained in the rankings for the rest of the season. They rose to as high as No. 13 (Jan. 24), which was a program best, before closing out the year at No. 23.

TENACIOUS D
UC Irvine, which concluded the 2022-23 campaign ranked seventh in all of NCAA Division I with a program-record 53.2 points allowed per game, has picked up right where it left off. The Anteaters have held all four of their opponents to under 65, giving up 55.3 points per outing.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine fought off a late Eastern Washington rally to come away with a 71-63 win Monday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters were out front the entire game until an 8-0 run by the Eagles gave them their first lead of the night at 61-58 with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Nevaeh Parkinson answered with back-to-back layups to reclaim the advantage before Nevaeh Dean knocked down a clutch three to make it a four-point cushion with 36 seconds on the clock. UCI continued to lock down defensively and got it done at the free throw line to hand EWU its first loss of the young season. Parkinson and Dean led four 'Eaters in double figures as they tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece. Parkinson was 7-of-8 from the floor and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Dean was 6-of-9 overall and drained both of her 3-point attempts. She also finished with five boards, two steals and two blocks. Déja Lee added 14 points, while Nikki Tom registered 11 points and a career-high tying five steals. Diaba Konate dished out a season-best eight assists to give her 401 in her collegiate career.

STARTING LINE
Junior Déja Lee is off to an impressive start in 2023-24, leading the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and ranking second in assists (3.3 apg). The 5-foot-9 point guard has also started the year a perfect 15-of-15 at the free throw line. Lee has three double-figure scoring games this season, finishing with a career-high 23 in the opener at Pepperdine (7-7 FT), 13 vs. Seattle U and 14 against Eastern Washington (6-6 FT). She now has 18 career 10+ point games and three 20-point performances in her two-plus years at UCI.

NEVAEH NIGHT
Seniors Nevaeh Dean and Nevaeh Parkinson were phenomenal in the Anteaters' 71-63 win over Eastern Washington on Nov. 20. The two post players combined for 30 points on 13-17 shooting (76%). After the 'Eaters fell behind by three with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Parkinson went to work down low with back-to-back layups before Dean knocked down her second triple of the night to make it a four-point game with 36 seconds on the clock.

OFF THE BENCH
Nevaeh Parkinson, the reigning Big West Best Sixth Player, has continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Anteaters. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 12.0 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game. Against Seattle U, Parkinson went 8-for-11 from the floor to finish with a career-high 17 points. She ranks fourth in all of NCAA Division I with a 73.3 (22-30) field goal percentage.

IRON WOMAN
Junior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. She leads the team with 69 consecutive appearances, 46 consecutive starts and 1,935 minutes (28.0 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. The Fresno native played 35+ minutes in 22 of her last 23 outings. Tom leads the team with 13 steals (3.3/gm) on the year, including a career-high tying five in a win over Eastern Washington. The 5-foot-9 guard was named to the All-Big West Preseason Coaches Team.

GIVE AND TAKE
Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate is tops on the squad with 17 assists (4.3 apg). She dished out eight of UCI's 13 dimes in a 71-63 win over Eastern Washington on Nov. 20. It was the most assists in a game by an 'Eater since Kayla Williams had nine at Bakersfield on Jan. 27, 2022. Konate has also been active on the defensive end, recording at least one steal in 30 of her 33 appearances as an Anteater. Last year, the All-Big West Defensive Team selection tied for eighth in single-season school history with 63 steals. In her career at both Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,105 points, 366 rebounds, 401 assists and 221 steals.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UCI was picked second in The Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The 'Eaters earned two of the 11 first-place votes and 88 total points to come in behind defending conference tournament champion Hawai'i. Nikki Tom was named to the All-Big West Preseason Team.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
UC Irvine women's basketball has five international student-athletes from four different countries - graduate transfer Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba (Sweden), senior Diaba Konate (France), junior Déja Lee (Canada), redshirt freshman Clara Djoko (France) and freshman Shirel Nahum (Israel). All five have represented their countries in a FIBA-sponsored event. In addition, junior Olivia Williams, who was born and raised in Northern California, has dual citizenship and was a member of the New Zealand National Team that won silver at the 2019 U17 FIBA Women's Oceania Championship.

100 AND COUNTING
Seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue earned her 100th career win in last year's non-conference finale against Grand Canyon (Dec. 21, 2022). Inoue is the second coach in program history to reach the century mark as her 119 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 three of the program's four national postseason tournaments and three of their five 20-win campaigns.

REWRITING HISTORY
After finishing second in the conference despite having the most wins in league play in each of the previous two years, UC Irvine finally broke through in 2022-23, winning the first Big West regular-season title in program history. The first-place finish put the Anteaters in the WNIT where they secured their first postseason win. The 'Eaters also set school records in overall (25) and conference (16) victories, while tying a school record with a nine-game win streak from Dec. 17-Jan. 19.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will stay on the road next week, making its way to the Lone Star State to take on Big 12 member Texas Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 29.