UC Irvine (8-4, 2-0 Big West) at
Cal State Fullerton (5-7, 1-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 4
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: Titan Gym (4,000) - Fullerton, Calif.

UC Irvine (8-4, 2-0 Big West) at
UC Davis (4-8, 0-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 6
Time: 3 p.m. (PST)
Location: University Credit Union Center (6,003) - Davis, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball continues Big West play on the road this week, starting with a 7 p.m. showdown at Orange County rival Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Jan. 4. The Anteaters then make their way to UC Davis on Saturday, Jan. 6 for a 3 p.m. game that will be broadcast live on Spectrum SportsNet.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has a streak of 46 consecutive games holding its opponent to under 70 points. The last time the Anteaters gave up 70+ was in an overtime win against UC Davis in the 2022 Big West quarterfinals (March 11, 2022). This year, the 'Eaters have allowed 60 points or less in eight of their 12 games and lead The Big West in scoring defense (56.3 ppg).

• The 'Eaters are 2-0 in Big West play for the fourth-straight year. With a win on Thursday, they would improve to 3-0 for the third consecutive season. In 2022-23, UCI had its best Big West start in program history, winning its first seven conference games.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 43-10 (.811) record during that stretch. Last year, the Anteaters went 16-2 to win the program's first Big West regular-season title.

• Junior Déja Lee was named the Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 1. It was her first career weekly award and the first for UCI this season. Lee was recognized after averaging 17.5 points on 54% shooting in a pair of conference wins. She led all scorers against Cal State Bakersfield with 22 points, 17 of which came in the second half. It was her third 20-point effort of the campaign.

• The Anteaters lead The Big West and rank 32nd in the nation in bench points (27.5 ppg). They have outscored their opponents in that category by a +14.5 margin.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (5-7, 1-1 Big West) split its first two conference games, defeating Long Beach State on the road, 67-61, before falling to Hawai'i, 59-49, at home. Gabi Vidmar is the Titans' leading scorer at 12.3 points per contest, while Ashlee Lewis owns a team-best 8.6 rebounds per outing. Preseason All-Big West selection Fujika Nimmo (10.0 ppg) missed the first eight games before making her season debut on Dec. 18.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 48-40. The Anteaters split the regular-season series last year, winning their eighth-straight against the Titans with a 57-39 victory on the road (Jan. 11), before dropping a 66-64 overtime decision at home on Jan. 26. 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis (4-8, 0-2 Big West) dropped a pair of road games to start conference play, falling at UC Santa Barbara, 60-49, and at Cal Poly, 57-54. The Aggies will host UC Riverside on Thursday before Saturday's tilt with UCI. Evanne Turner, a Preseason All-Big West selection, leads UCD with 15.4 points per outing.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 33-12. Last year, the Anteaters defeated the Aggies, 67-38, at the Bren Events Center (Jan. 5, 2023). 

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine routed Cal State Bakersfield, 71-48, in its Big West home opener last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters shot a season-best 53% from the field and went 7-of-16 from beyond the arc. They also held a lopsided 37-19 advantage on the boards. It was a close game in the first half before the 'Eaters broke it open over the final 20 minutes where they outscored the Roadrunners, 38-18. Déja Lee led all scorers with 22 points. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba also had 13 points and nine rebounds, while Shirel Nahum added 12 points.

WEEKLY ACCLAIM
Junior Déja Lee was named the Big West Player of the Week (Jan. 1) after averaging 17.5 points on 54% shooting in UCI's 2-0 conference start. Lee scored all 13 of her points in the second half of a 67-52 win at UC Riverside, and put up 17 of her game-high 22 in the final 20 minutes of a 71-48 victory over Cal State Bakersfield. 

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Over the last three-plus 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 43-10 (.811) record during that stretch. 

MID-MAJOR POLL
UC Irvine was receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Jan. 2. So far this season, the Anteaters have been featured in the RV section in seven of the nine weekly rankings (including preseason). Last year, they rose to as high as No. 13 (Jan. 24, 2023), which was a program best, before closing out the year at No. 23.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
The 'Eaters have used the same starting lineup in every game this season. Three of their starters are among the team's top-five scorers, while the bench has also been a force to be reckoned with as the Anteaters have outscored their opponents in bench points by a 14.5 margin. Their 27.5 bench points per game rank 32nd in the nation.

HOME SWEET HOME
Since 2017-18, UC Irvine is 62-22 (.738) when playing at the Bren Events Center. Dating back to last year, the Anteaters have won seven consecutive home games. In 2023-24, the 'Eaters are 4-0 with a +16.3 scoring margin at the Bren Events Center.

ONE FOR THE ROAD
UCI has played eight of its 12 games on the road. The Anteaters are 3-3 in true road contests and 1-1 in neutral-site match-ups. They started the season away from home for the first time since 2014-15 and were on the road for their Big West opener for the first time since 2020-21.

TWENTY-TWENTY
Junior Déja Lee has three of UCI's four 20-point performances this season. Lee drained a career-high 23 in the opener at Pepperdine before matching that total against St. Thomas on Nov. 24. The 5-foot-9 point guard also dropped 22 against Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 30) to help secure her first career Big West Player of the Week award. Lee ranks first on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and second in assists (2.3 apg). She has 22 career 10+ point games and five 20-point efforts.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in seven games played. Sidi Baba registered the Anteaters' first double-double of the year with 19 points and a season-best 11 boards against Colorado State on Dec. 16. She was just shy of her career-high 21 points, which she set at Big 12 member Texas Tech on Nov. 29. Sidi Baba was 8-for-16 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line vs. the Lady Raiders. The 6-foot-1 guard/forward also reached double figures with 13 points against Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 30) and 10 in her UC Irvine debut against St. Thomas on Nov. 24. Sidi Baba missed the first four games recovering from an injury.

IRON WOMAN
Junior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. She leads the team with 77 consecutive appearances, 54 consecutive starts and 2,196 minutes (28.5 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. This season, Tom ranks first in The Big West in free throw percentage (88.9%), third in minutes played (33.7 mpg) and fifth in steals (2.3 spg). The 5-foot-9 guard is also averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing. She has five double-figure scoring games with a season-high 15 points at Pacific. Tom was named to the All-Big West Preseason Coaches Team.

GIVE AND TAKE
Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate leads the Anteaters and ranks among the top-five in The Big West with 47 assists (3.9 apg) and 27 steals (2.3 spg). She dished out a season-best eight assists against Eastern Washington on Nov. 20 and had a UCI career-high tying five takeaways vs. Denver on Dec. 2. Konate has at least one steal in 37 of her 41 appearances as an Anteater. Last year, the All-Big West Defensive Team selection tied for eighth in single-season school history with 63 steals. In her collegiate career at Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,172 points, 387 rebounds, 431 assists and 242 steals.

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson, the reigning Big West Best Sixth Player, has continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Anteaters. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 60.6% from the field. Against Seattle U (Nov. 11), Parkinson went 8-for-11 from the floor to finish with a career-high 17 points. She also pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds in a win over Denver on Dec. 2. 

DEAN FROM DOWNTOWN
Last year, Nevaeh Dean didn't attempt her first 3-pointer until the Anteaters' 26th game, but finished with three triples over the final four weeks of the campaign. This year, the 6-foot-2 forward has already surpassed that total as she is 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Against Eastern Washington (Nov. 20), she went 6-for-9 from the field and knocked down both of her threes for a career-high 15 points. Dean, who transferred from Cincinnati last year, has started 43 of 44 games played at UC Irvine.

FRESH LOOK
Shirel Nahum ranks among The Big West's top-10 freshmen in scoring (6.3 ppg), rebounding (2.6 rpg) and minutes played (21.3 mpg). Nahum has three double-figure scoring games with a season-high 16 at New Mexico State on Dec. 5.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine has one game next week as the defending Big West regular-season champion Anteaters will host defending conference tournament champion Hawai'i in a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Jan. 11.