IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball closed out the regular season in dominating fashion as they led for the entirety of a 69-53 Senior Day win over Cal State Fullerton Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (21-8, 16-4 Big West) honored their four seniors - Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba, Diaba Konate, Tarryn Ross and Caiyle Kaupu - in a postgame ceremony.
 
"They put in so much work over the years, so to see them flourish like they are today, there isn't anything that makes me more proud," said head coach Tamara Inoue. "Especially with Tarryn and Caiyle, they are the foundation to our success. They have been through a lot and have been able to push us through and keep us together. I couldn't be more proud of them. Then because of them, players like Diaba and MJ want to come play for us."
 
Konate started the scoring with a layup just five seconds into the game and the 'Eaters took off from there. They went up by nine at the end of the opening quarter and held their largest lead of the afternoon at 31-8 with 5:10 remaining in the first half. UCI stayed out front by at least 12 the rest of the way for its third-straight double-digit win.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Graduate student Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba led all players with 20 points and nine rebounds. Junior Déja Lee added 16 points and classmate Nikki Tom had 10 (3-3 FG).
 
Fifth-year senior Diaba Konate finished with eight points and a game-high seven assists. Sidi Baba, Caiyle Kaupu and Tarryn Ross all made their first career starts at UCI.
 
The Anteaters shot 46% from the field and went 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. They won the battle in rebounds (35-34), turnovers forced (18-12) and steals (9-3). The 'Eaters also committed only nine fouls.
 
Cal State Fullerton (10-20, 6-14 Big West) was held to 39% shooting and a 4-for-14 performance from distance. Ashlee Lewis paced the Titans with 14 points and seven boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine struck first and maintained a two-point lead at the 7:01 mark. A Nevaeh Parkinson layup then started a 9-2 run down the stretch to put the Anteaters on top, 15-6, at the end of the first quarter.
 
The 'Eaters kept the momentum as Lee opened the second period with a 3-pointer. UCI continued to outscore Cal State Fullerton, 16-2, over the first five minutes to build a 31-8 advantage. The Titans responded with eight unanswered, but Sidi Baba stopped the rally with back-to-back buckets and the home team took a 35-18 cushion into the break.
 
UC Irvine scored the first five points of the third frame before CSF used a 12-3 spurt to close the gap to 13 with 2:52 remaining. Tom then knocked down a corner three, while Konate's driving layup with seven seconds on the clock made it 49-32. Cal State Fullerton made it a 15-point game with a pull-up jumper at the buzzer.
 
The 'Eaters and Titans traded points over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Sidi Baba then accounted for five-straight points and Lee followed with a steal and layup to push the lead back to 20 with 2:55 to play. UCI remained in control over the final minutes for the 69-53 win.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is the No. 2 seed in next week's Big West Championships and will open the tournament in the second semifinal at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 15.
 
NOTES
• UCI finished second in The Big West standings, one game behind Hawai'i which clinched the regular-season title with a win at Cal State Bakersfield.
• The Anteaters have placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years.
• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 57-14 record during that stretch.
• The 'Eaters are also 69-24 at the Bren Events Center since 2017-18.
• Déja Lee had three steals to give her 74 on the year, tying the single-season school record.
• Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba has reached double figures in scoring in seven consecutive games.