IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball routed Cal State Bakersfield, 71-48, in their Big West home opener Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (8-4, 2-0 Big West) shot a season-best 53% from the field and went 7-of-16 from beyond the arc. They also held a lopsided 37-19 advantage on the boards.
 
It was a close game in the first half with three ties and five lead changes. The Roadrunners held a six-point edge with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter. That was their largest lead as the 'Eaters slowly chipped away before outscoring CSUB, 7-1, over the final 1:30 to go on top for good.
 
UCI carried that momentum into the second half where it dominated the 'Runners, 38-18.
 
"It starts on the defensive end for us," UC Irvine head coach Tamara Inoue said about the second-half turnaround. "We have to do a better job of starting the game off and just sustaining when the other team comes out shooting well."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee led all scorers with 22 points. She was 9-of-14 from the field with three triples. It was Lee's third 20-point game of the season.
 
Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba flirted with a double-double, finishing with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Freshman Shirel Nahum also had 12 points (4-7 FG), while junior Amelia Scharpf had eight. Senior Diaba Konate added six points, four boards and six assists, and junior Nikki Tom registered four points, six rebounds and three assists.
 
UCI got a big boost from its non-starters as it outscored Bakersfield, 39-12, in bench points.
 
"It's not about starting, it's about the contributions and getting the collective win," Inoue added. "I believe in all my players, and I believe they all can step up whenever we call upon them. They really care about each other and want to win for one another."
 
Cal State Bakersfield was held to a 36% clip overall (17-47) and from distance (8-22). Julia Riley paced the Roadrunners with 17 points behind a 5-of-8 performance from 3-point range.
 
CSUB's leading scorer, Shaunae Brown, who entered the game ranked second in The Big West with 16.2 points per contest, was held to just nine points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Cal State Bakersfield (4-7, 1-1 Big West) raced out to an 8-3 lead in the first two minutes. The Roadrunners stayed out front until UC Irvine reeled off eight unanswered to pull ahead, 15-10, at the 2:42 mark. CSUB then outscored the Anteaters, 8-2, down the stretch to reclaim an 18-17 advantage.
 
Nahum's layup to open the second period put the 'Eaters back on top, but the 'Runners responded with seven-straight points to take their largest lead of the afternoon (25-19). Sidi Baba ended a five-minute scoring drought for UCI with a putback at the 4:20 mark. The two sides went back-and-forth over the next three minutes before Scharpf knocked down a couple corner threes to start and end a 7-1 spurt that gave the home team a 33-30 edge at the break.
 
Cal State Bakersfield knotted the score at 35-35 following a 3-pointer at the 8:08 mark of the third frame. The Anteaters took control from there as they used a 12-0 rally to build a 47-35 advantage over the next four minutes. Lee scored eight consecutive points during that stretch. UC Irvine went on to score the final four points of the period to go up, 51-37.
 
UCI and CSUB traded buckets to start the fourth quarter. The 'Eaters then broke the game wide open as they didn't allow a field goal over the final seven minutes. They took advantage with a 9-0 run that was once again sparked by seven-straight points from Lee. UC Irvine went up by as many as 24 before closing out the 71-48 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is on the road for its next two conference games as it heads to Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 4) and UC Davis (Jan. 6).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine held its opponent to 60 points or less for the eighth time this season.
• UCI is 2-0 in Big West play for the fourth-straight year.
• Since 2020-21, the Anteaters are 43-10 (.811) in Big West regular-season games.
• The 'Eaters are 4-0 at home this season with a +16.3 scoring margin in those contests.
• Dating back to last year, they have won seven-straight at the Bren Events Center.
• UCI improved to 7-0 when shooting over 40% from the field this season.
• Déja Lee averaged a team-best 17.5 ppg on 54% shooting in UC Irvine's first two Big West games.