PRESS CONFERENCE

HENDERSON, Nev. - The second-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team defeated No. 5 seed UC Davis, 53-39, in the 2024 Hercules Tires Big West Championship final Saturday afternoon at The Dollar Loan Center.

It is the Anteaters' second conference tournament title and first since 1995.
 
UCI (23-8) receives The Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out its opponent during the Selection Show that starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 17.

"First of all, big congratulations to UC Davis and Jennifer Gross; she's done this many times so to be able to get in the championship game with her again is always an honor," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "I'm just really thrilled we came out on top this time. I'm so proud of my team. We're a special group and I wouldn't go to battle with anyone else. We've made history twice so we are really excited about it."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Déja Lee, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, finished with a game-high 21 points, going 8-of-12 from the floor, including two 3-pointers. She also had six rebounds and two steals.
 
Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba went 11-of-12 at the free throw line for 13 points, while pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Sidi Baba was named to The Big West All-Tournament Team.
 
Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate registered 10 points, six boards, three assists and two steals. Senior Nevaeh Dean, senior Nevaeh Parkinson and junior Nikki Tom grabbed five rebounds each. Tom also swiped three steals.
 
The 'Eaters shot 34.7% from the field and went 4-of-10 from beyond the arc, while they held the Aggies to 26.4% overall and just 5-for-27 from deep. UCI also outrebounded UCD, 42-32.
 
Evanne Turner paced the Aggies (20-14) with 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first and raced out to a 12-2 lead on a Sidi Baba and-one at the 5:11 mark. UC Davis knocked down a three after the media timeout and it went back-and-forth over the final few minutes with the Anteaters holding a 16-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
After the 'Eaters started the scoring in the second period with a pair of free throws from Sidi Baba, the Aggies took the momentum, using an 8-0 run to close the gap to 18-17 with 4:56 remaining. Lee then scored three-straight points, but UCD was able to get a steal and layup at the buzzer to make it a two-point game (21-19) at the half.
 
UCI came storming out of the break as it scored the first 11 points, capped by Konate's first three of the season, to pull ahead, 34-19, with 4:05 to play. UC Davis then got on the board with a pair of free throws, but UC Irvine put up four unanswered for a 17-point lead (38-21). The Anteaters continued to roll with Lee closing out the third frame with back-to-back triples for a 44-23 lead.
 
The 'Eaters kept their foot on the gas, going up by as many as 24 en route to the 53-39 championship victory.

NOTES
• UC Irvine won the Big West Championship for the second time in program history and first in 29 years.
• The Anteaters will be making their third-straight national postseason tournament appearance after going to the WNIT in 2022 and 2023.
• UCI extended its win streak to six games with all six of those victories coming by 10+ points.
• This was head coach Tamara Inoue's 140th career win.
• Déja Lee had her seventh 20-point performance of the season.
• Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring games to nine.
• Diaba Konate made her first 3-pointer of the season and surpassed 1,300 points in her collegiate career.


UP NEXT: UCI Fans are invited to join the team for a public viewing party of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Selection Show.

Location: Newkirk Alumni Center, 450 Alumni Court, Irvine CA 92697
Date: Sunday, March 17th
Doors Open: 4pm    
WBB Selection Show on ESPN: 5 pm

Parking is available in the Mesa Parking Structure, lot 14, and lot 14A for $15. Fans are encouraged to purchase parking online.