HONOLULU – In a battle between the top two defensive teams in The Big West, it was Hawai'i that came out on top, edging UC Irvine, 46-42, in front of an energetic crowd of 3,695 fans Saturday evening at SimpliFi Arena.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (13-6, 7-2 Big West) entered tonight's contest ranked ninth in the nation in scoring defense (53.2 ppg), while the Anteaters were 20th, allowing 55.7 points per game. The defense lived up to the billing as both teams were held to a season low in points scored.
 
UCI led for most of the game and went up by as many as eight in the third quarter before the 'Bows answered with a 16-2 run over a nearly 12-minute span to turn the tables and go on top, 41-35, with 2:01 remaining. UC Irvine put together a late rally with clutch 3-pointers from Lauryn Madsen and Déja Lee making it a one-point game, but Hawai'i held on down the stretch for its seventh-straight win.
 
The 'Eaters (13-6, 7-2 Big West) saw their five-game win streak snapped. They are now in a three-way tie for first with UH and Long Beach State in the Big West standings.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Déja Lee scored a game-high tying 13 points, while junior Hunter Hernandez finished with 11.
 
Sophomore Summah Hanson, who fouled out with just under five minutes left in the game, added seven points and seven rebounds. Senior Amelia Scharpf also pulled down seven boards. Senior Nikki Tom dished out four of the Anteaters' season-low five assists.
 
The 'Eaters shot just 24.2% (15-62) from the field and 21.4% (6-28) from beyond the arc. They held the Rainbow Wahine to 30.2% (16-53) overall and 3-of-25 from distance, but the 'Bows were able to get to the free throw line 18 times, compared to nine for UCI.
 
UH was led by Lily Wahinekapu's 13 points. Ritorya Tamilo also notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Hawai'i took an early 5-3 lead before Lee got UC Irvine going with a personal 5-0 run. Hanson then capped a low-scoring first quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Anteaters an 11-5 advantage.
 
Hernandez opened the second period with a pair of free throws. The two sides went back-and-forth over the next minute before the Rainbow Wahine used an 8-2 spurt to close the gap to 17-15 at the 3:14 mark. A steal and layup from Tom, followed by Hanson's second triple of the half increased UCI's cushion to seven. UH then got the final bucket with 34.8 seconds on the clock to make it 22-17 at the break.
 
The 'Bows scored the first six points of the third frame to go up, 23-22, at the 8:11 mark. After calling a timeout, the 'Eaters responded with an 11-2 rally, capped by a driving layup from Lee, to pull ahead, 33-25. Hawai'i then went 3-of-4 at the free throw line over the final minute to cut the deficit to five.
 
The Rainbow Wahine kept the momentum on their side, starting the fourth on a 13-2 run for a 41-35 lead with just over two minutes to go. UC Irvine was able to come back within one after threes from Madsen and Lee, but the 'Bows would not relinquish the lead in the 46-42 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center next Thursday, Jan. 30, when it hosts Long Beach State at 6 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UCI has held 13 of its 19 opponents to 60 points or less.
• It was also the fourth time this season the Anteaters allowed fewer than 50 points in Big West play.
• Déja Lee has reached double figures in scoring in seven-straight games.
• It was Lee's 50th career double-digit scoring performance.
• After an 0-for-11 stretch from 3-point range, Summah Hanson is now 3-for-5 over the last two games.
• Olivia Williams had a streak of eight consecutive games played with a 3-pointer made come to an end.