UC Irvine (5-2) at
Denver (2-3)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 30
Time: 1:00 p.m. (MT) / 12:00 p.m. (PT)
Location: Hamilton Gymnasium (2,500) - Denver, Colo.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball continues its road trip at Denver on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Anteaters and Pioneers are set for a 1 p.m. (MT)/12 p.m. (PT) tip-off at Hamilton Gymnasium.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine saw its five-game win streak come to an end in heartbreaking fashion Wednesday at New Mexico. Olivia Williams knotted the score on her fourth three of the game with 3.1 seconds left, but the Lobos answered as Lara Langermann made her only points of the evening count, knocking down a deep three at the buzzer for the 65-62 win. It was the Anteaters' first loss since their season opener on Nov. 4.

• UCI is in the midst of a season-long seven-game road swing. After playing their first four games at home, the 'Eaters have a 46-day stretch where they will play seven road games with trips to Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Bakersfield and Oregon. Following a two-week layoff over winter break, UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center for its Big West home opener against Cal Poly on Jan. 2. The 46 days in between home games is the second-longest among NCAA Division I teams this year, behind only Columbia (47).

• Sophomore Summah Hanson was named The Big West Player of the Week on Monday, Nov. 25. Hanson earned UCI's first weekly award of the season after averaging 16.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in road wins at Drexel and Penn. She opened the trip to Philadelphia with 12 points and nine boards in a 57-47 victory over the Dragons, who are the defending CAA champions. The following day, Hanson posted the team's first double-double of the year with a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead UC Irvine to a 72-68 overtime win at Penn. The 6-foot-3 forward was an efficient 7-of-13 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the free throw line in 21 minutes played. She also scored six of the Anteaters' nine points in the extra period. Hanson, who came off the bench in both games, combined to shoot 54.5% from the field and 87.5% at the charity stripe.

• Four 'Eaters enter Saturday's contest averaging double figures in scoring. Junior Hunter Hernandez leads the way at 15.7 points per game, which ranks second in The Big West. Hernandez has a pair of 20-point performances including a career-high 29 in a win over William & Mary. Sophomore Summah Hanson is also tied for seventh in the conference at 12.6 ppg. Senior Déja Lee (11.1 ppg) and junior Olivia Williams (10.1 ppg) round out the quartet.

• 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 Anteaters earned a No. 13 seed in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Denver (2-3) has won its last two games including a 67-59 overtime victory against UC San Diego in its most recent outing on Sunday, Nov. 24. Junior guard Jordan Jones leads the Pioneers with 21.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. Junior guard Emma Smith is also averaging 12.2 ppg, while dishing out a team-best 19 assists.  

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Denver, 3-2. The two teams met last year with the Anteaters edging the Pioneers, 50-47, in Irvine (Dec. 2, 2023). In the low-scoring affair, Amelia Scharpf finished with a team-best eight points, while Déja Lee added six points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Emily Counsel paced Denver with 18 points.

LAST TIME OUT
In a close battle on the road, UC Irvine came up just short, falling 65-62 on a buzzer beater to the University of New Mexico Wednesday evening at The Pit. In front of an energetic crowd of 4,669, Olivia Williams knocked down her fourth 3-pointer of the game to tie it up at 62-62 with 3.1 seconds on the clock. After the Lobos called a timeout, they found an answer as Lara Langermann made her only points of the game count by sinking a deep three for the win. Déja Lee finished with a season and game-high 20 points on a 7-of-12 performance from the field. She was also 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Williams was 7-for-14 overall and 4-of-6 from deep for a career-best 18 points. Summah Hanson added 17 points and seven rebounds. Amelia Scharpf chipped in five points and a career-high eight boards, while Nikki Tom dished out a team-leading six assists. The 'Eaters shot 33% from the floor, 31% from distance and were a perfect 9-of-9 at the charity stripe. They matched their season high with 17 assists on 22 made field goals. UCI also held an advantage in turnovers forced (16-8) and points off turnovers (20-6).

MID-MAJOR POLL
UCI has been receiving votes in each of the first four College Insider Women's Mid-Major Polls. Last year, 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.

TRAVELING ANTEATERS
After playing their first four games of the season at home, the 'Eaters are on the road for the remainder of the calendar year. They have a 46-day stretch where they play seven road games 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).

TENACIOUS D
UCI ended each of the last two seasons ranked among the top-15 in the nation in scoring defense. In 2023-24, 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. This year, they have held four opponents to under 60, including a season-low 47 at Drexel. UC Irvine limited the Dragons to 26% shooting and a 2-of-21 performance from beyond the arc. The Anteaters are first in The Big West in scoring defense (58.4 ppg).

HEATING UP
UC Irvine is also tops in The Big West and 44th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (36.7%). In a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11, the 'Eaters buried a season-high 11 3-pointers, while they also made 10 in a 64-61 victory vs. Saint Mary's on Nov. 16. Against the Tribe, UCI shot a blistering 52.4% (11-21) from deep.

100 AND COUNTING
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 145 career victories. She is only 13 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 859 career points, putting her 141 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.

SUMMAH TIME
Sophomore transfer Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is tops on the squad in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and second in scoring (12.6 ppg). She is shooting 41% from the floor and 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. Last week, Hanson had the Anteaters' first double-double of the campaign with 20 points/10 rebounds in a 72-68 overtime win at Penn. She was an efficient 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 at the charity stripe in just 21 minutes played. The 6-foot-3 forward scored six of UCI's nine points in the extra period. She was named The Big West Player of the Week for her effort. 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. 

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. Williams has started to find her offensive rhythm, reaching double figures in scoring in three of the last five games. She finished with a career-high 18 points at New Mexico where she was 7-of-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-1 guard also had 15 points vs. William & Mary and 14 against Saint Mary's. Since Nov. 11, Williams is averaging 12.4 points, while shooting 45% (23-51) from the field and 56% (14-25) from distance.

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 (15.7 ppg) and is third in rebounding (5.0 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in five of her six outings with a pair of 20-point performances. In a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11, Hernandez poured in a career-high 29, while she also finished with 20 at Penn on Nov. 21. Hernandez added 15 points vs. Saint Mary's, 13 vs. New Mexico State and 11 vs. Pepperdine.

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 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals. Lee had a season-best 20 points at New Mexico where she was 7-for-12 from the floor and 3-of-5 from deep. The 5-foot-9 point guard also finished with 15 points at Drexel, and 10 vs. New Mexico State, Pepperdine and Saint Mary's. In addition, she has dished out 3+ assists on five occasions.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean posted back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the first time in her collegiate career with 10 points vs. Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) and 11 at Drexel (Nov. 20). In those two games, the 6-foot-2 forward combined to go 10-of-18 (56%) from the field. In a 72-68 overtime win at Penn on Nov. 21, she tied her career high with nine rebounds. Dean has started 70 of 71 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season. 

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 104 consecutive appearances, 81 starts and 3,037 minutes played leads the team. The Fresno, California, native is tops on the squad this season with 24 assists (3.4 apg) and 12 steals (1.7 spg). She has 23 career double-figure scoring performances and was a 2022-23 All-Big West honorable mention selection. Last year, she also led the team 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 169 career steals. She is 27 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 cracked UCI's all-time top-10 with her 160th career takeaway at Drexel on Nov. 20 and has since increased her total to 164.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine opens Big West play on the road next week when it heads to Cal State Bakersfield for a 6:30 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Dec. 5.