William & Mary (0-2) at
UC Irvine (1-1)
Date: Monday, Nov. 11
Time: 2:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball returns to the Bren Events Center on Monday, Nov. 11, for a 2 p.m. showdown against William & Mary. The two teams will meet for the third time, and first since 2007.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• The Anteaters are halfway through a season-opening and season-long four-game homestand. They split their first two, falling to New Mexico State (Nov. 4), before defeating Pepperdine (Nov. 7), and will host both William & Mary (Nov. 11) and Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) this week. UCI will then be on the road for its final seven games of the calendar year. The 'Eaters have 46 days in between home games, which is the second-longest stretch among NCAA DI teams this season, behind only Columbia (47).

• Sophomore Summah Hanson, junior Hunter Hernandez and senior Déja Lee reached double figures in scoring in each of UC Irvine's first two games. Hanson was the team's leading scorer with 16 points against New Mexico State and 14 vs. Pepperdine. She was a perfect 9-for-9 at the free throw line in the win over the Waves. Hernandez and Lee have both scored 10+ points in their last six games played. 

• Senior Nikki Tom had four steals in the season opener against New Mexico State to give her 161 in her career, which put her at No. 9 among UCI's all-time leaders. She added one takeaway vs. Pepperdine to sit 34 back of school-record holder Andee Ritter (196). Déja Lee is also two steals and seven 3-pointers away from tying for 10th in program history in both categories.

• The Anteaters will be looking to break an early trend of second-quarter offensive struggles. In both of their games, the 'Eaters led after the first 10 minutes before putting up single digits in the second period to trail at the half. They scored four points vs. New Mexico State and six against Pepperdine, while combining to shoot 29% (5-17) from the field. The good news is that they have bounced back in the third period where they are outscoring their opponents, 40-20, and shooting 48% in the frame.

• UC Irvine has claimed back-to-back Big West championships, winning the tournament in 2023-24 and the first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Last year, the 'Eaters earned a No. 13 seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. They closed out the campaign with a 23-9 overall record, marking their third consecutive 20-win season. UCI was ranked 23rd in the final College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll. 

SCOUTING THE TRIBE
William & Mary (0-2) is searching for its first win of the young season after falling at Norfolk State, 70-49, on Nov. 4 and at Long Beach State, 67-65, on Saturday, Nov. 9. Preseason All-Coastal Athletic Association pick Bella Nascimento led the Tribe with 21 points in both games. William & Mary was picked to finish fourth in the CAA.

SERIES RECORD
UCI and William & Mary are tied in their all-time series, 1-1. Both meetings were at a neutral site with the Anteaters winning the first, 70-67, in Albuquerque on Nov. 30, 2002. The two programs squared off again five years later with the Tribe taking a 71-56 victory in Honolulu (Dec. 29, 2007).

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine is coming off its first win of the season as it defeated Pepperdine, 65-56, in front of 1,867 fans Thursday at the Bren Events Center. On their third annual Kids Day, the Anteaters welcomed over 1,500 elementary students from local Title 1 schools. Summah Hanson finished with a game-high 14 points and nine rebounds. She went 9-for-9 at the free throw line. Hunter Hernandez added 11 points and five boards. Jaida Brooks and Déja Lee finished with 10 points each to round out the double-figure scorers. Brooks was 3-of-5 from the field with a pair of threes, while Lee dished out a season-best six assists.

MID-MAJOR POLL
For the second-straight year, UC Irvine was ranked in the final College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll, coming in at No. 23. It was the first time the Anteaters cracked the top-25 in 2023-24, but they had been receiving votes 14 times. They start the 2024-25 season back in the RV section.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UCI was picked second in The Big West Preseason Coaches Poll. The defending Big West Champion Anteaters earned five of the 11 first-place votes and 95 total points in a narrow race with Hawai'i, which won the 2023-24 Big West regular season title. The Rainbow Wahine (96) received six first-place votes to come in one point ahead of the 'Eaters. Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee was named to the All-Big West Preseason Team. Lee was also included on the World Exposure Report's Top-50 Mid-Major Players to Watch.

REIGNING CHAMPS
In 2023-24, UC Irvine won the second conference tournament title in program history, and first in 29 years. The second-seeded Anteaters received a double-bye into the semifinals where they defeated No. 7 seed Long Beach State, 69-57. They then took down fifth-seeded UC Davis, 53-39, in the final. The 'Eaters earned the conference's NCAA automatic bid, marking their third-straight national postseason tournament appearance, and fifth overall. UCI also made it to the 2023 WNIT (second round), 2022 WNIT (first round), 2018 Women's Basketball Invitational (first round) and 1995 NCAA Tournament (first round).

20-20-20
For the first time in program history, the Anteaters recorded three-straight 20-win seasons. UCI finished with 20+ wins in 1983-84 and 1984-85 before a 34-year drought. Head coach Tamara Inoue then led the 'Eaters to 20 wins in her third season at the helm (2018-19). Her squad also went 21-12 in 2021-22, finished with a school-record 25 victories in 2022-23 and went 23-9 in 2023-24.

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UC Irvine has become a powerhouse in The Big West under ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The Anteaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years, including the first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 57-14 (.803) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.

TENACIOUS D
UC Irvine ended each of the last two seasons ranked among the top-15 in the nation in scoring defense. Last year, the Anteaters allowed 55.7 points per game to rank 14th in all of NCAA Division I. In 2022-23, the 'Eaters were seventh in the country with a program-record 53.2 points allowed per contest. They have held 24 of their last 34 opponents to 60 points or less.

BETTER AT THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 70-25 (.737) at the Bren Events Center. Last year, the 'Eaters went 10-2 with a +12.0 scoring margin on their home court. They finished fourth in The Big West in average home attendance (821). The Anteaters set a program record with a crowd of 2,294 on Kids Day against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 2024.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
UC Irvine has six international student-athletes from five different countries - Summah Hanson (Australia), Déja Lee (Canada), Clara Djoko (France), Ines Gnahore (France), Shirel Nahum (Israel) and Daniela Falcón Hernández (Spain). 

100 AND COUNTING
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 141 career victories. She is only 17 wins behind 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 UCI to a pair of Big West Championships, four of the Anteaters' five national postseason tournament appearances, their first victory in a national postseason tournament (WNIT), four of their six 20-win campaigns and school records in both overall (25) and conference wins (16).

CHASING 1,000
Senior Déja Lee has 801 career points, putting her 199 away from joining the 1,000-point club. If she accomplishes the feat, she would be the first Anteater to do so since Stephanie Duda in 2008.

STEADY HAND
Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee has continued to be a steady force for the Anteaters to start the 2024-25 campaign, averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals through the first two games of the season. She also owns a team-best 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lee had 10 points vs. both New Mexico State and Pepperdine, while dishing out six assists against one turnover in the win over the Waves. 

SUMMAH TIME
Sophomore transfer Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is tops on the squad in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). She is shooting 40% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc and is a perfect 11-of-11 at the free throw line. Hanson was the 2023-24 Big Sky Freshman of the Year at Sacramento State where she averaged 14.0 points and 8.8 boards. She led the conference and ranked 35th in all of NCAA Division I with 14 double-doubles. Hanson hails from Brisbane and competed for Australia at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Championships.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 99 consecutive appearances, 76 starts and 2,904 minutes played lead the team. The Fresno, California, native has 23 career double-figure scoring performances and was a 2022-23 All-Big West honorable mention selection. Last year, she was also tops on the squad with an 86.0 free throw percentage (49-57), which is the seventh-best in single-season school history. 

STEALING THE SHOW
Nikki Tom ranks ninth among UCI's all-time leaders with 162 career steals. She is 34 behind school-record holder Andee Ritter (196). Tom entered the program's top-10 after swiping four steals in the opener against New Mexico State.

Déja Lee, who set a single-season school record with 82 steals last year, also has 156 career takeaways, putting her two away from cracking UCI's all-time top-10.

ON THE HUNT
After missing the last seven games of the 2022-23 season, and the entire 2023-24 campaign with an ACL injury, junior Hunter Hernandez has made her presence felt back on the court. The 5-foot-9 guard ranks second on the team with 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing. She is also tops on the squad with a 46.7 field goal percentage (minimum four FGs made). 

SUPER SENIOR
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is back for her fourth collegiate season and third at UC Irvine. Dean transferred to UCI from Cincinnati and made an immediate impact as a starter on the Anteaters' back-to-back Big West championship teams. She has started 65 of 66 games played and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds, while shooting 43% from the field as an 'Eater. Dean graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminology, law and society in June 2024, and is currently working toward her master's in Legal and Forensic Psychology.

BACK ON TRACK
Junior Olivia Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first collegiate game since suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. She started to find her way in the Anteaters' win over Pepperdine on Nov. 7 with nine points, three assists and a career-high tying three steals. 

LEADER ON AND OFF THE COURT
Senior Amelia Scharpf played in all 66 games with 26 starts over the last two-plus years. She finished the 2022-23 regular-season championship campaign as a starter, averaging a career-best 5.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest. Off the court, Scharpf serves as the president of UCI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

JUCO TRANSFER
Sophomore transfer Jaida Brooks had her first double-figure scoring game at the NCAA Division I level with 10 points in a 65-56 win over Pepperdine. Brooks went 3-for-5 from the field with a pair of threes, while also knocking down both of her free throws. The 5-foot-6 point guard came to UCI from Mesa Community College (AZ) where she was a 2023-24 NJCAA first-team All-American. She led the Thunderbirds to a 28-7 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division II Championship.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine closes out a four-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 16, when it welcomes Saint Mary's to the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. showdown.