SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball locked down the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big West Championships with an emphatic 65-31 win over Cal Poly Thursday evening at Mott Athletics Center.
 
With the two-seed, the Anteaters (20-8, 15-4 Big West) secured a bye into next Friday's semifinals. They can still clinch a share of the regular-season title with a win and a Hawai'i loss on Saturday.
 
In addition, the 'Eaters have their third-straight 20-win season for the first time in program history.
 
Cal Poly (16-13, 12-7 Big West), which was trying to catch UCI for the coveted top-two finish, is now tied for third with UC Davis and UC Riverside.
 
The Anteaters were up by single digits at the half before breaking the game open in the third quarter. The Mustangs knocked down a jumper to start the period, trimming UC Irvine's lead to seven, but were held scoreless over the final nine minutes. The 'Eaters took advantage with a 19-0 run giving them a 45-19 cushion. UCI continued to roll in the fourth for their second 30+ point win of the campaign.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba and freshman Shirel Nahum had nearly identical stat lines as they both finished with a game-high tying 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Nahum added two steals.
 
Senior Nevaeh Parkinson recorded her first double-double of the season, and fourth of her career, with 12 points and 10 boards. Parkinson was 6-of-9 from the field and also had two blocks.
 
Senior Nevaeh Dean pulled down seven rebounds, while junior Déja Lee had seven points and five steals. Senior Diaba Konate chipped in seven points and freshman Haley Hernandez got into the scoring column for the first time in her collegiate career, finishing with five points.
 
UCI shot 46% from the field and 75% from the free throw line. Cal Poly was 25% overall and 46% at the charity stripe. Both teams made just one 3-pointer on the night.
 
The 'Eaters outrebounded the Mustangs, 42-28, and held a lopsided advantage in points off turnovers (24-5) and points in the paint (40-18).
 
Ania McNicholas had a team-high eight points for CP, while Natalia Ackerman finished with seven points and 10 boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Lee got UC Irvine on the board with a layup just 13 seconds into the game, but Cal Poly proceeded to score six unanswered points. Nahum then knocked down back-to-back jumpers and after the Mustangs tied it up, the Anteaters closed out the first quarter on a 6-2 spurt to pull ahead, 12-8. Junior Nikki Tom accounted for four of UCI's six points during that stretch.
 
The two sides went back-and-forth over the first five minutes of the second period. Parkinson then scored four quick points to start a 9-3 run that put UC Irvine on top, 26-15, at the 1:22 mark. Cal Poly got a jumper to fall in the final minute, closing the gap to nine (26-17) at the break.
 
The Mustangs got on the board first in the third frame but that was all they would get. After a layup from Ackerman, the Anteaters held the home team scoreless over the next nine minutes. They took advantage of the drought as their lead ballooned to 26 (45-19) following a 19-0 rally. Sidi Baba led the charge with nine points in the quarter.
 
The 'Eaters did not let up in the fourth, taking a 58-28 lead on a Sidi Baba jumper with 2:37 to play. Hernandez then went on a personal 5-0 run with a fast-break layup followed by an and-1 to give UCI a 32-point margin with just over a minute to go. Nahum closed out the scoring with a couple free throws for the final 65-31 margin.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will host Cal State Fullerton in its regular-season finale at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9. The Anteaters will honor their four seniors in a postgame ceremony.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine secured a top-two Big West finish for the fifth-straight year.
• UCI has won six in a row in its all-time series with Cal Poly.
• After allowing a season-high 76 points in their last outing, the Anteaters gave up a season-low 31 points tonight against the Mustangs.
• It was the fewest points allowed since also holding UC Santa Barbara to 31 on Feb. 3, 2022.
• Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba has reached double figures in scoring in six consecutive games.
• Déja Lee became just the fifth 'Eater in program history to have 70+ steals in a season.
• Lee jumped four spots into a tie for fourth in single-season school history (71).
• Nikki Tom made her 70th consecutive start.