UC Irvine (6-4, 0-0 Big West) at
UC Riverside (5-5, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 28
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: SRC Arena (3,168) - Riverside, Calif.

Cal State Bakersfield (3-6, 0-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (6-4, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Mobile Ticketing & Clear Bag Policy

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball opens Big West play on the road, traveling to UC Riverside for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Dec. 28. The Anteaters then return to the Bren Events Center for their conference home opener against Cal State Bakersfield Saturday, Dec. 30, at 2 p.m.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has a streak of 44 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). This year, the 'Eaters have allowed 60 points or less in six of their 10 games and lead The Big West in scoring defense (57.5 ppg).

• UCI was solid defensively throughout non-conference play but saw some inconsistency on the offensive end. In their six wins, the Anteaters averaged 66.0 points on 42% shooting from the field and 31% (33-106) from beyond the arc. In their four losses, the 'Eaters averaged 53.0 points, while shooting 33% overall and 13% (10-77) from distance.

• Graduate transfer Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba registered UC Irvine's first double-double of the season in the non-conference finale against Colorado State. Sidi Baba finished with game-highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds. She leads the team with 13.0 points per outing.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 41-10 (.804) record during that stretch. Last year, the Anteaters went 16-2 to win the program's first Big West regular-season title.

• Dating back to last season, UCI has won six-straight home games. In 2023-24, the 'Eaters are 3-0 with a +14.0 scoring margin at the Bren Events Center.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (5-5, 0-0 Big West) defeated NCAA Division III Cal Lutheran, 82-49, in its non-conference finale to move to .500 on the season. Jordan Webster leads the Highlanders and ranks second in The Big West with 16.3 points per game. Matehya Bryant is also averaging 12.8 points and a team-best 8.4 rebounds per outing. 

SERIES RECORD
The 'Eaters trail in their all-time series with UC Riverside, 41-27, but have won the last five. They swept the regular-season series last year, defeating UCR by identical scores of 56-45 on the road (Feb. 11) and at home (March 2).

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield (3-6, 0-0 Big West) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 60-52 victory over Division III Whittier College in its non-conference finale on Dec. 21. The Roadrunners will face UC San Diego in their Big West opener on Thursday. Shaunae Brown is tops on the squad with 15.9 points per contest, while Jordan Olivares is averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield, 13-9. Last year, the Anteaters defeated the Roadrunners in both regular-season meetings to extend their win streak to five before CSUB upset the 'Eaters 66-64 in double overtime in the quarterfinals of the Big West Championships.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine dropped a 69-63 neutral-site decision to Colorado State in its non-conference finale at the Walter Pyramid on Dec. 16. It was a close battle from start to finish with seven ties and 15 lead changes. The Anteaters went up, 62-61, following back-to-back layups from Nevaeh Parkinson with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter, but those were the last field goals of the game as the Rams outscored UCI, 8-1, at the free throw line over the final two minutes to secure the win. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba registered a double-double with a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. Déja Lee and Diaba Konate also finished with 11 points each.

BIG WEST LEADERS
The Anteaters lead The Big West in scoring defense (57.5 ppg) and turnovers forced (19.8/gm), while ranking second in turnover margin (3.3) and steals (10.5 spg). 

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Over the last three years, no team has been better in Big West regular-season play than UCI. Since 2020-21, the Anteaters have not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 41-10 (.804) record during that stretch. 

MID-MAJOR POLL
UC Irvine was receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Dec. 26. So far this season, the Anteaters have been featured in the RV section in six of the eight weekly rankings. Last year, they rose to as high as No. 13 (Jan. 24), which was a program best, before closing out the year at No. 23.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
The 'Eaters have used the same starting lineup in every game this season. Three of UCI's starters are among the team's top-five scorers, while the bench has also been a force to be reckoned with as the Anteaters have outscored their opponents in bench points by a 14.1 margin. Their 27.5 bench points per game rank 33rd in the nation.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 61-22 (.735) when playing at the Bren Events Center. Dating back to last year, the Anteaters have won six consecutive home games.

ONE FOR THE ROAD
UCI hit the road for seven of its 10 non-conference games. The Anteaters are 2-3 in true road contests and 1-1 in neutral-site match-ups. They started the season away from home for the first time since 2014-15 and will be on the road for their Big West opener for the first time since 2020-21.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 13.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games played. Sidi Baba registered the Anteaters' first double-double of the year with 19 points and a season-best 11 boards against Colorado State on Dec. 16. She was just shy of her career-high 21 points, which she set at Big 12 member Texas Tech on Nov. 29. Sidi Baba was 8-for-16 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line vs. the Lady Raiders. The 6-foot-1 guard/forward also reached double figures with 10 points in her UC Irvine debut against St. Thomas on Nov. 24. Sidi Baba missed the first four games recovering from an injury.

TWENTY-TWENTY
Junior Déja Lee has two of UCI's three 20-point performances this season. Lee drained a career-high 23 in the opener at Pepperdine before matching that total against St. Thomas on Nov. 24. The 5-foot-9 point guard ranks second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and assists (2.5 apg). She has 20 career 10+ point games and four 20-point efforts.

IRON WOMAN
Junior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. She leads the team with 75 consecutive appearances, 52 consecutive starts and 2,144 minutes (28.6 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. This season, Tom leads The Big West in minutes (35.2 mpg) and ranks third in steals (2.5 spg). She had a career-high tying five takeaways against Eastern Washington (Nov. 20) and at Texas Tech (Nov. 29). The 5-foot-9 guard is also averaging 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per outing. She has four double-figure scoring games with a season-high 15 points at Pacific. Tom was named to the All-Big West Preseason Coaches Team.

GIVE AND TAKE
Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate is tops on the squad with 37 assists (3.7 apg) and ranks second with 22 steals (2.2 spg). She dished out a season-best eight assists against Eastern Washington on Nov. 20 and had a UCI career-high tying five takeaways vs. Denver on Dec. 2. Konate has at least one steal in 35 of her 39 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 collegiate career at Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,148 points, 380 rebounds, 421 assists and 237 steals.

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Senior 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 9.3 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 59% from the field. Against Seattle U (Nov. 11), Parkinson went 8-for-11 from the floor to finish with a career-high 17 points. She also pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds in a win over Denver on Dec. 2. 

DEAN FROM DOWNTOWN
Last year, Nevaeh Dean didn't attempt her first 3-pointer until the Anteaters' 26th game, but finished with three triples over the final four weeks of the campaign. This year, the 6-foot-2 forward has already matched that total as she is 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Against Eastern Washington (Nov. 20), she went 6-for-9 from the field and knocked down both of her threes for a career-high 15 points. Dean, who transferred from Cincinnati last year, has started 41 of 42 games played at UC Irvine.

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.

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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine is on the road for a pair of Big West games next week, traveling to Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 4) and UC Davis (Jan. 6).