UC Santa Barbara (14-7, 8-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (13-7, 8-3 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 8
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Pride Night

UC Riverside (11-10, 6-5 Big West) at
UC Irvine (13-7, 8-3 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 10
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Black History Month Game and National Girls & Women in Sports Day

Mobile Ticketing & Clear Bag Policy

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is home for two games this week starting on Thursday, Feb. 8, when it hosts UC Santa Barbara at 6 p.m. The Anteaters then welcome UC Riverside to the Bren Events Center for a 2 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Feb. 10. 
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• With last Saturday's loss at Hawai'i, UC Irvine fell into a tie for second with UC Santa Barbara in The Big West standings. They are a half-game back of the Rainbow Wahine, who took over sole possession of first at 9-2. Cal Poly and UC Davis are also one game behind the Anteaters and Gauchos in a tie for fourth.

• UCI has a streak of 54 consecutive games holding its opponent to under 70 points. The last time the 'Eaters gave up 70+ was in an overtime win against UC Davis in the 2022 Big West quarterfinals (March 11, 2022). 

• As of Feb. 7, the Anteaters rank 25th in the nation in scoring defense (56.1 ppg), 21st in steals (11.0 spg), 29th in turnover margin (4.7) and 37th in turnovers forced (19.9/gm).

• Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 49-13 (.790) record during that stretch. Last year, the 'Eaters went 16-2 to win the program's first Big West regular-season title.

• Junior Déja Lee had her fourth 20-point performance of the season last Saturday, dropping a game-high 21 at Hawai'i. Lee scored all 13 of UC Irvine's third-quarter points. In Big West play, the 5-foot-9 point guard ranks second in the league in steals (3.1 spg) and fourth in scoring (14.5 ppg).

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara (14-7, 8-3 Big West) bounced back from a 20-point loss at UC Davis with a narrow 57-55 victory over Cal State Bakersfield last week. Alexis Whitfield leads the Gauchos with 14.6 points and a conference-best 9.7 rebounds per game. Alyssa Marin is also averaging 12.4 points on 44% (37-84) shooting from beyond the arc.

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Santa Barbara, 67-38, but has come out on top in each of the last six meetings. Last year, the Anteaters defeated UCSB, 70-60, on the road before making an improbable comeback in a 74-60 overtime win at home on Feb. 15. UCI was trailing by four with 33 seconds left in regulation when leading scorer Hunter Hernandez went down with an injury. It was the team's third season-ending injury to a starter in a two-month span. Despite the emotional toll, the 'Eaters rallied to tie it up at 56-all on an Amelia Scharpf jumper before a dominant performance in the extra period where they outscored the Gauchos, 18-4, for the victory.

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside (11-10, 6-5 Big West) routed CSUN, 70-46, in its lone game last week. Jordan Webster leads the Highlanders and The Big West with 17.6 points per outing. Matehya Bryant has also registered 12.1 points and a team-best 8.5 rebounds per contest.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with UC Riverside, 41-28, but has won the last six. The two teams met in their Big West opener back on Dec. 28, with the Anteaters taking the 67-52 victory in Riverside. Diaba Konate paced UCI with 18 points (8-10 FG), four assists and four steals, while Jordan Webster led UCR with 19 points and nine rebounds.

LAST TIME OUT
In a battle for the top spot in The Big West, it was Hawai'i that prevailed over UC Irvine, 55-43, last Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. 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 just 25% from the field, 65% at the free throw line and 0-of-15 from deep. Déja Lee finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds and four steals. She accounted for all 13 of UCI's third-quarter points.

MID-MAJOR POLL
The Anteaters were receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on Feb. 6. They have been featured in the RV section in 11 of the 14 weekly rankings (including preseason).

BETTER AT THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 65-23 (.739) at the Bren Events Center. This season, the 'Eaters are 6-1 with a +13.0 scoring margin on their home court. They are third in The Big West in average home attendance (882). The Anteaters set a program record with a crowd of 2,294 on Kids Day against Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 25. 

DEFENSIVE MINDED
The 'Eaters rank 25th in all of NCAA Division I with 56.1 points allowed per game. They have held 14 of their 20 opponents to 60 points or less. UCI is also among the top-40 in the nation in steals (11.0 spg), turnovers forced (19.9/gm) and turnover margin (4.7).

TRENDING UP
The Anteaters are 6-0 when scoring 70+ points this season. Three 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 12.6 margin. Their 26.2 bench points per game rank 26th in all of NCAA Division I.

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 with 13.1 points per outing and is second in both assists (2.5 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). She has upped her numbers in Big West play, ranking among the top-10 in the conference in steals (2nd, 3.1 spg), scoring (4th, 14.5 ppg),  FG% (4th, 47.6%) and 3FG made (7th, 1.8/gm). Overall, Lee has 28 career 10+ point games and six 20-point efforts.

STEALING THE SHOW
Déja Lee has recorded multiple steals on 12 occasions this season, including 4+ in six of the last seven 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).

GIVE AND TAKE
In Big West play, fifth-year senior Diaba Konate ranks first in the conference in assists (3.6 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64), while she is third in FG% (48.3%) and steals (2.8 spg). She has finished with 10+ points, 4+ assists and 3+ steals in four of the last five outings. On Jan. 25, she had a season-high six takeaways against Long Beach State. Overall, Konate is tops on the squad and second in the league in assists (73) and steals (50). The Paris, France, native has at least one steal in 44 of her 49 appearances as an Anteater. 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 1,244 points, 411 rebounds, 457 assists and 265 steals.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 10.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15 games played. Sidi Baba registered the Anteaters' first double-double of the year with 19 points and a season-best 11 boards against Colorado State on Dec. 16. 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 with 18 points at Cal State Fullerton, 14 at UC San Diego, 13 vs. Cal State Bakersfield, 11 at CSUN, 11 vs. Long Beach State and 10 in her UC Irvine debut against St. Thomas on Nov. 24. 

IRON WOMAN
Junior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. She leads the team with 85 consecutive appearances, 62 consecutive starts and 2,432 minutes (28.6 mpg) in an Anteater uniform. This season, Tom is averaging 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.0 steals per outing. She is also tops on the squad with an 87.2 free throw percentage (34-39). The 5-foot-9 guard 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 8.4 points and a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.2% from the field. She has finished with 10+ points and 8+ rebounds in three of the last four contests. Earlier in the year, Parkinson went 8-of-11 from the floor for a career-high 17 points vs. Seattle U (Nov. 11). She also pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds in a win over Denver on Dec. 2. 

FRESH LOOK
Shirel Nahum ranks among The Big West's top-10 freshmen in scoring (5.4 ppg), assists (0.9 apg), steals (0.8 spg) and minutes played (21.2 mpg). Nahum has four double-figure scoring games with a season-high 16 points at New Mexico State on Dec. 5.

DEAN FROM DOWNTOWN
Last year, Nevaeh Dean didn't attempt her first 3-pointer until the Anteaters' 26th game, but finished with three triples over the final four weeks of the campaign. This year, the 6-foot-2 forward has more than doubled that total as she is 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. Against Eastern Washington (Nov. 20), she went 6-for-9 from the field and knocked down both of her threes for a career-high 15 points. Dean, who transferred from Cincinnati last year, has started 51 of 52 games played at UC Irvine.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine has one game next week, traveling to Cal State Bakerfield for a 2 p.m. Big West showdown on Saturday, Feb. 17.