Long Beach State (11-7, 7-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (13-6, 7-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 30
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

UC Irvine (13-6, 7-2 Big West) at
UC Davis (12-7, 6-3 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 1
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: University Credit Union Center (6,003) - Davis, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball has two pivotal conference games this week, starting with fellow Big West leader Long Beach State on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Anteaters and Beach are set to square off at 6 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters then make their way to UC Davis, which is one game back in the conference standings, for a 2 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Feb. 1.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UCI's nationally-ranked defense, which is 18th in the country at 55.2 points allowed per game, will go up against the top-two offenses in The Big West in Long Beach State (70.6 ppg) and UC Davis (69.4 ppg).

• This week will feature a rematch between UC Irvine and the two opponents from its 2024 Big West Championship run. Last year, the Anteaters defeated Long Beach State, 69-57, in the semifinals before routing UC Davis, 53-39, in the final for their first conference tournament title since 1995.

• Senior Déja Lee sits at 980 career points, putting her 20 away from becoming the 15th member of UCI's 1,000-point club. Lee also ranks third in school history in steals (187) and seventh in 3-pointers made (121).

• Junior Hunter Hernandez leads the 'Eaters in both scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 13 of her 17 outings and recorded her fourth career double-double with 18 points/10 rebounds at Cal Poly on Jan. 18.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has combined for a league-leading 64-16 (.800) record in Big West play. During that stretch, the Anteaters have not lost more than four conference games in a season and have been swept in a Big West regular-season series only twice.

SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State (11-7, 7-2 Big West) split its two home games last week as it beat CSUN, 88-75, before falling to Cal Poly, 78-71. The Beach, which has scored 70+ in each of its last three outings, ranks first in The Big West in scoring (70.6 ppg). Savannah Tucker leads the way at 15.8 points per contest. Jada Crawshaw is also averaging double figures (11.1 ppg), while Rachel Loobie is tops on the squad in rebounding (7.6 rpg).

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
After an eight-game winning streak from Dec. 5-Jan. 9, UC Davis (12-7, 6-3 Big West) has lost three of its last four, including a 56-46 setback at Hawai'i last Thursday. Tova Sabel leads the Aggies with 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. Megan Norris has also registered 11.3 points, a team-high 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per outing.

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 64-24, but won all three meetings last year. The two teams were pitted against each other in the Big West semifinals with the Anteaters taking the 69-57 victory in Henderson, Nevada, on March 14, 2024. 

UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 41-29. The two teams split the regular-season series last year before the 'Eaters toppled the Aggies, 53-39, in the Big West championship game (March 15, 2024). Déja Lee, who was named the MVP of the conference tournament, led all scorers with 21 points (8-12 FG).

LAST TIME OUT
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 last Saturday at SimpliFi Arena. The Anteaters led for most of the game and went up by as many as eight in the third quarter before the Rainbow Wahine came storming back with a 16-2 run over a nearly 12-minute span to turn the tables and go on top, 41-35. UCI put together a late rally with clutch 3-pointers from Lauryn Madsen and Déja Lee but the 'Bows never relinquished the lead for their seventh-straight win. Lee scored a game-high tying 13 points, while Hunter Hernandez finished with 11. Summah Hanson, who fouled out with just under five minutes left in the game, added seven points and seven rebounds. Amelia Scharpf also pulled down seven boards and Nikki Tom dished out four of UC Irvine's five assists.

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UC Irvine has become a powerhouse in The Big West under ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The 'Eaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years, including winning the 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 64-16 (.800) record during that stretch. The defending champion Anteaters have advanced to the final of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 76-25 (.752) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters, who have won seven in a row on their home court, are 7-1 at the BEC this year. They have not lost more than four home games in each of the last seven seasons.

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
UCI ended each of the last two seasons ranked among the top-15 in the nation in scoring defense. In 2023-24, the Anteaters allowed 55.7 ppg, which was 14th in all of NCAA Division I. In 2022-23, the 'Eaters were seventh in the country with a program-record 53.2 points allowed per contest. This year, they have held 13 of their 19 opponents to 60 points or less, including a season-low 38 vs. Cal Poly. As of Jan. 27, UC Irvine ranks second in The Big West and 18th in the nation in scoring defense (55.2 ppg). 

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 153 career victories. She is only five wins behind Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue has led UCI to a pair of Big West Championships, four of the Anteaters' five national postseason 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).

CHASING 1,000
Senior Déja Lee has 980 career points, putting her 20 away from joining the 1,000-point club. The last Anteater to accomplish the feat with all 1,000 points coming at UC Irvine was Stephanie Duda in 2008. Transfers Diaba Konate '24 and Naomi Hunt '23 both scored 1,000 points in their collegiate careers that included two seasons at previous institutions.

GIVE AND TAKE
Déja Lee leads UCI and ranks among the top-eight in The Big West in both assists (3.0 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). Lee has dished out multiple assists in 15 of 19 games played, and had multiple steals on 11 occasions.

STEALING THE SHOW
Déja Lee is third among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 187 career steals, while Nikki Tom is fifth (181). They are both on pace to surpass the school record of 196 that was established by Andee Ritter in 2019. Tom entered the program's top-10 after swiping four steals in the opener against New Mexico State. Lee, who set a single-season school record with 82 steals last year, also cracked UCI's top-10 with her 160th career takeaway at Drexel on Nov. 20.

MAKING IT COUNT
Sophomore Summah Hanson is tops in The Big West and 24th in the nation in free throw percentage (89.8%). Hanson has missed only six free throws on 59 attempts this season. She made her first 12 foul shots of the year before sinking 16 consecutive FTs from Nov. 21-Dec. 15. 

ON THE HUNT
Junior Hunter Hernandez has not missed a beat in her return to the court. Hernandez, who sat out the 2023-24 campaign recovering from a knee injury sustained on Feb. 15, 2023, leads the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in 13 of her 17 outings with a pair of 20-point performances. In a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11, Hernandez poured in a career-high 29, while she also finished with 20 at Penn on Nov. 21. In addition, Hernandez put up her fourth career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds at Cal Poly (Jan. 18).

SUMMAH TIME
Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is tied for first on the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and is third in scoring (10.2 ppg). Hanson, a sophomore transfer from Sacramento State, has reached double figures in scoring eight times with a season-high 20 points at Penn on Nov. 21. The 6-foot-3 forward added 10 rebounds against the Quakers for the Anteaters' first double-double of the season. She was named The Big West Player of the Week (Nov. 25) for her effort. 

STEADY HAND
Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee has continued to be a steady force in all facets of the game for the Anteaters as she is averaging 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals. Lee, who has reached double figures in scoring in seven-straight contests, had a season-best 20 points at New Mexico (Nov. 27) where she was 7-for-12 from the floor and 3-of-5 from distance. The 5-foot-9 point guard also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 5. In addition, she has dished out a season-best six assists on two occasions. Lee is third in program history in career steals (187) and is seventh in threes made (121).

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (30) and in efficiency at 37% (minimum 5 3FG). She has knocked down multiple threes on 10 occasions with a career-high tying four vs. Saint Mary's (4-6) and at New Mexico (4-7). Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first game since suffering a knee injury in the opening quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. The 6-foot-1 guard, who is averaging 8.9 ppg, has reached double figures in scoring eight times, including three-straight from Jan. 2-9. She finished with a career-high 18 points at UNM on Nov. 27.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 116 consecutive appearances, 93 starts and 3,375 minutes are the most among UCI's active players. This year, Tom ranks second on the team in assists (46) and steals (24). The Fresno, California, native has also found her stride offensively as she had a season-best 11 points vs. UC San Diego on Jan. 11, 10 at Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 16, and eight at Cal Poly on Jan. 18. Over the last five games, Tom is shooting 50% (13-26) from the field, 36% (4-11) from distance and 80% (8-10) at the free throw line.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She has pulled down 5+ boards 10 times with a season-high nine in a 72-68 overtime win at Penn. She also has three double-figure scoring games with a season-best 11 at Drexel (Nov. 20), 10 vs. Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) and 10 vs. UC San Diego (Jan. 11). In those three contests, the 6-foot-2 forward combined to go 15-for-25 (60%) from the field. Dean has started 82 of 83 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season. 

UP NEXT
UC Irvine has one game on tap for next week, traveling to La Jolla to face UC San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at LionTree Arena.