HONOLULU - In a battle for the top spot in The Big West, it was Hawai'i that prevailed over UC Irvine, 55-43, Saturday evening at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (12-8, 9-2 Big West) took over sole possession of first place in the conference standings, while the Anteaters (14-7, 8-3 Big West) are now tied for second with UC Santa Barbara.
 
UCI forced 17 turnovers while committing a season-low six of its own and took 21 more shots than the 'Bows. But, the 'Eaters were unable to find any rhythm on the offensive end, shooting just 25% (16-64) from the field, 64.7% (11-17) from the free throw line and going 0-for-15 from beyond the arc.  
 
"We started off missing our free throws and that just carried over," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "You have to keep fighting through everything. I thought we did a good job coming out in the third quarter but we have to get stops and we didn't do that. Hawai'i definitely outplayed us, but for us to go 0-for-15 from three and with 64 shots, that's on us."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee accounted for nearly half of UC Irvine's scoring total with a game-high 21 points. She also had six rebounds and four steals.
 
Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba led all players with eight boards while adding seven points. Senior Nevaeh Parkinson chipped in six points and six rebounds.
 
UH shot 41.9% (18-43) from the field, 20.8% (5-24) from distance and 70% (14-20) at the charity stripe. The home team also held a 44-32 advantage on the glass. MeiLani McBee paced the Rainbow Wahine with 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Hawai'i struck first as Olivia Davies banked in a 3-pointer, but UC Irvine answered with a 6-0 rally to pull ahead by three with five minutes to go. The 'Bows then closed out the quarter on a 10-3 run to take a 13-9 lead.
 
UH kept the momentum in the second period, using a 12-4 spurt to go up, 25-13, at the 3:04 mark. After trading buckets over the next minute, Sidi Baba converted 1-of-2 at the foul line. In the final seconds, Nikki Tom picked up a steal in the backcourt and found Lee for a layup to close the gap to 27-18 at the half.
 
Lee carried the Anteaters in the third frame, scoring all 13 of UCI's points. A late 5-0 spurt brought the 'Eaters within six but Lily Wahinekapu knocked down a triple to extend the Rainbow Wahine lead to 40-31.
 
Sidi Baba's layup to start the fourth quarter made it a seven-point game but the 'Bows proceeded on a 14-4 run over the next seven minutes to build a 54-37 cushion with 2:21 remaining. UC Irvine was able to cut into the deficit but the game was out of reach as UH emerged with the 55-43 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns home for two games next week, hosting UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 8) and UC Riverside (Feb. 10).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine held its opponent to 60 points or less for the 14th time this season and eighth time in Big West play.
• Hawai'i has also been stellar defensively as it now ranks first in the conference in scoring defense.
• UH (56.0 ppg) holds the slight edge over UCI (56.1 ppg) in points allowed per game.
• UCI missed its first four free throw attempts and was 2-for-8 in the first half before going 9-for-9 from the charity stripe in the second half.
• The 'Eaters did not make a three in a game for the first time since Feb. 5, 2020, when they went 0-for-15 at UC Santa Barbara.
• This was just the second double-digit loss of the season for the Anteaters.
• Déja Lee had her fourth 20-point performance of the season.
• Lee has registered 4+ steals in six of the last seven outings.