IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball was dominant on the glass in a 64-54 win over CSUN Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters (18-8, 13-4 Big West) outrebounded the Matadors, 51-32. Their 51 boards were one shy of their season high they set at Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 17. The 'Eaters also held a lopsided 21-8 advantage in second-chance points. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba and Nevaeh Parkinson led the effort with 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.
 
"I thought MJ (Sidi Baba) today was really good for us, making sure we got things done on the defensive end," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "We needed someone to get out there and rebound and she did a really good job of that."
 
CSUN went up 4-0 to start the game, but UCI scored the next seven points to take a lead it would not relinquish. The Anteaters built their cushion to as many as 13 en route to their ninth double-digit victory of the season.

After being handed just their second home loss in their last outing, the 'Eaters improved to 9-2 at the Bren.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee finished with a game-high 20 points, three assists and two steals. Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba also recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson reached double digits in rebounding as well, pulling down 11 boards to go along with six points and three blocks. Freshman Shirel Nahum added nine points and seven rebounds, while senior Nevaeh Dean chipped in seven points. Junior Amelia Scharpf contributed five points and six rebounds.
 
The Anteaters shot 36% overall, 21% from beyond the arc and 78% at the free throw line.
 
CSUN was 35% from the field and 4-of-10 from deep. The Matadors were led by Talo Li-Uperesa, who finished with 11 points. Kayanna Spriggs also had nine points and nine rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: CSUN (2-26, 0-18 Big West) took an early lead before UC Irvine got on the board at the 7:29 mark. The Anteaters proceeded on a 12-1 run, capped by an and-one from Nahum, to pull ahead 12-5 with 4:01 on the clock. The 'Eaters extended their margin to 10 with just over a minute remaining, but the Matadors knocked down a three right before the buzzer to trim UCI's advantage to 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.
 
CSUN opened the second period on a 6-2 spurt to close the gap to 21-18 before UC Irvine scored seven unanswered over the final five minutes. Lee closed it out with the Anteaters' first triple of the night, giving the home team a 28-18 cushion at the break.
 
The Matadors drilled a three to start the third frame before the 'Eaters reeled off six-straight, which included a 3-pointer from Scharpf, to take their largest lead of the night at 34-21 with 7:53 to play. CSUN came right back with a 10-3 run to cut the deficit to six, but Lee connected from the top of the key and Sidi Baba followed with a jumper to reclaim a double-digit advantage. The visitors got the final bucket of the quarter to make it 44-35.
 
It went back-and-forth in the fourth period before a triple from Dean and a Nahum floater made it 58-45 at the 3:25 mark. The Matadors pulled back within eight but Lee sank a couple free throws with 26 seconds on the clock to seal the 64-54 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will make the short trip to Black & Blue Rival Long Beach State on Saturday, March 2. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Walter Pyramid.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine held its opponent to 60 points or less for the 18th time this season and 12th time in Big West play.
• The Anteaters earned their fourth series sweep of the season and extended their win streak in their all-time series with CSUN to five.
• UCI improved to 9-2 at home with six of those wins coming by 10+ points.
• Déja Lee notched her fifth 20-point game of the 2023-24 campaign.
• In Big West play, Lee ranks third in the conference in scoring at 14.4 points per outing.
• Lee's two steals give her 62 on the year which moves her into a tie with Diaba Konate for 10th in single-season school history.
• Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba had her team-leading third double-double.
• Nevaeh Parkinson also recorded her fifth double-figure rebounding game.