SPOKANE, Wash. - The 13th-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team got out to a strong start but was unable to overcome the size and hot shooting of fourth-seeded Gonzaga in a 75-56 NCAA First Round loss Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd at McCarthey Athletic Center.
 
The Anteaters, who made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 29 years, finish the season with a 23-9 overall record. They had their third-straight 20-win campaign for the first time in program history.
 
"Thank you again to the NCAA, it was a really good experience," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "I think our players enjoyed and savored all the moments. My first year getting this job, we came out here to play (Gonzaga) and they beat us 102-38, so I think we've made a little bit of an improvement from that to this game. I'm really proud of my team and the way they battled today."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Nevaeh Parkinson had one of her best games of the season with a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. She went 8-for-10 from the field.
 
Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba added her sixth double-double of the year with 15 points and 12 boards. She was 9-of-11 at the free throw line.
 
Junior and Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee also had 13 points and three steals.
 
UCI shot 32% from the field, 19% from 3-point range and 88% at the free throw line. Gonzaga (31-3), which entered today's game ranked among the top-10 in the nation in scoring, FG% and 3FG%, closed out the evening at 49% overall and 30% from beyond the arc.
 
Yvonne Ejim, an AP honorable mention All-American, led all players with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Kayleigh Truong also had 16 points and five assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first with a Diaba Konate jumper at the 9:30 mark. After Gonzaga tied it up, the Anteaters went on a 10-2 run that was bookended by threes from Nikki Tom and Konate to pull ahead, 12-4. UCI pushed its advantage to 11 on a Sidi Baba layup before the Zags scored the final four points of the opening quarter to close the gap to 17-10.
 
GU outscored the 'Eaters, 10-2, over the first four minutes of the second period to take its first lead of the game at 20-19. Parkinson answered with a putback and the lead changed hands three more times before the half. Another layup from Parkinson put UC Irvine on top, 25-23, before Gonzaga made the final push with seven-straight points to take a 30-25 advantage into the locker room.
 
The Zags came out firing in the third, scoring the first seven points of the frame. After a timeout, Parkinson got the Anteaters on the board with a putback at the 6:12 mark, but GU continued to roll, riding its hot start to a 50-29 lead with 3:46 remaining. UCI got it back within 19 as a Lee 3-pointer in the final seconds made it 55-36.
 
Gonzaga extended its margin to as many as 26 when the 'Eaters used a late 10-2 rally, capped by back-to-back layups from Parkinson to cut the deficit to 17. The Zags then made a couple free throws to account for the final 75-56 score.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine won its first Big West Championship and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995.
• The Anteaters allowed over 70 points for just the second time in their last 66 games.
• The 'Eaters entered today's game ranked 11th in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense.
• The Zags, who are in their seventh-straight NCAA Tournament, are ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 13th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
• Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba extended her double-figure scoring streak to 10 games.
• Nevaeh Parkinson had her second double-double of the year and fifth in her UCI career.
• Déja Lee closed out the campaign with a single-season school-record 82 steals.
• After not making a three in the first 30 games, Diaba Konate connected from downtown in each of the last two contests.