IRVINE Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team's school-record 22nd win came in dramatic fashion as Nevaeh Parkinson's layup with 0.4 seconds left in overtime gave the Anteaters a 68-66 victory over Hawai'i Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The 'Eaters (22-5, 14-2 Big West) led for most of the second half and went up by four early in the extra period before finding themselves down, 66-64, after back-to-back 3-pointers from the Rainbow Wahine.

Like they've done all year, the Anteaters kept their composure with some big defensive stops before Amelia Scharpf tied it up on a jumper in the paint.  
 
UCI continued to lock in defensively, forcing missed shots on two more UH possessions. On the second, Diaba Konate corralled the rebound with five ticks on the clock. Her driving layup was blocked on the other end, but UC Irvine got the ball back on the baseline with 1.4 seconds remaining. That's when they executed the game-winning play with Déja Lee finding a wide-open Parkinson for the win.
 
"I drew up the play for Amelia, but the players coached it for Nevaeh," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Coaches want teams like this, and you don't get them often. It's special; they truly love each other and are out there fighting for one another. I'm just really proud of them."
 
With two games left in the regular season, the 'Eaters have set a program record with 22 overall wins, breaking the previous standard of 21, which was reached in 1984-85 and 2021-22.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Nevaeh Parkinson finished with her second-straight double-double, putting up 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Sophomores Nikki Tom and Déja Lee tied for the team lead with 14 points each.
 
Junior Diaba Konate rounded out a quartet of double-figure scorers with 10, while adding six boards and six assists. Sophomore Amelia Scharpf chipped in eight points, and junior Nevaeh Dean contributed seven points and five rebounds. Graduate student Nyagoa Gony also registered six boards and two blocks.
 
Meilani McBee paced the 'Bows, making five of the team's 12 threes for a game-high 23 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Hawai'i (13-14, 11-7 Big West) started the scoring with a 3-pointer, but Lee answered with a triple and Dean followed with a layup to put UC Irvine on top 5-3 at the 7:41 mark. It went back-and-forth the rest of the way with five more lead changes before the Rainbow Wahine went up 18-15 at the end of the first quarter.
 
UH took the largest lead of the half with a layup to start the second period, but the Anteaters responded with a 12-5 run, capped by another trey from Lee, to pull ahead 27-25 with just under three minutes remaining. Konate also had five-straight points during that stretch. The 'Bows knotted the score with 1:36 left, but UCI stayed out front with a 29-28 edge at the break.
 
After trading buckets to open the third frame, the 'Eaters grabbed the momentum with a 10-2 swing for a 41-32 lead at the 5:51 mark. Tom put a stamp on the rally with her second 3-pointer of the game. Hawai'i answered with a three of its own, but UC Irvine carried a five-point cushion (47-42) into the fourth.
 
The Anteaters got on the board first in the final quarter before McBee single-handedly brought the Rainbow Wahine back with three triples and a jumper over the next five minutes to tie it up at 53-all. UCI reclaimed the edge with a couple free throws from Tom, while a Parkinson putback made it 57-53. The 'Bows stayed right in it with McBee coming to the rescue again, draining the game-tying jumper with 53 seconds on the clock.
 
The two teams exchanged blows in overtime. Parkinson got the scoring started with an and-one. Tom's trey then put the 'Eaters on top, 64-60, with 3:57 to go, but UH connected from distance on its next two possessions to go up, 66-64. That was all UC Irvine would allow, however, as it held Hawai'i scoreless the rest of the way. With 1:35 to go, Scharpf tied it up on a jumper in the key and Parkinson delivered the game-winner with 0.4 ticks on the clock. The 'Bows were able to get one more look, but Lily Wahinekapu's deep three hit the back iron as time expired.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will play its final two games of the regular season next week, hosting UC Riverside on Thursday, March 2 (Senior Night), and traveling to CSU Bakersfield on Saturday, March 4.
 
NOTES
• After tying the school record for wins in a season last year, UC Irvine has broken it this year with its 22nd overall victory.
• UCI completed its fourth regular-season series sweep of the 2023 Big West campaign.
• It was the Anteaters' first sweep of Hawai'i since 2018.
• The 'Eaters (14-2) are second in the conference standings, sitting one game behind Long Beach State (16-2).
• UC Irvine played its fifth overtime game this year (3-2), but still has not allowed more than 67 points.
• Two of those OT games were against Hawai'i.
• Nevaeh Parkinson notched her third double-double and fifth double-figure rebounding game of the season.
• All of those have come since Jan. 26 in Big West play.
• Nikki Tom had her 12th double-figure scoring performance of the season.
• Tom also extended her streak of games played with a 3-pointer made to nine.
• For the first time this season, Diaba Konate did not register a steal.