IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball outscored UC Riverside, 19-8, in the fourth quarter to pull away with a 62-53 victory Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
It was a tightly-contested game through the first 30 minutes with seven lead changes and six ties.

The Highlanders (12-11, 7-6 Big West) held a two-point edge heading into the final period, but the Anteaters stepped up to the challenge, going on a 14-3 run over the first eight-plus minutes to go up by nine. They held UCR to 1-of-17 shooting in the frame and did not allow a field goal until there were just 20 seconds remaining.
 
"I think we just buckled down and focused in," head coach Tamara Inoue said about UCI's fourth-quarter performance. "We knew the ball was going to go to Jordan Webster and Matehya Bryant so we had to make sure we were focusing on that. I thought we did a really good job of helping each other out and getting those rebounds."
 
UC Irvine improved to 15-7 overall and 10-3 in Big West play. With Hawai'i's loss at UC Davis, the 'Eaters are now tied with the Rainbow Wahine for first in the conference standings. UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and Cal Poly remain one game back in a tie for second.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee led UCI with a team-high 15 points, six assists, four steals and no turnovers. Senior Nevaeh Dean also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points on a 6-of-7 shooting performance.
 
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, while junior Nikki Tom finished with eight points and six boards.
 
The Anteaters shot 47.9% from the field and 87.5% at the free throw line. They outrebounded the Highlanders, 36-28. UC Irvine committed 18 turnovers to UCR's 14 but both teams converted 13 points off those miscues.
 
Jordan Webster paced UC Riverside with a game-high 16 points, while Matehya Bryant had 12 points and eight rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first with an Amelia Scharpf 3-pointer at the 9:23 mark. It went back-and-forth from there with five lead changes and two ties through the remainder of the opening quarter. UC Riverside took a late 18-15 lead, but Lee knocked down a triple with 7.7 seconds on the clock to bring the Anteaters even.
 
After a UCR bucket to start the second period, the 'Eaters used an 8-0 rally to pull ahead, 28-20, at the 6:08 mark. UCI went up by as many as nine on a Tom layup with 4:48 remaining. The Highlanders then closed out the half on a 9-3 run to cut their deficit to 35-32.

UC Irvine struggled offensively in the third frame, shooting just 28.6% (4-14) from the field. UC Riverside was able to take advantage, outscoring the Anteaters, 13-8, for a 45-43 edge heading into the fourth.
 
The 'Eaters turned the tables in the final 10 minutes, holding the Highlanders without a field goal until there were 20 seconds left in the game. Dean quickly tied it up with a jumper on UCI's first possession. After UCR went 1-of-2 at the charity stripe, Lee's layup put the home team on top for good as they proceeded on a 12-2 run to pull ahead, 57-48, with 1:34 to play. The Anteaters held strong down the stretch for the 62-53 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine has one game next week, traveling to Cal State Bakersfield for a 2 p.m. Big West showdown on Saturday, Feb. 17.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine completed the regular-season series sweep of UC Riverside and has now won seven in a row against the Highlanders.
• UCI has allowed 60 points or less 16 times, including 10 in Big West play.
• The Anteaters improved to 8-1 at home with a +13.6 scoring margin in those nine games.
• Déja Lee has 3+ steals in eight of her last nine outings and is averaging 4.0 takeaways per game during that stretch.
• Nevaeh Parkinson had 10+ rebounds for the fourth time this season and 10th time in her UC Irvine career.
• Nevaeh Dean had her second double-figure scoring game of the season and first since a career-best 15 points vs. Eastern Washington on Nov. 20.