IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team remained unbeaten at home with a 50-47 win over Denver Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters improved to 5-3 overall and are 3-0 on their home court.
 
UCI got out to a slow start but used a 14-0 run over the final seven minutes of the second quarter to take a 26-23 lead at the half. The Pioneers reclaimed the advantage in the third period before a traditional three-point play by Déja Lee in the last minute brought the 'Eaters back even at 38-38. The home team then outscored Denver, 12-9, in the fourth to hold on for the victory.
 
"It's good that all 10 of our players scored at some point tonight," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Not one player on our team reached double figures and we found a way to win. It wasn't an easy one today. Denver came out ready to go and they were firing. We just needed to weather the storm and grit out the win and I thought we did a really good job of that."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Amelia Scharpf and senior Nevaeh Parkinson led UC Irvine with eight points apiece. Parkinson also pulled down a game and season-high 11 rebounds.
 
Junior Déja Lee finished with six points, seven boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks, while senior Diaba Konate added six points and a season-best five steals. Junior Nikki Tom chipped in six points, five rebounds and two blocks. Senior Nevaeh Dean corralled a season-high eight boards. Freshman Shirel Nahum also had five points, and senior Caiyle Kaupu contributed four points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
UCI shot just 25% from the field but went 12-of-13 at the free throw line.
 
Defensively, the Anteaters held Denver to under 30% shooting, forced 21 turnovers and won the battle on the glass, 48-40. Emily Counsel paced the Pioneers with a game-high 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Denver (1-6) scored eight-straight points to take a 10-2 lead at the 6:18 mark. The Pioneers remained hot, shooting 45.5% (5-11) from the field in the first quarter. On the other end, UC Irvine was just 5-for-21 (23.8%), but two were from deep, one by Tom and one by Tarryn Ross, to stay close, 16-12.    
 
Another quick start to the second period saw Denver score seven unanswered to extend the lead to 23-12 with 7:26 remaining. The Anteaters then rallied behind good defense as they held the visitors scoreless the rest of the way. A Parkinson layup, pair of jumpers by Kaupu, a triple from Tom and a driving layup by Scharpf brought made it 23-23. The 'Eaters then took their first lead of the game on a Lee free throw with 1:23 to go in the half. Right before the buzzer, Kaupu found Scharpf curling to the basket to give UC Irvine a 26-23 advantage at the half.
 
Denver buried back-to-back 3-pointers to start the third frame and continued on an 11-5 run for a 34-31 edge at the 4:20 mark. The Anteaters regrouped after the media timeout, allowing only four more points, while Parkinson knocked down four free throws and Lee closed out the quarter with an and-one to pull even at 38-38. 
 
UCI's offense started quickly in the final period, going up 44-40 after a pair of free throws by Scharpf. Denver cut the deficit to two with a jumper before back-to-back layups from Konate and Parkinson gave the 'Eaters their largest lead at 48-42 with 1:49 remaining. That score held until the Pioneers went to the line with eight ticks on the clock. They made both and after two quick fouls, Emma Smith was able to get the steal and launch a 3-pointer to close the gap to 48-47 with three seconds left. The Pioneers fouled immediately and Scharpf calmly sank both free throws to give UC Irvine a three-point cushion. The Anteater defense then held off a final Pioneer shot to hold on for the 50-47 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will be back in action next Tuesday, Dec. 5, when it heads to Las Cruces for a 6 p.m. (MT)/5 p.m. (PT) showdown at New Mexico State.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine kept its streak alive, holding its opponent to fewer than 70 points in 42-straight games.
• The Anteaters took the lead in their all-time series with Denver, 3-2.
• They have also won six consecutive home games dating back to last year.
• UCI has forced more turnovers than it has committed in six of its eight contests.
• This was the first time the 'Eaters didn't have anyone reach double figures in scoring since Nov. 13, 2016.
• Nevaeh Parkinson registered her eighth career game with 10+ rebounds.