UC Irvine (16-7, 11-3 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (16-9, 10-5 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 22
Time: 7 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Thunderdome (6,000) - Santa Barbara, Calif.

UC San Diego (10-15, 6-8 Big West) at
UC Irvine (16-7, 11-3 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Breast Cancer Awareness Game

Mobile Ticketing & Clear Bag Policy

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball opens the week on the road as it heads to UC Santa Barbara for a 7 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Feb. 22. The Anteaters will then return to the Bren Events Center to host UC San Diego in their Breast Cancer Awareness Game on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine has won seven of its last eight contests. The Anteaters are second in The Big West standings with their 11-3 record putting them a half-game back of league-leading Hawai'i (12-3). UCI is also 1.5 games ahead of UC Santa Barbara (10-5) in third. Eight teams will qualify for the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Championship with the top-two seeds receiving a double-bye into the semifinals. 

• As of Feb. 20, the 'Eaters rank first in the conference and 18th in the nation in scoring defense (55.7 ppg). On Feb. 8, they allowed a season-low 38 points in a win over UCSB.

• During their current three-game win streak, the Anteaters own a +16.0 margin on the glass. In last Saturday's victory at Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine set season highs in total (52) and offensive (31) rebounds. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba led the way with a season-best 15 boards.

• Déja Lee has scored 9+ points in every conference game and ranks fifth in The Big West with 13.7 ppg in league play. Lee is also second in FG% (45.8%) and steals (3.1 spg).

• Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 52-13 (.800) record during that stretch. Last year, the 'Eaters went 16-2 to win the program's first Big West regular-season title.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara (16-9, 10-5 Big West) earned a split last week, defeating UC San Diego, 60-52, before dropping a close 68-64 decision at Hawai'i. Alexis Whitfield, the reigning Big West Player of the Week, leads the Gauchos with 14.7 points and a conference-best 9.8 rebounds per outing. Alyssa Marin has also registered 11.8 points and a team-high 3.2 assists, but has missed the last three games.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Santa Barbara, 67-39, but has won the last seven meetings. The two teams squared off a couple weeks ago with the Anteaters routing the Gauchos, 60-38, at the Bren Events Center (Feb. 8). UCI held UCSB, which entered the game averaging a Big West-leading 67.7 ppg, to a season-low 38 points. The 'Eaters limited UC Santa Barbara to under 30% shooting from the field and from beyond the arc, while winning the battle on the boards (43-25) and in turnovers forced (19-12). Shirel Nahum, Nevaeh Parkinson and Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba all tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece. Nikki Tom pulled down a season-best eight boards. Jessica Grant paced UCSB with 10 points.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego (10-15, 6-8 Big West) has lost three in a row after falling at UCSB, 60-52, and at Cal State Fullerton, 60-46, last week. The Tritons will host UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 22, before making their way to Irvine. Sumayah Sugapong leads UCSD in scoring (13.7 ppg) and assists (2.1 apg), while Denali Pinto is averaging 11.1 points per outing with a team-high 48 3-pointers made.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with UC San Diego, 12-1, and is 6-1 against the Tritons since they made the transition to Division I and The Big West in 2020-21. In the first meeting of the season, the Anteaters topped UCSD, 57-49, at LionTree Arena on Jan. 18. The 'Eaters erased a seven-point halftime deficit by outscoring the home team, 31-16, over the final 20 minutes. UCI set season highs in turnovers forced (31) and steals (21). Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba led UC Irvine with 14 points, six rebounds and a career-best four steals. Déja Lee also had nine points and six steals while Diaba Konate added nine points, five assists and four steals. UC San Diego's Sumayah Sugapong finished with a game-high 19 points.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine won its third-straight game with a 72-68 victory over Cal State Bakersfield last Saturday at the Icardo Center. The Anteaters pulled down a season-high 52 rebounds including 31 offensive boards. They outscored the Roadrunners, 28-2, in second-chance points. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba registered her second double-double of the year with 12 points and a season-best 15 rebounds. Nevaeh Parkinson also had a team-high 16 points to go along with nine boards. Amelia Scharpf hit a couple big buckets in the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points. Déja Lee added nine points while Nikki Tom had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Diaba Konate contributed six points and four steals, and Nevaeh Dean corralled seven boards. CSUB kept it close with a 12-of-24 performance from beyond the arc. Shaunae Brown led the way for the 'Runners with a game-high 22 points on a 6-of-8 performance from deep.

MID-MAJOR POLL
The Anteaters were receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Feb. 20. They have been featured in the RV section in 13 of the 16 weekly rankings (including preseason).

ON THE REBOUND
The Anteaters have won the rebounding battle 13 times (11-2) this season. Over the last three games, they have been dominant on the glass where they own a +16.0 margin. The 'Eaters set season highs in total (52) and offensive boards (31) at Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 17. They also outrebounded UC Riverside, 36-28, on Feb. 10 and UC Santa Barbara, 43-25, on Feb. 8. During that three-game stretch, Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba averaged 9.3 boards per contest with a season-high 15 rebounds at Bakersfield. Nevaeh Parkinson (8.0 rpg) also had 10 boards against the Highlanders, while 5-foot-9 guard Nikki Tom (7.3 rpg) corralled 6+ rebounds in each of the three outings.

DEFENSIVE MINDED
The 'Eaters rank 18th in all of NCAA Division I with 55.7 points allowed per game. They have held 16 of their 23 opponents to 60 points or less and have given up fewer than 10 points in a quarter 17 times. UCI is also among the top-40 in the nation in steals (27th, 10.8 spg), turnover margin (33rd, 4.4) and turnovers forced (40th, 19.4/gm).

TRENDING UP
The Anteaters are 7-0 when scoring 70+ points this season. Four of those 70-point performances have come in Big West play including a season-high 79 in a win over UC Davis on Jan. 20. 

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
UC Irvine has outscored its opponents in bench points by a 13.0 margin. Their 26.4 bench points per game rank 21st in all of NCAA Division I. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba (10.3 ppg) and Nevaeh Parkinson (8.7 ppg) have led the charge as they both have come off the bench in every game played, while ranking second and third on the team in scoring.

DÉJA VU
Junior Déja Lee has four of UCI's five 20-point performances this season. Lee drained a career-high 23 in the opener at Pepperdine before matching that total vs. St. Thomas on Nov. 24. The British Columbia native also dropped 22 against Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 30) to help secure her first career Big West Player of the Week award, and most recently finished with 21 at Hawai'i. Against the Rainbow Wahine, she scored all 13 of the Anteaters' third-quarter points. Lee ranks first on the team in scoring (12.8 ppg) and steals (2.4 spg), while she is second in assists (2.5 apg). She has upped her numbers in Big West play, sitting among the top-five in the conference in steals (2nd, 3.1 spg), FG% (2nd, 46%) and scoring (5th, 13.7 ppg). Overall, Lee has 29 career 10+ point games and six 20-point efforts.

STEALING THE SHOW
Déja Lee has recorded multiple steals on 15 occasions this season, including 2+ in nine of the last 10 games. At UC Davis (Jan. 6), Lee had a career-high six steals which is tied for fourth in single-game school history. She matched that total at UC San Diego (Jan. 18). Her 56 takeaways on the season are four away from tying the No. 10 mark in single-season school history.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 18 games played. Sidi Baba has accounted for both of the Anteaters' double-doubles this year with 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 17) and 19 points/11 boards vs. Colorado State on Dec. 16. Against the Rams, she was just shy of her career-high 21 points, which she set at Big 12 member Texas Tech on Nov. 29. Sidi Baba was 8-for-16 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free throw line vs. the Lady Raiders. The 6-foot-1 guard/forward also reached double figures in scoring at Cal State Fullerton (18), at UC San Diego (14), vs. Bakersfield (13), at CSUN (11), vs. Long Beach State (11), vs. UC Santa Barbara (10) and in her UC Irvine debut against Saint Thomas (10) on Nov. 24.

GIVE AND TAKE
In Big West play, fifth-year senior Diaba Konate ranks first in the conference in assists (3.3 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.48), while she is fifth in steals (2.5 spg). The Paris, France, native has at least one steal in 45 of her 52 appearances as an Anteater, including a UCI career-high six takeaways against Long Beach State on Jan. 25. Last year, the All-Big West Defensive Team selection tied for eighth in single-season school history with 63 steals. In her collegiate career at Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,256 points, 416 rebounds, 464 assists and 269 steals.

IRON WOMAN
Junior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. She leads the team with 88 consecutive appearances, 65 consecutive starts and 2,530 minutes (28.8 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. This season, Tom is averaging 6.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.0 steals per outing. She is also tops on the squad with an 88.4 free throw percentage (38-43). The Fresno native has six double-figure scoring games with a season-high 15 points at Pacific. Tom was named to the All-Big West Preseason Coaches Team.

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson, the reigning Big West Best Sixth Player, has continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Anteaters. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 8.7 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.5% from the field. She has led UCI on the boards 13 times this season and has pulled down 10+ rebounds on four occasions, three of which have come in Big West play. Earlier in the year, Parkinson grabbed a season-best 11 rebounds in a win over Denver on Dec. 2. She also went 8-of-11 from the floor for a career-high 17 points vs. Seattle U (Nov. 11).

FRESH TAKE
Shirel Nahum ranks among The Big West's top-10 freshmen in scoring (5.7 ppg), assists (1.0 apg), steals (0.8 spg) and minutes played (20.6 mpg). Nahum has five double-figure scoring games with a season-high 16 points at New Mexico State on Dec. 5.

DEAN FROM DOWNTOWN
Senior Nevaeh Dean has made a career-high seven 3-pointers this season. The 6-foot-2 forward leads the Anteaters in efficiency from beyond the arc at 46.7% (7-for-15).  Against Eastern Washington on Nov. 20, she went 6-of-9 from the floor and knocked down both of her threes for a career-high 15 points. She reached double figures again vs. UC Riverside (Feb. 10), finishing with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. She made six-straight field goals before her first miss with 5:55 left in the fourth. Dean, who transferred from Cincinnati last year, has started 54 of 55 games played at UC Irvine.

BETTER AT THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 67-23 (.744) at the Bren Events Center. This season, the 'Eaters are 8-1 with a +13.6 scoring margin on their home court. They are third in The Big West in average home attendance (845). The Anteaters set a program record with a crowd of 2,294 on Kids Day against Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 25.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine welcomes CSUN to the Bren Events Center for a 6 p.m. game on Thursday, Feb. 29. The Anteaters will then make the short trip to Long Beach State for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, March 2.