IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team used a strong start and finish to run away with a 64-51 win over UC San Diego Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (17-4, 9-1 Big West) totaled 20+ points in both the first and fourth quarters as they combined to outscore the Tritons 44-30 in those two periods.
 
UCSD had the momentum at the end of the third and was able to even the score at 40-all just over a minute into the final frame, but UCI responded with a couple buckets from Nevaeh Parkinson and a big 3-pointer from Déja Lee. After the Tritons pulled back within two, the 'Eaters made the last push with a 14-2 run giving them a 61-47 lead with just over a minute to play.
 
"I thought DJ stepped up big for us; she got us some momentum with that three and then got after it defensively too," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Diaba also came in and got some big steals for us so it was just good things all around. Losing two starters, you have to reset a little bit so I'm really proud of them for finishing it tonight."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Sophomore Déja Lee led all players with 20 points and a career-best seven assists, while committing only two turnovers. She went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc, setting a new career high in 3FG made.
 
Sophomore Nikki Tom was 3-for-3 from long distance and finished with 12 points. Junior Nevaeh Parkinson also registered her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Diaba Konate chipped in seven points and four steals.
 
The Anteaters shot 40% from the field and were 8-of-13 (62%) from deep, while holding the Tritons to 35% overall and 27% from 3-point range. UCI also held a slight advantage in rebounds (35-34) and turnovers forced (18-12).
 
Julia Macabuhay, Sydney Brown and Izzy Forsyth all finished with 11 points for UCSD.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC San Diego (10-11, 7-4 Big West) struck first and went up 12-8 at the 6:24 mark. Sophomore Hunter Hernandez then knocked down back-to-back jumpers to knot the score. UC Irvine continued on a 12-2 run, capped by a Lee 3-pointer, for a 20-14 lead with just over a minute to go. The Tritons cut their deficit in half with a triple in the final seconds.
 
Both teams cooled off in the second period where the Anteaters outscored UCSD, 9-7. The visitors pulled even at the 8:25 mark but the 'Eaters responded with seven unanswered, going on top 27-20 following a trey from Tom. UC San Diego was able to close the gap to three before a layup from junior Nevaeh Dean gave UCI a 29-24 cushion at the break.
 
Tom started the third frame with an and-1 to quickly put UC Irvine on top by eight. The two sides then exchanged points over the next six minutes before a three from Lee made it 40-31 with 2:39 left. The Tritons then closed out the quarter with a 7-0 rally to come within two.
 
UCSD evened it up with a couple free throws to start the fourth. The Anteaters punched right back, taking a 47-40 lead after two layups by Parkinson and another triple from Lee. The Tritons stayed in it with five-straight points from Forsyth making it 47-45 at the 5:21 mark, but that was the closest they would get as the 'Eaters had an answer again, this time with a traditional three-point play by Konate sparking a 14-2 rally that put the game out of reach at 61-47 with 1:16 remaining. UCI would go up by as many as 15 in the final minute before closing out the 64-51 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back in the Bren on Saturday, Feb. 4, hosting Long Beach State in a 1 p.m. Black & Blue Rivalry showdown. The Anteaters will hold a National Girls and Women in Sports Day youth clinic prior to the game.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has now won four in a row in its all-time series with the Tritons.
• The Anteaters maintained their half-game lead over Long Beach State (9-2) in the Big West standings.
• The 'Eaters held their opponent to 60 points or less for the 16th time this season (14-2).
• They also improved to 17-1 when they have multiple players reach double figures in scoring.
• Déja Lee had her second 20-point effort of the season.
• Lee's five triples tied Naomi Hunt for the most by an Anteater in a game this year.
• Diaba Konate has made 26 consecutive free throws and is shooting a Big West-leading 92.7% at the charity stripe.
• Konate has also registered at least one steal in all 18 of her appearances this season.
• Nikki Tom had her second-straight double-digit scoring game and played 35+ minutes for the eighth consecutive outing.
• Tom eclipsed 300 career points and 100 career assists.
• UCI hosted its annual Breast Cancer Awareness Game with a portion of all ticket sales supporting the UCI Breast Health Center.