UCI Hosts Saint Mary's in Saturday Showdown

Saturday, November 16

Irvine, Calif.

2:00 PM

UC Irvine

Saint Mary's

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UCI Hosts Saint Mary's in Saturday Showdown

November 14, 2024 | Women's Basketball

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Saint Mary's (2-1) at
UC Irvine (2-1)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
Time: 2:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball closes out its season-opening four-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 16, when it welcomes Saint Mary's to the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. tip-off.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• The Anteaters enter the final game of their season-opening and season-long homestand with a 2-1 record. They fell to New Mexico State on Nov. 4, before picking up back-to-back wins against Pepperdine (Nov. 7) and William & Mary (Nov. 11). Following Saturday's action, UCI will 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).

• Junior Hunter Hernandez is tops on the squad with 17.7 points per game and is tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.0 rpg). She is shooting 46% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc and 86% at the free throw line. In her first game back since suffering a knee injury on Feb. 15, 2023, Hernandez finished with 13 points and seven boards against New Mexico State. After an 11-point performance in a win over Pepperdine, Hernandez went off for a career-high 29 to lead the 'Eaters to a 72-55 victory over William & Mary. She also set career bests in FG made (8), 3FG made (4) and FT made (9).

• 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 has upped her total to 164 to sit 32 behind school-record holder Andee Ritter (196). Déja Lee is also two steals and six 3-pointers away from tying for 10th in program history in both categories.

• UCI has increased its offensive output in each of its first three games. After being held to 49 in a season-opening loss to New Mexico State, the Anteaters scored 65 and 72 in their respective wins over Pepperdine and William & Mary. Against the Tribe, the 'Eaters were on fire from deep, knocking down 11-of-21 threes (52.4%). The 11 triples were their most in a game since also hitting 11 against Dartmouth on Dec. 17, 2023.

• 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 GAELS
Saint Mary's (2-1) is coming off a 74-65 double overtime win at UC San Diego on Thursday, Nov. 14. Maia Jones led the Gaels with a game-high 28 points (10-11 FG) off the bench. Jones is now tops on the squad in scoring (15.7 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.3 spg). Kennedy Johnson is also averaging 13.3 points per outing, while Abigail Shoff owns a team-best 6.7 rebounds per contest.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Saint Mary's, 3-2. The Gaels have won the last three including a 52-37 victory in Moraga last year (Nov. 14, 2023). The Anteaters' last win against SMC was at home on Nov. 23, 1996.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine defeated William & Mary, 72-55, Monday (Nov. 11) at the Bren Events Center. Hunter Hernandez scored a career-high 29 points, going 8-for-18 from the field, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. Olivia Williams also finished with 15 points (5-10 FG, 3-5 3FG) and seven rebounds. Nikki Tom filled the stat sheet with eight points, five boards, five assists and two steals, while Nevaeh Dean did the same with six points, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals. Déja Lee dished out a game-high six assists. The 'Eaters shot 44% overall (24-54) and 52% (11-21) from deep.

MID-MAJOR POLL
UCI is receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Nov. 12. In 2023-24, the 'Eaters were 23rd in the final rankings for the second-straight season.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine 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.

TENACIOUS D
UCI 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, which was 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 each of their first three opponents this season, and 25 of their last 35, to 60 points or less.

TRENDING UP
The Anteaters are starting to find their rhythm on the offensive end as they have seen a significant increase in nearly every statistical category over their first three games. In scoring, they went from 49 points in the opener vs. NM State, to 65 against Pepperdine and 72 vs. William & Mary. UCI had season highs in FG% (44.4), 3FG% (52.4), threes made (11) and assists (17) in its most recent win over the Tribe.

BETTER AT THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 71-25 (.740) at the Bren Events Center. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Anteaters are third in the Big West in average home attendance (987). They drew a season-high 1,867 fans against Pepperdine on Kids Day (Nov. 11).

TRAVELING ANTEATERS
After playing their first four games of the season at home, the 'Eaters will be on the road for the remainder of the calendar year. They have a 46-day stretch where they play seven games, all on the road, with trips to Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Bakersfield and Oregon. Following its final non-conference game at the University of Oregon on Dec. 19, UCI has a two-week layoff over winter break. The Anteaters then return home to resume Big West play against Cal Poly on Jan. 2. The 46 days in between home games is the second-longest stretch among NCAA DI teams this year, behind only Columbia (47).

100 AND COUNTING
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 142 career victories. She is only 16 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 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 808 career points, putting her 192 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.

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 is tops on the squad with 17.7 points per contest, and is also tied for the team lead in rebounding (6.0 rpg). In her last outing against William & Mary, Hernandez went off for a career-high 29 points. It was her fourth career 20-point performance. Hernandez also had 13 points vs. New Mexico State and 11 vs. Pepperdine.

SUMMAH TIME
Sophomore transfer Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is second on the squad in scoring (11.7 ppg) and tied for first in rebounding (6.0 rpg). She is shooting 40% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc and is a perfect 12-of-12 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.

STEADY HAND
Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee has continued to be a steady force in all facets of the game for the Anteaters as she is averaging 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals through the first three games of the season. Lee has led the team with six assists in each of her last two outings.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 100 consecutive appearances, 77 starts and 2,934 minutes played leads 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 164 career steals. She is 32 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.

DEANO DENIAL
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean had a career-high four blocks in a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11. The 6-foot-2 forward is now tops on the squad and tied for fourth in The Big West with 1.7 blocks per game. Dean has started 66 of 67 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season.

BACK ON TRACK
Junior Olivia Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first game action since suffering a knee injury in the first quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. After missing the entire 2023-24 season, Williams is quickly finding her rhythm back on the court. The 6-foot-1 guard is coming off a season-best 15-point and 7-rebound performance in a win over William & Mary (Nov. 11). She also had nine points, three assists and three steals against Pepperdine on Nov. 7.

LEADING ON AND OFF THE COURT
Senior Amelia Scharpf played in all 67 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 on Nov. 7. 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.

HISTORY MADE
Déja Lee made history as UC Irvine women's basketball's first Big West Player of the Year in 2023-24. She averaged a team-best 13.9 points per outing, while also registering 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.6 steals per contest last season. The 5-foot-9 point guard upped her numbers in conference games where she ranked among the top-five in the league in scoring (14.8 ppg), steals (3.1 spg), FG percentage (46%), 3FG percentage (37%) and 3FG made (2.0/gm). She had seven 20-point outings with a career-high 29 (5-6 3FG) in an overtime win at Long Beach State. Lee is a two-time All-Big West selection, earning first team honors in 2023-24 and an honorable mention nod in 2022-23. She was also the 2024 Big West Championship MVP.

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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine hits the road next week, traveling to Philadelphia for games against Drexel (Nov. 20) and Penn (Nov. 21).