CSUN (2-25, 0-17 Big West) at
UC Irvine (17-8, 12-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 29
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
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UC Irvine (17-8, 12-4 Big West) at
Long Beach State (11-15, 6-10 Big West)
Date: Saturday, March 2
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball welcomes CSUN to the Bren Events Center for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Feb. 29. The Anteaters then make the short trip to Black & Blue Rival Long Beach State on Saturday, March 2, with tip-off set for 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• The 'Eaters are second in The Big West standings as they enter the penultimate week of the regular season. They are one game behind league-leading Hawai'i (13-3) and 1.5 games ahead of UC Riverside and UC Davis, which are tied for third at 11-6. Eight teams advance to the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Championships with the top-two seeds receiving a double-bye into the semifinals.

• UCI saw its season-long tying four-game win streak come to an end last Saturday with a 69-65 overtime loss to UC San Diego. It was the Anteaters' first OT game of the season. They have still won eight of their last 10 (not including Cal Poly's forfeit on Feb. 1).

• As of Feb. 28, UC Irvine ranks first in the conference and 19th in the nation in scoring defense (55.8 ppg). On Feb. 8, the Anteaters allowed a season-low 38 points in a win over UCSB. 

• Déja Lee has scored 9+ points in every conference game and ranks third in The Big West with 14.0 ppg in league play. Lee is also second in steals (2.9 spg) and third in FG% (45.8%).

• Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 53-14 (.791) record during that stretch. Last year, the 'Eaters went 16-2 to win the program's first Big West regular-season title.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN (2-25, 0-17 Big West) is still looking for its first conference win of the season. The Matadors got out to a 2-0 start back in November but are now on a 25-game losing streak. Kayanna Spriggs is tops on the squad in scoring (9.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.4 rpg). 

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with CSUN, 32-30, but has won the last four. On Jan. 27, the Anteaters defeated the Matadors, 67-63, in Northridge. Déja Lee led all scorers with 16 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba also had 11 points and six boards, while Diaba Konate finished with 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ana Carolina De Jesus paced the Matadors with 12 points. Erica Adams and Laney Amundsen added 10 points apiece.

SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State (11-15, 6-10 Big West) saw its season-long three-game win streak snapped with an 80-68 loss to Hawai'i on Saturday, Feb. 24. The Beach is tops in the conference in scoring (66.5 ppg), but is second to last in scoring defense, allowing 70.2 points per outing. Savannah Tucker leads LBSU with 12.3 points per contest, while Sydney Woodley is averaging 10.0 points and a conference-best 3.5 steals.

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 64-22. The 'Eaters beat the Beach, 74-59, in the first meeting of the season at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 25. UC Irvine broke the game open with a 19-0 run in the third quarter and continued to roll, going up by as many as 26 in the fourth. Nevaeh Parkinson led the way with a team-best 13 points (6-8 FG), nine rebounds and two blocks. Diaba Konate also finished with 12 points, six assists and a season-high six steals. Casey Valenti Paea paced LBSU with a game-high 16 points.

BETTER AT THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 67-24 (.736) at the Bren Events Center. This season, the 'Eaters are 8-2 with a +11.8 scoring margin on their home court. They are third in The Big West in average home attendance (844). The Anteaters set a program record with a crowd of 2,294 on Kids Day against Long Beach State on Jan. 25.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine dropped a 69-65 overtime decision to UC San Diego last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. It was just the second home loss of the season for the Anteaters. UCI trailed at the half and for most of the third quarter before closing out the period on an 8-0 run to take a three-point lead. The 'Eaters stayed out front and went up, 59-53, on Déja Lee's fourth 3-pointer with 3:30 left in regulation. The Tritons then used a late rally to tie it up at 59-all with 15.7 seconds on the clock. The Anteaters were unable to get their final shot to fall and were outscored, 10-6, in the extra period. Lee finished with a game-high tying 18 points. Nikki Tom also had 12 points, while Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba notched 10. Diaba Konate added eight points, five steals and a season-best nine assists.

ON THE REBOUND
The Anteaters have won the rebounding battle 13 times (11-2) this season. Over the last five games, they have registered a +7.2 margin on the glass. 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. Since that game against the Gauchos, Nevaeh Parkinson and Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba are both averaging 7.0+ rebounds per game. Sidi Baba pulled down a season-high 15 boards at Bakersfield, while Parkinson also had 10 against the Highlanders.

DEFENSIVE MINDED
The 'Eaters rank 19th in all of NCAA Division I with 55.8 points allowed per game. They have held 17 of their 25 opponents to 60 points or less and have given up fewer than 10 points in a quarter 18 times. UCI is also among the top-35 in the nation in turnover margin (23rd, 4.8), steals (25th, 10.8 spg) and turnovers forced (34th, 19.7/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. 

MID-MAJOR POLL
After receiving votes in the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll for six consecutive weeks, the Anteaters dropped out in the latest rankings released on Feb. 27. They have been featured in the RV section in 13 of the 17 weekly rankings (including preseason).

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
UC Irvine has outscored its opponents in bench points by a 12.1 margin. Their 25.7 bench points per game rank 24th in all of NCAA Division I. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba (10.3 ppg) and Nevaeh Parkinson (8.6 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.

STEALING THE SHOW
Diaba Konate (62), Déja Lee (60) and Nikki Tom (50) have accounted for over 60% of UC Irvine's steals. They each have at least three games with 5+ steals this season. Lee had a career-high six takeaways at UC Davis (Jan. 6) and at UC San Diego (Jan. 18), while Konate also had six vs. Long Beach State (Jan. 25). Konate's 62 steals on the year rank 10th in single-season school history.

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 (13.1 ppg), while she is second in assists (2.3 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). She has upped her numbers in Big West play, sitting among the top-five in the conference in steals (2nd, 2.9 spg), FG% (3rd, 46%) and scoring (3rd, 14.0 ppg). Overall, Lee has 31 career 10+ point games and six 20-point efforts.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 20 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. On the season, the 6-foot-1 guard/forward has 12 double-figure scoring games, including in each of the last four outings.

GIVE AND TAKE
Senior Diaba Konate is tops on the squad in both assists (93) and steals (62). She dished out a season-best nine dimes against UC San Diego on Feb. 24, and had a UCI career-best six steals in a win over Long Beach State on Jan. 25. In Big West play, Konate ranks first in the conference in assists (3.7 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.56), while she is fourth in steals (2.7 spg). Her 62 takeaways on the year rank 10th in single-season school history, and sit one back of her total of 63 from last year which is tied for eighth in the record books. In her collegiate career at both Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,268 points, 420 rebounds, 477 assists and 277 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 90 consecutive appearances, 67 consecutive starts and 2,608 minutes (29.0 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. This season, Tom is averaging 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.0 steals per outing. She is also tops on the squad with an 89.8 free throw percentage (44-49). The Fresno native has seven 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 8.6 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.2% from the field. She has led UCI on the boards 14 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 (5.2 ppg), assists (1.0 apg), steals (0.8 spg) and minutes played (19.9 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. Against Eastern Washington on Nov. 20, the 6-foot-2 forward 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 56 of 57 games played at UC Irvine.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine closes out the regular season with two games next week. The Anteaters will head to Cal Poly on Thursday, March 7, before hosting Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, March 9. UCI will honor its four seniors in a postgame ceremony.