UC Irvine Continues Postseason Play at San Diego

Monday, March 20

San Diego, Calif.

6:00 PM

UC Irvine

University of San Diego

diaba-konate-wbb-2023-wnit-bracket-release

UC Irvine Continues Postseason Play at San Diego

March 19, 2023 | Women's Basketball

WCC Network Listen on KUCI Live Stats Game Notes WNIT Bracket

UC Irvine (25-6) at
San Diego (18-13)
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) - San Diego, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball continues action in the 2023 Postseason WNIT with a second-round match-up at the University of San Diego on Monday, March 20. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• The Anteaters continued to make history last week, earning the program's first postseason win with a 55-45 victory at San Diego State in the first round of the WNIT. Earlier in the month, UCI claimed its first Big West regular-season championship with a 16-2 conference record. This is UC Irvine's 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). They also made their only NCAA Tournament appearance 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 seven games, the Anteaters have put together the best season in school history. In addition to their aforementioned program firsts, they have also set school records in overall (25) and conference (16) victories. UCI 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.

• UC Irvine came in at No. 23 in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top 25 (March 14). The 'Eaters have been featured in the poll for 12 consecutive weeks with a high ranking of 13th. They are also seventh in the nation in scoring defense with a school-record 53.1 points allowed per contest. UCI has held 24 of its 31 opponents to 60 points or less (21-3), including nine games where it gave up fewer than 50.

• The Anteaters extended their road win streak to 10 games and improved to 13-2 with their victory at San Diego State last Friday. Their 13 road wins are the most in school history with their only two losses coming in non-conference play at Pac-12 member and WNIT participant Washington in double overtime (Nov. 17) and at Fresno State on Dec. 11. UC Irvine will be looking to complete the San Diego trifecta on Monday, as it has already defeated UCSD (Feb. 23) and SDSU (March 17) on the road this season.

• A school-record tying five 'Eaters were named to the 2022-23 All-Big West Women's Basketball Team the conference office announced on 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.

POSTSEASON NOTABLES
UC Irvine earned the program's first postseason win in its second-straight WNIT appearance. The Anteaters received The Big West's automatic bid both years 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 first-place finish put the Anteaters in the WNIT where they secured UCI's first postseason win. The 'Eaters have also set school records in overall (25), conference (16) and true road (13) victories, while tying a school record with a nine-game win streak from Dec. 17-Jan. 19.

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 regular-season games to clinch the first Big West championship in school history.

SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego (18-13) defeated Long Beach State, 75-57, last Thursday in the first round of the WNIT. The Toreros are 2-0 against Big West schools this year as they also beat CSUN, 73-57, back on Dec. 6. Four of USD's starters are averaging at least 9.0 ppg. Kiera Oakry leads the way with 10.9 points per contest, while Myah Pace (9.6), Ayanna Khalfani (9.3) and Kasey Neubert (9.0) round out the quartet. Neubert, who had 18 points and a career-high 19 rebounds vs. LBSU, also owns a team-best 7.8 boards per outing.

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with San Diego, 18-13, and has lost the last four. The two teams' most recent meeting came in Irvine on Dec. 11, 2021, with the Toreros taking the 75-64 victory.

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 seventh in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense with its program-best 53.1 points allowed per game coming in behind Norfolk State, No. 13 Duke, No. 1 South Carolina, Little Rock, Campbell and Princeton. The 'Eaters have held 24 of their 31 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 23rd in the nation in steals (10.0 spg) and 32nd in turnovers forced (19.3/gm).

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine continued to make history as it earned the program's first postseason win, taking down San Diego State, 55-45, in the first round of the WNIT last Friday at Viejas Arena. The Anteaters held a one-point lead after 20 minutes before taking control in the second half where they outscored the Aztecs, 27-18. Déja Lee led all players with 18 points, while Nikki Tom pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to go along with eight points and two steals. Diaba Konate added 10 points, six boards and five assists.

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.

ROAD WARRIORS
The 'Eaters are 14-4 in away/neutral-site games. They went 9-0 in Big West road games and set a program record with 13 true road victories.

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 35th in the NCAA in free throw percentage (76.6%). Individually, Diaba Konate is tops in the conference and 21st in the nation with an 87.8% 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 three times this year - at Washington (6-of-8) on Nov. 17, against CSU Bakersfield (2-of-4) on March 8 and at San Diego State (4-of-6) on March 17.

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 117 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.

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 1,061 points, 354 rebounds, 382 assists and 214 steals.

IRON WOMAN
Sophomore Nikki Tom is tops on the squad and third in The Big West at 35.6 minutes per outing. Tom has logged 35+ minutes in 18 consecutive contests. She has played all but 2 minutes and 31 seconds of UCI's last six games.

COURT PRESENCE
Nikki Tom has been a steady presence on the court, starting every game and averaging 8.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals. She is tied for 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. On March 17, the 5-foot-9 guard just missed her first double-double with eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds at San Diego State. In addition, she registered a career-high five steals and six assists vs. Westcliff. 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 (2.2 spg) per game. Konate has dished out 3+ dimes 21 times with a season-high seven coming vs. LIU on Nov. 25. She has also recorded at least one steal in 26 of her 28 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 19-3 overall, and 17-2 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 35.8% (38-106) 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 14 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 4.3 points and 3.4 rebounds, and ranks second on the team in FG percentage (42.9%).

ACCESS DENIED
Graduate transfer Nyagoa Gony is ninth in single-season school history with 48 blocks (1.7/gm). She had at least one rejection in 20 of her 29 appearances and had multiple swats on 12 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.

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.

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.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
UC Irvine had a handful of close contests this season with 12 games decided by five points or less (7-5). The 'Eaters had their third game-winner in the final seconds on Feb. 25 as Nevaeh Parkinson's layup before the buzzer gave them the 68-66 overtime victory vs. Hawai'i. In non-conference play, Diaba Konate sank the go-ahead jumper with 0.2 ticks on the clock in a 60-58 triumph at Sac State, and Parkinson converted a layup with 4.2 seconds remaining for a 54-53 victory at Seattle U.

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.

HOME COOKING
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 59-22 (.728) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters went 11-2 at the Bren this year.

UP NEXT
The winner of Monday's second-round WNIT game between UC Irvine and San Diego will advance to the Super 16 (March 22-24) to face the winner of Oregon and Rice.