'Eaters Head to SDSU for WNIT Opener

Friday, March 17

San Diego, Calif.

6:00 PM

UC Irvine

San Diego State

amelia-scharpf-wbb-2023-sdsu-wnit-preview

Photo by: Matt Brown

'Eaters Head to SDSU for WNIT Opener

March 16, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Mountain West Network Listen on KUCI Live Stats Game Notes

UC Irvine (24-6) at
San Diego State (23-10)
Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Viejas Arena (12,414) - San Diego, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is set to begin the 2023 Postseason WNIT with a first-round game at San Diego State on Friday, March 17. The Anteaters and Aztecs will tip-off at 6 p.m. at Viejas Arena.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UCI won the program's first Big West regular-season title to earn the conference's automatic berth to the WNIT for the second year in a row. This will be the Anteaters' fourth postseason tournament and third in the last six years. Under seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue, the 'Eaters have secured two WNIT bids (2022, 2023) and played in the 2018 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). UC Irvine also made its only NCAA Tournament appearance back in 1995.

• Despite being picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches' poll, losing three All-Big West starters - Naomi Hunt (Dec. 31), Olivia Williams (Jan. 19) and Hunter Hernandez (Feb. 15) - to season-ending injuries in conference, and playing with a seven-person rotation over their last five games, the Anteaters have put together the best season in program history. Not only did they win the Big West regular-season title, but they set school records in overall (24) and conference (16) victories. UC Irvine has back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since 1983-84 and 1984-85. Of the program's five 20-win seasons, three have come in head coach Tamara Inoue's tenure.

• Five 'Eaters were named to the 2022-23 All-Big West Women's Basketball Team the conference office announced on Monday, March 6. Hunter Hernandez was a first-team selection, while Nikki Tom, Déja Lee and Nevaeh Parkinson earned honorable mention recognition. Parkinson was also tabbed the league's Best Sixth Player, and Diaba Konate made the Big West All-Defensive Team.

• UCI came in at No. 23 in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 (March 14). The Anteaters have been featured in the poll for 12 consecutive weeks with a high ranking of 13th. The 'Eaters are also ninth in the nation in scoring defense with a school-record 53.3 points allowed per contest. They held 23 of their 30 opponents to 60 points or less (20-3), including eight games where they gave up fewer than 50.

• The Anteaters are 12-2 in true road games. Their 12 road wins are the most in program history, while their only two losses came in non-conference play at Pac-12 member and WNIT participant Washington in double overtime (Nov. 17) and at Mountain West foe Fresno State on Dec. 11. San Diego State, meanwhile, has been tough to beat at home where it is 15-2. The Aztecs' home losses came against a pair of conference opponents that advanced to postseason play in UNLV (Jan. 7) and Wyoming (Feb. 18). The 22nd-ranked Lady Rebels are in the NCAA Tournament, while the Cowgirls are the Mountain West's WNIT automatic qualifier.

POSTSEASON NOTABLES
UC Irvine will be making the program's second consecutive Postseason WNIT appearance. The Anteaters earned The Big West's automatic bid both times as they won the 2022-23 regular-season title and finished with the most conference wins in 2021-22. This is UCI's fourth postseason tournament and third in the last six years.

REWRITING HISTORY
After finishing second in the conference, despite having the most wins in league play in each of the last two years, UC Irvine finally broke through in 2022-23, winning the first Big West regular-season title in program history. The Anteaters also set school records in overall wins (24), conference wins (16) and true road victories (12). In addition, UCI had a school-record tying nine-game win streak from Dec. 17-Jan. 19, while their recent seven-game win streak, which was snapped in last week's Big West Championships, is tied for the third longest.

SPECIAL TEAM, SPECIAL SEASON
UC Irvine was not considered to be a Big West championship contender at the start of the 2022-23 season. In fact, they weren't even picked to finish in the top half of the conference as they were slotted sixth in the league's preseason coaches' poll after losing six letterwinners, including three starters to graduation and the portal. The 'Eaters still welcomed back eight members (five sophomores) from their 2022 WNIT squad and added four NCAA Division I transfers. The group quickly developed a strong chemistry that led to a league-best 8-3 non-conference record. That success carried over into Big West play where they were 7-0 for the first time in their 40 years as a member of the league. Despite seeing three key starters go down with season-ending injuries in a two-month span, the bond the Anteaters formed both on and off the court helped them persevere as they came together to win their last seven games and clinch the first Big West regular-season title in school history.

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. They had a streak of 11 consecutive regular-season conference wins come to an end with an overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 26.

IN THE RANKINGS
UCI is 23rd in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 released on March 14. The Anteaters have been featured in every poll since Dec. 27 and were receiving votes for five weeks prior to that. Their highest ranking was 13th on Jan. 24.

TENACIOUS D
UC Irvine is ninth in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense with its program-best 53.3 points allowed per game coming in behind Norfolk State, No. 13 Duke, Little Rock, No. 1 South Carolina, Princeton, Campbell, Fairleigh Dickinson and Vermont. The 'Eaters have held 23 of their 30 opponents to 60 points or less. Their season-high in points allowed was 67 in an overtime win at Hawai'i on Jan. 19. UCI also ranks 22nd in the nation in steals (10.1 spg) and 29th in turnovers forced (19.5/gm).

SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (23-10) earned an at-large berth to the WNIT after tying for third in the Mountain West. This is SDSU's first postseason appearance since 2013, when it advanced to the second round of the WNIT. The Aztecs rank first in the MW and 30th in the nation in scoring defense at 57.4 points allowed per game. They are also 21st in all of NCAA Division I in 3-point field goal percentage (36.1%). Sophia Ramos leads three players averaging double figures in scoring at 12.1 points per outing. Asia Avinger has also put up 11.8 points and 4.3 assists per contest, while Mercedes Staples, who is shooting 47% (57-121) from beyond the arc, sits at 10.5 ppg.

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with San Diego State, 21-8, but has won the last two at Viejas Arena in 2017 and 2020. The teams' most recent meeting came on Nov. 14, 2021, with the Aztecs taking the 68-60 victory in Irvine.

LAST TIME OUT
No. 1 seed UC Irvine fell in the quarterfinals of The Big West Championships to No. 9 seed CSU Bakersfield in a 61-59 double-overtime heartbreaker last Wednesday at The Dollar Loan Center. The Anteaters struggled offensively, shooting a season-low 20% from the field. Déja Lee led UCI with 18 points and three steals. Nevaeh Parkinson, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, finished with eight points and a team-best 12 rebounds. Nyagoa Gony also pulled down 10 boards. Diaba Konate tallied six points, a season-best eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

HUNT, WILLIAMS, HERNANDEZ OUT FOR SEASON
UC Irvine lost three key starters, Naomi Hunt, Olivia Williams and Hunter Hernandez, to season-ending injuries in Big West play. Hunt, who was averaging 11.7 points and 4.9 boards, has been out since the conference opener against CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 31. Williams suffered a season-ending injury at Hawai'i on Jan. 19. She had started every game this year, averaging 8.9 points per outing. The latest blow came against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 15, when Hernandez went down with a knee injury. She was the Anteaters' leading scorer (12.0 ppg) and rebounder (5.5 rpg). Despite all of that, UCI won its last seven regular-season games.

EXTRA TIME
UC Irvine has played six overtime games this year, the most in program history. The 'Eaters, who are 3-3 in those contests, have outscored their opponents 74-60 in extra time. They have gone to OT 12 times (7-5) in seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue's tenure.

FROM THE STRIPE
UC Irvine ranks third in The Big West and 28th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (77.2%). Individually, Diaba Konate is tops in the conference and 14th in the nation with an 89.1% clip. Earlier in the year, Konate had a streak of 28 consecutive free throws made. She has missed multiple free throws in a game only twice this year, both of which were double OT contests - at Washington (6-of-8) on Nov. 17 and against Bakersfield (2-of-4) on March 8.

AIN'T THAT GRAND
Entering her 100th career game played on Feb. 15, junior transfer Diaba Konate, who was averaging 7.7 ppg at the time, needed 16 to reach 1,000 points in her collegiate career. She got that and more, netting a season-high 20 in a 74-60 OT win against UCSB. She now sits at 1,051 points, 348 rebounds, 377 assists and 214 steals.

100 AND COUNTING
Seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue earned her 100th career win in the non-conference finale against Grand Canyon on Dec. 21. Inoue is the second coach in program history to reach the century mark as her 116 victories rank second all-time behind only Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue, the 2021 co-Big West Coach of the Year has led the 'Eaters to three of the program's four national postseason tournaments and three of their five 20-win campaigns.

IRON WOMAN
Sophomore Nikki Tom is tops on the squad and third in The Big West at 35.4 minutes per outing. Tom has logged 35+ minutes in 17 consecutive contests. She has played all but 2 minutes and 31 seconds of UCI's last five games.

COURT PRESENCE
Tom has been a steady presence on the court, starting every game and averaging 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals. She is third on the squad with 12 double-figure scoring performances. Back on Nov. 25, the Fresno native had a career-high 18 points on a near perfect outing where she was 6-of-7 from the field (4-4 3FG) vs. LIU. Tom also had 15 points (4-6 FG, 6-6 FT) in a 54-52 win at CSUN on Jan. 28. In addition, the 5-foot-9 guard registered a career-high five steals and six assists vs. Westcliff on Dec. 14. She later matched that steal total with five takeaways vs. LBSU (Feb. 4). Tom earned All-Big West honorable mention recognition.

GIVE AND TAKE
Diaba Konate leads the team and ranks among the top-three in The Big West in both assists (3.6 apg) and steals (2.3 spg) per game. Konate has dished out 3+ dimes 20 times with a season-high seven coming vs. LIU on Nov. 25. She has also recorded at least one steal in 26 of her 27 appearances, including a season-best five takeaways at Fresno State (Dec. 11). Konate, who is ninth in single-season school history with 62 steals, was named to the Big West's All-Defensive Team.

STARTING LINE
UC Irvine is 18-3 overall, and 16-2 this season, when sophomore Déja Lee is in the starting lineup. On Jan. 5, she stepped seamlessly back into the first five as she registered career highs of 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lift UCI to a 67-38 win over UC Davis. The 5-foot-9 point guard had her second 20-point effort against UC San Diego on Feb. 2 where she was 5-for-8 from deep while also dishing out a career-high seven assists. For the season, Lee is tops on the squad with a 34.7% (35-101) clip from beyond the arc. She received All-Big West honorable mention distinction.

BEST SIXTH PLAYER
Junior transfer Nevaeh Parkinson was named the Big West's Best Sixth Player after averaging 8.4 points and 7.3 rebounds, while shooting 52% from the field in 18 conference games played. The 6-foot-3 center had six double-figure rebounding games and three double-doubles against league foes. In her only start of the regular season, she put up a career-high 16 points (8-8 FG) and 13 boards at UC San Diego on Feb. 23. Parkinson was also an All-Big West honorable mention selection.

DEAN FROM DOWNTOWN
Junior transfer Nevaeh Dean did not attempt a 3-pointer in her first 25 games as an Anteater, but since Feb. 23, she has taken 13 shots from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-2 forward made three of them, connecting from downtown at UC San Diego, vs. UC Riverside and against CSU Bakersfield in the Big West tournament. On the year, Dean is averaging 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds, and ranks second on the team in FG percentage (43.8%).

ACCESS DENIED
Graduate transfer Nyagoa Gony is ninth in single-season school history with 46 blocks (1.6/gm). She had at least one rejection in 19 of her 28 appearances and had multiple swats on 11 occasions. The 6-foot-3 forward finished with a career-best six blocks at UC Riverside on Feb. 11 to tie for third in UCI's single-game record book. Gony also had a season-best eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks in the second meeting with the Highlanders on Senior Night (March 2).

AWARD SEASON
Sophomore Hunter Hernandez earned first-team All-Big West honors, extending UCI's streak of having at least one representative on the six-member first team to six years in a row. The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 14.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 14 conference games played. During the season, Hernandez was a two-time Big West Player of the Week. She earned her second award in four weeks after dropping a career-high 25 points at Cal Poly and 16 at UC Riverside. She shot 56% from the field and 92% at the free throw line in those two games. Hernandez's first honor came on Jan. 23, following a road trip where she put up 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in wins at UCSB and at Hawai'i.

TWO SPORTS, TWO TITLES
It has been quite the year for sophomore Laila El Behery as she has won two conference titles in two different sports. The sophomore was part of UC Irvine women's soccer's historic run in the fall where they won the Big West Championship as the No. 6 seed before advancing all the way to the NCAA Sweet 16. El Behery was then added to the Anteater women's basketball roster in late February due to a limited number of healthy players available. She has seen action in two games and pulled down the final rebound in UCI's 59-48 win at CSU Bakersfield that clinched the first Big West regular-season title in program history. In 2021, El Behery was a freshman on the 'Eater soccer team that won both the Big West regular-season and tournament titles.

KEEPING IT CLOSE
The Anteaters' largest margin of defeat this year is nine. Four of their six setbacks, including their only three losses to Big West opponents, came by two points. They did not lose back-to-back games in the regular season for the first time in 38 years.

UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's WNIT opener will advance to the second round to face the winner of Thursday's San Diego/Long Beach State match-up. Second-round games will be held at campus sites, March 18-21.