LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball put together a dominant second half to defeat UC San Diego, 57-49, Thursday evening at LionTree Arena.
 
The Anteaters (10-6, 4-2 Big West) trailed by as many as 11 in the second quarter and were down seven at the half. They then outscored the Tritons, 31-16, over the final 20 minutes.
 
The 'Eaters set season highs in turnovers forced (31) and steals (21). They also held lopsided advantages in points off turnovers (26-9), points in the paint (30-10) and bench points (21-9).
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba led UCI with a team-high 14 points, 12 of which came in the second half. She also had six rebounds and a career-best four steals.
 
Senior Diaba Konate and junior Déja Lee finished with nine points each. Lee also tied her career high with six steals, while Konate added five assists and four takeaways. Junior Nikki Tom contributed six points, four boards and five steals.
 
The Anteaters shot 35.1% from the field and 71.4% from the free throw line. They were just 2-of-13 from beyond the arc.
 
UCSD shot 41.9% overall and was 42.9% from distance. Sumayah Sugapong paced the Tritons with 19 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC San Diego (7-10, 3-3 Big West) struck first and went up 5-1 before UC Irvine used a 6-0 rally to take its first lead at the 6:17 mark. After the Tritons reclaimed the advantage, Tom had back-to-back steals and layups to put the Anteaters on top, 11-8, with 2:52 remaining. UCSD then outscored UCI, 6-0, down stretch for a 14-11 margin at the end of the first quarter.
 
UC San Diego opened the second period on a 12-4 run to pull ahead, 26-15, with 3:56 left in the half. It proceeded to go back-and-forth until buckets from Shirel Nahum and Lee made it a seven-point game. The Tritons then knocked down a triple, but Nevaeh Dean answered with a corner three of her own to close the gap to 33-26 at the break.
 
UC Irvine started to chip away in the third frame and eventually tied it up at 37-all on a jumper from Sidi Baba at the 4:07 mark. The Anteaters then used a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Konate jumper with two seconds on the clock, to close out the quarter with a 44-39 lead.
 
The 'Eaters carried the momentum into the fourth, scoring the first six points to go up, 50-39, with 7:16 to play. UCSD then cut the deficit to four with an 8-1 run, but Lee drained a 3-pointer to swing the momentum back to the visitors with just over four minutes to go. UCI didn't let the Tritons get any closer in the 57-49 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back home on Saturday, Jan. 20, when it hosts UC Davis in a 2 p.m. Big West showdown.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine used a different starting lineup for the first time this season.
• The Anteaters have now won six in a row against UC San Diego.
• The 'Eaters gave up a season-high 33 first-half points and a season-low 16 second-half points.
• UCI held its opponent to 60 points or less for the sixth-straight game and 12th time this season.
• UC Irvine forced more than 30 turnovers for the first time since Jan. 26, 2019 (32 vs. Cal Poly).
• Déja Lee has recorded 5+ steals in each of the last three games.
• Diaba Konate surpassed 1,200 points in her collegiate career.