NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball extended its win streak to four and moved into a tie for first in The Big West standings with a 67-63 victory over CSUN Saturday at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
 
The Anteaters (13-6, 7-2 Big West) never trailed in the first 20 minutes and went up by as many as seven before the Matadors closed out the second quarter on a 7-0 run to pull even at the half. They kept the momentum after the break, scoring the first two buckets of the third for a 35-31 lead.
 
CSUN (2-17, 0-9 Big West) stayed out front, taking a 44-42 advantage into the fourth where the 'Eaters won the battle, 25-19, to secure the four-point victory.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee led all scorers with 16 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba also had 11 points and six boards, while senior Diaba Konate finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
 
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson was just shy of a double-double as she registered nine points and 10 rebounds. Junior Amelia Scharpf and senior Nevaeh Dean added nine and eight points, respectively. Scharpf also had four boards, four assists and three steals.
 
The 'Eaters shot over 40% from the field for the third-straight game, but were just 3-of-23 from distance and 8-of-15 at the free throw line. They outrebounded the Matadors, 43-32, with 21 offensive boards.
 
CSUN shot 49% overall, but also struggled from deep where it was 2-for-10. Ana Carolina De Jesus led the Matadors with 12 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine took an 11-6 lead following a steal and layup from Lee at the 5:35 mark. CSUN then scored four unanswered before Lee knocked down a triple to make it 14-10. It went back-and-forth over the final four minutes with the Anteaters holding a 19-17 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Matadors pulled even to start the second period, but the 'Eaters used a 6-0 run, capped by a Parkinson layup, to go on top, 25-19, with 6:44 remaining. CSUN called a timeout and responded with a 4-0 spurt. Scharpf halted the rally with a three that made it 28-23 with just over four minutes to play. The two sides traded points before CSUN drained a 3-pointer with 32 seconds on the clock to send the teams into the break locked in a 31-31 tie.
 
The Matadors started the scoring in the third frame to take their first lead of the afternoon. They went up by as many as four in the quarter and maintained a two-point cushion (44-42) heading into the fourth.
 
The Anteaters got out to a quick start in the final period with a layup from Dean and a Scharpf 3-pointer putting them on top 47-44 at the 8:54 mark. They stayed out front until CSUN came back to reclaim a 54-52 advantage. After three ties over the next couple minutes, UCI used a 5-1 run to create some separation (63-59), with 1:40 remaining. The Matadors cut the deficit to two, but Tom grabbed a clutch offensive board that led to a pair of free throws from Lee to seal the 67-63 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will host Cal Poly in a 6 p.m. Big West showdown next Thursday, Feb. 1.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine's four-game win streak is its longest of the season.
• The Anteaters have also won four in a row in their all-time series with CSUN.
• Diaba Konate had her third-straight outing with 10+ points, 4+ assists and 3+ steals.
• In Big West games, Konate is shooting a team-best 54.4% (43-79) from the field.
• In the last three contests, Nevaeh Parkinson is averaging 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds.