UC Irvine (3-1) at
Drexel (2-0)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 20
Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST) / 3:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: Daskalakis Athletic Center (2,509) - Philadelphia, Pa.

UC Irvine (3-1) at
Penn (3-1)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 21
Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST) / 3:00 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Palestra (8,722) - Philadelphia, Pa.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball makes the trek to Philadelphia to open a seven-game road stretch. The Anteaters will face defending CAA champion Drexel on Wednesday, Nov. 20, before squaring off against Penn on Thursday, Nov. 21. Tip-off for both contests is 6 p.m. (ET).

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UCI is making the program's first trip to Pennsylvania. This will also be the Anteaters' first meeting with both Drexel and Penn. They have faced eight schools from Pennsylvania, all at home or at neutral sites, and are 5-3 in those contests.

• Junior Hunter Hernandez enters the week as UC Irvine's leading scorer (17.0 ppg) and rebounder (5.8 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard, who missed the entire 2023-24 campaign recovering from an injury, has reached double figures in scoring in all four games this season including a career-high 29 points vs. William & Mary.

• UCI is riding a three-game win streak into its first road trip of the season. The 'Eaters are off to a 3-1 start for the second time in the last three years.

• The Anteaters have made 10+ 3-pointers in each of their last two contests. Their 11 threes against William & Mary on Nov. 11 were their most in a game since also hitting 11 vs. 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.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
Drexel (2-0) will close out its season-opening three-game homestand Wednesday vs. UCI. The Dragons won their first two contests, defeating Marist, 64-53, and La Salle, 73-40. Amaris Baker is tops on the squad with 21.5 points per outing, while Grace O'Neill has pulled down a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Drexel has made nine-straight national postseason tournament appearances, including NCAA bids in 2021 and 2024 under the direction of fifth-year head coach Amy Mallon. Mallon has been a member of the Dragons' coaching staff since 2004.

SCOUTING THE QUAKERS
Penn (3-1) won its first three games before dropping a 68-57 decision to Saint Joseph's last Friday. The Quakers make their way to Villanova before hosting the Anteaters this week. Stina Almqvist is tops on the squad in scoring (20.0 ppg) and assists (4.0 apg), while ranking second in rebounding (8.3 rpg). Mataya Gayle is also averaging 12.3 points, and Katie Collins has registered a team-best 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per outing.

SERIES RECORDS
This will be UCI's first meeting with both Drexel and Penn.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine dug deep for a thrilling 64-61 victory over Saint Mary's last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters trailed for most of the game but remained within striking distance and used a big fourth quarter where they went 6-for-11 from the field and outscored the Gaels, 24-16, to secure their third-straight win. Back-to-back threes from Shirel Nahum and Olivia Williams with 4:35 remaining gave UCI its first lead since the 7:49 mark of the opening period. That lead would change hands three more times before a couple free throws from Déja Lee put the 'Eaters on top for good with 32 seconds on the clock. Hunter Hernandez led four Anteaters in double figures with 15 points. She also had five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Williams drained a career-high four threes to finish with 14 points. Nevaeh Dean added a season-best 10 points (5-11 FG) and six boards, while Lee had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.

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.

HEATING UP
The Anteaters are averaging 10.5 threes made over their last two games. In a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11, UCI buried a season-high 11 3-pointers, while they also made 10 triples in a 64-61 victory against Saint Mary's (Nov. 16). As of Nov. 18, the 'Eaters rank first in The Big West and 20th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (41.0%).

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 three of their first four opponents to under 60 points this season, and are currently first in The Big West and 94th in the nation at 57.3 ppg.

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 143 career victories. She is only 15 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 818 career points, putting her 182 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
Junior Hunter Hernandez has not missed a beat in her return to the court. Hernandez, who sat out the 2023-24 campaign recovering from a knee injury sustained on Feb. 15, 2023, currently leads the team in scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in each of the first four games with a career-high 29 in a 72-55 win over William & Mary. It was UCI's first 20-point performance of the season and fourth of her career. Hernandez also had 15 points vs. Saint Mary's, 13 vs. New Mexico State and 11 vs. Pepperdine.

BACK ON TRACK
Junior Olivia Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first game since suffering a knee injury in the first quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. The 6-foot-1 guard has started to find her offensive rhythm, reaching double figures in scoring in each of the last two games where she is 10-for-19 (53%) from the field and 7-of-11 (64%) from deep. She finished with a season-best 15 points and seven rebounds in a win over William & Mary, and followed that up with a 14-point effort (4-6 3FG) in a 64-61 victory against Saint Mary's.

PRESENCE DOWN LOW
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean has played a key role in the Anteaters' last two wins. Against William & Mary, the 6-foot-2 forward had a career-high four blocks. She followed that outing with a season-best 10 points (5-11 FG) and six rebounds to help UCI to a 64-61 victory over Saint Mary's. Dean has started 67 of 68 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season. 

SUMMAH TIME
Sophomore transfer Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is second on the squad in scoring (9.8 ppg), rebounding (5.0 rpg) and blocks (1.0 bpg). She is shooting 93% at the free throw line where she made 12 in a row before her first miss of the season vs. Saint Mary's on Nov. 16. 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 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals. Lee had a season-best 10 points on three occasions.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 101 consecutive appearances, 78 starts and 2,952 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 157 career takeaways, putting her one away from cracking UCI's all-time top-10.

LEADING ON AND OFF THE COURT
Senior Amelia Scharpf has played in all 68 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.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 72-25 (.742) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are 3-1 at home this year. They have not lost more than four home games in each of the last seven seasons.

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 is back on the road next week, traveling to New Mexico (Nov. 27) and Denver (Nov. 30).