NCAA First Round
[13] UC Irvine (23-8) at
[4] Gonzaga (30-3)
Date: Saturday, March 23
Time: 4:30 p.m. (PDT)
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) - Spokane, Wash.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine earned a No. 13 seed and will travel to Spokane, Washington, to face fourth-seeded Gonzaga in the NCAA First Round on Saturday, March 23. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. at McCarthey Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Ann Schatz (play-by-play) and Mike Thibault (analyst) on the call.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UC Irvine won the program's second Big West tournament title, and first in 29 years. In last Saturday's championship game, the second-seeded Anteaters used a big third quarter, where they outscored No. 5 seed UC Davis, 23-4, to run away with a 53-39 victory. UCI, which earned a double-bye into the semifinals, defeated No. 7 seed Long Beach State, 69-57, on Friday (March 15) to advance to the championship game for the third time in the last four seasons. Déja Lee was named the Most Valuable Player, while Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba was an all-tournament team selection.

• The 'Eaters are making their third-straight national postseason tournament appearance, but first NCAA trip since 1995, when they traveled to Stanford for a first-round match-up. UC Irvine was a WNIT automatic qualifier in 2022 and 2023, and advanced to the second round last year.

• For the first time in program history, the Anteaters have three-straight 20-win seasons. Since 2021-22, the 'Eaters own a 69-27 (.719) record. They are currently on a six-game win streak, with all six of those victories coming by 10+ points. Eighth-year head coach Tamara Inoue has led UCI to four of its six 20-win campaigns.

• Junior Déja Lee headlined UC Irvine's end-of-season awards as she became the first 'Eater in program history to be named The Big West Player of the Year. Lee was recognized after closing out the conference season ranked among the top-five in the league in scoring, steals, FG%, 3FG% and 3FG made. She was also a first-team All-Big West selection, marking the seventh-straight year an Anteater has made the first team. In 2023-24, Lee has reached double figures in scoring 21 times with seven 20-point performances, while she holds the single-season school record with 79 steals.

• UCI ranks 11th in the nation in scoring defense (55.0 ppg). The 'Eaters gave up a season-high 76 points in an overtime win at Long Beach State (March 2), snapping a 60-game streak of holding their opponents to under 70. The Anteaters returned to their defensive prowess in the next game, allowing a season-low 31 in a 34-point victory at Cal Poly on March 7. UC Irvine is also 27th in all of NCAA Division I in turnover margin (4.45), 32nd in steals (10.4 spg) and 39th in turnovers forced (19.1/gm).

POSTSEASON NOTABLES
The Anteaters won their second Big West Championship, and first in 29 years, to earn the conference's NCAA automatic bid. This is the program's third-straight national postseason tournament appearance, and fifth overall. The 'Eaters made it to the 1995 NCAA Tournament (first round), 2018 Women's Basketball Invitational (first round), 2022 WNIT (first round) and 2023 WNIT (second round). 

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UC Irvine has become a powerhouse in The Big West under eighth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The Anteaters have placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years, including the program's first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 57-14 (.803) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters have also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.
 
BIG WEST AWARDS
Junior Déja Lee headlined UCI's end-of-season awards as she became the Anteaters' first Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Lee was also a first-team all-conference selection. Graduate transfer Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba was recognized as the Newcomer of the Year and garnered second-team All-Big West distinction. Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate was tabbed the Best Defensive Player, received an All-Big West honorable mention nod and made the All-Defensive Team for the second year in a row. Shirel Nahum also landed on the Big West All-Freshman Team.

CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
Second-seeded UC Irvine received a double-bye into the Big West semifinal where it defeated No. 7 seed Long Beach State, 69-57. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba paced the Anteaters with a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Déja Lee added 12 points and three steals. The 'Eaters advanced to the championship game on Saturday, March 16, where they were pitted against fifth-seeded UC Davis. UCI led by two at the half before outscoring the Aggies, 23-4, in the third quarter to run away with a 53-39 victory. Lee led all players with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Sidi Baba also finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Diaba Konate chipped in 10 points, six boards, three assists and two steals. Lee was named the MVP of the Big West Championships, and Sidi Baba earned all-tournament honors.

SCOUTING THE ZAGS
Gonzaga (30-3), which is ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is making its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Zags earned the four seed, which is the best in program history, and will host the first two rounds. GU went undefeated in West Coast Conference play (16-0) before falling to Portland, 67-66, in the championship game of the WCC Tournament. Yvonne Ejim, the 2024 WCC Player of the Year, is averaging 19.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per outing. She ranks seventh in the nation in field goal percentage (61.3%). Brynna Maxwell, who has put up 14.5 ppg, is also ninth in all of NCAA Division I with 91 threes made, and Kaylynne Truong is ninth in assists (194).

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with Gonzaga, 2-1. After winning the first meeting, 84-65, in Irvine on Dec. 10, 1983, the Anteaters lost the next two in Spokane, falling to the Bulldogs, 96-57, (Dec. 27, 2009) and 102-38 (Nov. 13, 2016). 

MID-MAJOR POLL
UC Irvine was receiving votes in the latest College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll released on March 19. It was the 14th time this season the 'Eaters were featured in the RV section, but first since Feb. 20. Gonzaga is ranked first and South Dakota State is ninth.

OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE
UC Irvine's stingy defense will be tested on Saturday as it goes up against one of the most potent offenses in the country. As of March 19, Gonzaga ranks 10th in scoring (81.2 ppg), eighth in FG% (48.5%), second in 3FG% (40%) and third in assists (20.0 apg). The Anteaters, meanwhile, are 11th in the nation in scoring defense at 55.0 points allowed per game. They have held 22 of their 31 opponents to 60 points or less and have given up fewer than 10 points in a quarter 25 times. At Cal Poly on March 7, UCI held the Mustangs to a season-low two points in the third period and 31 points for the game. 

TRENDING UP
The Anteaters are on a season-long six-game win streak. All six of those victories came by double digits as they own a +16.0 scoring margin since Feb. 29. UCI is also 8-0 when scoring more than 70 points this season. Five of those 70+ point performances were against Big West opponents including a season-high 86 in an overtime win at Long Beach State on March 2.

SHARP SHOOTER
Over the last eight games, Déja Lee has made 20 threes (2.6/gm) and registered a 47.6% clip from beyond the arc. She tied her career high with five triples (on six attempts) at Long Beach State on March 2. Her 54 3-pointers on the year rank ninth in single-season school history.

20-20-20
The Anteaters have their third-straight 20-win season for the first time in program history. UCI finished with 20+ wins in 1983-84 and 1984-85 before a 34-year drought. Head coach Tamara Inoue then led the 'Eaters to 20 wins in her third season at the helm (2018-19). Her squad also went 21-12 in 2021-22, and finished with a school-record 25 victories in 2022-23. 

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
UC Irvine has outscored its opponents in bench points by an 11.6 margin. Their 25.5 bench points per game rank 20th in all of NCAA Division I. Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba (11.9 ppg) and Nevaeh Parkinson (8.3 ppg) have led the charge as they are second and third on the team in scoring in a reserve role. Sidi Baba made her first start of the year in the regular-season finale and was back in the first five in both games of the Big West tournament.

ON THE REBOUND
The Anteaters have won the rebounding battle 19 times (17-2). Over the last 11 games, they hold a +8.9 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 held a double-digit advantage vs. UC Davis (42-32), vs. Long Beach State (40-30), at Cal Poly (42-28), vs. CSUN (51-32) and vs. UC Santa Barbara (43-25) during that stretch. Since Feb. 8, Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. She pulled down a season-high 15 boards at CSUB.

STEALING THE SHOW
Déja Lee (79), Diaba Konate (64) and Nikki Tom (60) 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). Lee's 79 steals on the year are a single-season school record.

DÉJA VU
Junior Déja Lee had her seventh 20-point outing of the season against UC Davis in The Big West championship game where she finished with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. On Feb. 29, Lee led all scorers with 20 points vs. CSUN, before dropping a career-high 29 (5-6 3FG) two days later at Long Beach State. In those two games, she shot 52% from the field and a blistering 57% (8-14) from beyond the arc. The 5-foot-9 guard also finished with 23 points at Pepperdine (Nov. 7) and vs. St. Thomas (Nov. 24), 22 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 30) and 21 at Hawai'i (Feb. 3). Against the Rainbow Wahine, she scored all 13 of the Anteaters' third-quarter points. Lee, who was named the Big West Player of the Week on Jan. 1, ranks first on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and steals (2.5 spg), and is second in assists (2.2 apg). She upped her numbers in Big West play, sitting among the top-five in the conference in scoring (2nd, 14.8 ppg), steals (2nd, 3.1 spg), FG% (4th, 46%), 3FG% (5th, 37%) and 3FG made (5th, 2.0/gm). Overall, Lee has 36 career 10+ point games and nine 20-point efforts.

POWER 5 IMPACT
Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, a graduate transfer from Miami, is averaging 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in 26 games played. Sidi Baba has accounted for five of the Anteaters' six double-doubles this year. In a Big West semifinal win over Long Beach State on March 15, she put up a career-high 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Three weeks ago, she went back-to-back with 20 points/12 rebounds at LBSU (March 2) and 14 points/12 boards vs. CSUN (Feb. 29). The 6-foot-1 guard/forward also had 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 17). Sidi Baba's first double-double of the season came in the non-conference finale against Colorado State where she had 19 points/11 rebounds. She added 20-point games at Texas Tech (21) and in a Senior Day victory over Cal State Fullerton (20). On the year, Sidi Baba has 18 double-figure scoring games, including in each of the last nine outings.

GIVE AND TAKE
Senior Diaba Konate is tops on the squad in assists (115) and second in steals (64). 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 her collegiate career at both Idaho State and UC Irvine, Konate has amassed 1,309 points, 433 rebounds, 499 assists and 279 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 96 consecutive appearances and 2,801 minutes in an Anteater uniform. Her streak of 70 consecutive starts came to an end on Senior Day (March 9). This season, Tom is averaging 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.9 steals per outing. She is also tops on the squad with an 86.0 free throw percentage (49-57). The Fresno native has nine double-figure scoring games with a season-high 15 points at Pacific. 

SPARK OFF THE BENCH
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson, the 2022-23 Big West Best Sixth Player, has continued to provide a spark off the bench for the Anteaters. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 8.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 52.9% from the field. She has led UCI on the glass 15 times this season and has pulled down 10+ boards on six occasions, five of which came in Big West play. She recorded her first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Cal Poly on March 2, while she tied her season high with 11 boards vs. CSUN (Feb. 29). Earlier in the year, Parkinson went 8-of-11 from the floor for a career-high 17 points vs. Seattle U (Nov. 11).

FRESH TAKE
Shirel Nahum, a Big West All-Freshman Team selection, ranks among the league's top-10 freshmen in scoring (5.3 ppg), assists (1.1 apg), steals (0.8 spg) and minutes (20.1 mpg). Nahum has six 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 eight 3-pointers this season (35%). Against Eastern Washington on Nov. 20, the 6-foot-2 forward went 6-of-9 from the floor and 2-for-2 from deep 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 62 of 63 games played at UC Irvine.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
UCI has five international student-athletes from four different countries - Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba (Sweden), Diaba Konate (France), Déja Lee (Canada), Clara Djoko (France) and Shirel Nahum (Israel). All five have represented their countries in a FIBA event.

100 AND COUNTING
Eighth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 140 career victories. She is behind only Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue, the 2021 co-Big West Coach of the Year, has led UCI to the program's first Big West regular-season title (2022-23), three of the Anteaters' four national postseason tournament appearances, their first victory in a national postseason tournament (WNIT), four of their six 20-win campaigns and school records in both overall (25) and conference wins (16).

YEAR OF THE ANTEATER
Women's basketball is the fourth UCI team to make an NCAA appearance in 2023-24. Back in November, women's soccer, men's soccer and men's water polo all won their respective Big West Championships in a span of 15 days to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Women's soccer advanced to the Sweet 16 after upsetting top-seeded UCLA in the first round and No. 8 Gonzaga in the second round. Currently, UC Irvine has three nationally-ranked teams as men's volleyball is fourth, women's water polo is eighth and baseball is 19th.

UP NEXT
The winner of Saturday's game moves on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they will face either fifth-seeded Utah or No. 12 South Dakota State at McCarthey Athletic Center.