Anteaters Back on the Road Sunday at Oregon State

Sunday, December 15

Corvallis, Ore.

1:00 PM

UC Irvine

Oregon State

daniela-falcon-wbb-2024-oregon-st-preview

Anteaters Back on the Road Sunday at Oregon State

December 13, 2024 | Women's Basketball

ESPN+Live Stats Game Notes

UC Irvine (6-3) at
Oregon State (3-6)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 15
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: Gill Coliseum (9,301) - Corvallis, Ore.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball begins its final road trip of the 2024 calendar year with a visit to Corvallis for a Sunday (Dec. 15) showdown at Oregon State. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine was last in action on Thursday, Dec. 5, when it opened Big West play at Cal State Bakersfield. The Anteaters defeated the Roadrunners, 65-40, for their fifth-straight conference-opening win. Their 25-point win was their largest margin of victory this season and the largest in their all-time series with CSUB (25 games).

• UCI is in the final week 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, Corvallis and Eugene. 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 has a streak of five consecutive double-figure scoring games. In a 72-68 overtime win at Penn on Nov. 21, the 6-foot-3 forward posted the team's first double-double of the year with a season-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. That came a day after putting up 12 points and nine boards against defending CAA champion Drexel. She was named The Big West Player of the Week for her effort in the Anteaters' two wins in Philadelphia. She also finished with 17 at New Mexico, 19 at Denver and 12 at Cal State Bakersfield. Since Nov. 20, Hanson is averaging a team-best 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 50% from the field and 95% at the free throw line.

• Three 'Eaters enter the weekend averaging double figures in scoring. Junior Hunter Hernandez leads the way at 14.4 points per outing, which ranks fourth in The Big West. Hernandez has a pair of 20-point performances including a career-high 29 in a win over William & Mary. Summah Hanson is also sixth in the league at 13.2 ppg. Senior Déja Lee, the 2023-24 Big West Player of the Year, rounds out the trio at 10.0 ppg.

• 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. They also finished with 20+ wins for the third consecutive season.

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Oregon State (3-6, 0-1 WCC) fell at Pacific, 66-63, in its first West Coast Conference game on Thursday, Dec. 5. AJ Marotte leads the Beavers in scoring with 12.2 points per outing. Kelsey Rees is also averaging double figures at 10.7 ppg and is tops on the squad in rebounding (7.7 rpg). Scott Rueck is in his 15th year at the helm of the OSU women's basketball program and earned career win No. 300 on Dec. 3, 2024. Rueck has led Oregon State to eight NCAA tournaments with a Final Four in 2016 and Elite 8 appearances in 2024 and 2018.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Oregon State, 7-1. The most recent meeting between the two teams came in the first round of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 9, 2019, with the sixth-ranked Beavers taking the 86-57 victory in Corvallis. UCI's only win in the series was a 68-46 triumph in Irvine on Dec. 3, 1999.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine led wire-to-wire in a 65-40 Big West-opening win over Cal State Bakersfield at the Icardo Center on Thursday, Dec. 5. The Anteaters held their opponent to under 50 points for the second time this season while the 40 points allowed were a season low. UCI outscored the Roadrunners, 25-14, in the second quarter to build a 19-point lead at the half. The 'Eaters continued to lock down defensively, limiting the 'Runners to under 20 points over the final 20 minutes. Shirel Nahum and Summah Hanson led the Anteaters with 12 points each. It was a season high for Nahum who went 5-for-9 from the field. Amelia Scharpf finished with eight points and six rebounds. Déja Lee also pulled down a career-high nine boards to go along with five points, two assists and two steals. Hunter Hernandez added seven points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Nevaeh Dean chipped in seven points.

MID-MAJOR POLL
UCI has been receiving votes in all six of the 2024-25 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 list.

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 58-14 (.806) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.

THE 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 games with trips to Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Bakersfield, Corvallis and Eugene. 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).

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
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 six opponents to 60 points or less, including a season-low 40 at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 5. The Anteaters enter the week ranked second in The Big West and 59th in the nation in scoring defense (56.6 ppg).

100 AND COUNTING
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 146 career victories. She is only 12 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 871 career points, putting her 129 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 (13.2 ppg). Hanson has reached double figures in scoring in each of the last five games with 12 at Cal State Bakersfield, 19 at Denver, 18 at New Mexico, a season-high 20 at Penn and 12 at Drexel. The 6-foot-3 forward added 10 rebounds against the Quakers for the Anteaters' first double-double of the season. She was named The Big West Player of the Week (Nov. 25) for her effort. Over the last five games, Hanson is averaging 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 95% at the free throw line.

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (16) and is tied for second in efficiency (40%). She matched her career high with four triples vs. Saint Mary's (4-6) and at New Mexico (4-7). Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first game since suffering a knee injury in the opening quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. The 6-foot-1 guard has been finding her rhythm on the court, reaching double figures in scoring in four of her last seven outings. She finished with a career-high 18 points at UNM, and had 15 points vs. William & Mary, 14 against Saint Mary's and 12 at Denver.

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 (14.4 ppg) and is second in rebounding (5.3 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in five of her seven 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 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 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 distance. The 5-foot-9 point guard also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 5. In addition, she has dished out a season-best six assists on two occasions. Lee ranks among the top-10 in program history with 111 career threes made (9th) and 169 steals (T-9th).

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. She has recorded 6+ rebounds in three of her last four outings. In a 72-68 overtime win at Penn, Dean pulled down a season-high nine boards. She has also been an offensive threat, posting 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. Dean has started 72 of 73 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 106 consecutive appearances, 83 starts and 3,092 minutes is tops among UCI's active players. The Fresno, California, native is also among the Anteaters' top-three in assists (26) and steals (12) this season. She has 23 career double-figure scoring performances and was a 2022-23 All-Big West honorable mention selection. Last year, she 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 and Déja Lee are tied for ninth among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 169 career steals, which 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. 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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will stay in the Pacific Northwest this week as it heads to the University of Oregon for a 6 p.m. contest on Thursday, Dec. 19.