IRVINE, Calif. - The UC Irvine women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season, defeating visiting Pepperdine, 65-56, in front of 1,867 fans Thursday at the Bren Events Center.
 
On their third annual Kids Day, the Anteaters (1-1) welcomed over 1,500 elementary students from local Title 1 schools, who brought the energy in the stands all game long.
 
"It is always fun for our players to play in front of the kids," head coach Tamara Inoue said about the electric environment. "Our women don't work hard every day to play in front of an empty gym. To be able to fill it out like this shows they are important and they are seen."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: For the second-straight game, sophomore Summah Hanson was the Anteaters' leading scorer. She went 9-for-9 at the free throw line and finished with 14 points, while also pulling down a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Junior Hunter Hernandez added 11 points and five boards. Sophomore Jaida Brooks and senior Déja Lee finished with 10 points each to round out the double-figure scorers. Brooks was 3-for-5 from the field with a pair of threes and Lee dished out a season-best six assists.
 
Junior Olivia Williams contributed nine points, three assists and three steals, while senior Nevaeh Dean had seven points.
 
The 'Eaters shot 38.5% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 82.6% at the free throw line. Defensively, they held the Waves to 35.4% overall and 16.7% from deep. UCI also scored 19 points off 17 Pepperdine turnovers.
 
Makena Mastora paced the Waves with 13 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The game started as a seesaw battle with four ties and three lead changes through eight minutes of action. Hanson then completed a traditional three-point play at the 1:48 mark to break a 15-15 deadlock. That started a 7-0 run as Brooks followed with a couple free throws and Williams drove to the basket for a layup in the final seconds of the first quarter to give UC Irvine a 22-15 cushion.
 
Pepperdine (1-1) drained a three on its first possession of the second period. It was the Waves' only field goal of the frame, but they got to the free throw line 14 times to help them close the gap. UCI, meanwhile, didn't score for the first four minutes and finished with only six points, allowing the visitors to carry a narrow 30-28 lead into the break.
 
The 'Eaters regrouped and took control in the third quarter where they outscored Pepperdine, 24-8. UC Irvine scored the first 11 points, capped by a Williams 3-pointer, to pull ahead 39-30 at the 7:57 mark. The Anteaters extended their hot start into a 22-3 run that included three consecutive triples - two from Brooks and one from Dean - for a 17-point advantage (50-33) with 4:31 remaining. The Waves closed with a 5-2 spurt to make it 52-38 after three.
 
Pepperdine continued to chip away in the fourth, using a 13-4 rally to cut the deficit to five with 2:41 to go. That was the closest they would get as UCI went 7-of-8 at the charity stripe over the final 1:40 to seal the 65-56 win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will host William & Mary on Monday, Nov. 11. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
 
NOTES
• The crowd of 1,867 was the second-largest in UCI women's basketball history, behind only the attendance record of 2,294 set at last year's Kids Day game.
• UC Irvine has held its first two opponents of the season to under 60 points.
• The Anteaters defeated the Waves for the second time in their last three meetings.
• Summah Hanson made a career-high nine free throws.
• Olivia Williams tied a career high with her team-leading three steals.