CSUN (3-10, 1-3 Big West) at
UC Irvine (8-5, 2-1 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

UC San Diego (6-9, 2-1 Big West) at
UC Irvine (8-5, 2-1 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 11
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is home for two Big West games this week, starting on Thursday, Jan. 9, when it welcomes CSUN to the Bren Events Center for a 6 p.m. showdown. The Anteaters will then square off against UC San Diego at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• First-year CSUN head coach Angie Ned is a UC Irvine women's basketball alum. Ned was a standout for the Anteaters from 2003-07. She amassed 1,333 career points which is still tied for fifth among UCI's all-time leading scorers.

• Senior Déja Lee is tied for fourth in school history with 180 career steals. She is on pace to break the all-time school record as she is 16 behind Andee Ritter who swiped a program-best 196 steals from 2015-19. Lee is also eighth in school history with 114 career 3-pointers made, and is 97 points away from becoming the 15th member of UC Irvine's 1,000-point club.

• Sophomore Summah Hanson ranks first in The Big West and 20th in the nation in free throw percentage (91.1%). Hanson made her first 12 foul shots of the season and also sank 16 consecutive free throws from Nov. 21-Dec. 15. 

• There have been no lead changes through UCI's first three Big West games. The Anteaters never trailed in dominant wins over Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly, and never led in last Saturday's 59-54 loss at UC Riverside.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 59-15 (.797) record during that stretch. The Anteaters have placed among the top-two in each of the last five Big West regular-season standings.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN (3-10, 1-3 Big West) split its two games last week, defeating Cal State Fullerton, 79-76, in overtime before falling at UC Davis, 68-41. Erika Aspajo has sparked the Matador offense in her seven games played as she is averaging 10.4 points and 5.3 assists per outing. Yves Cox is also tops on the squad in rebounding (6.8 rpg).

SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego (6-9, 2-1 Big West) is coming off a 57-45 win over Cal State Fullerton. The Tritons will make their way to Cal Poly (Jan. 9) prior to Saturday's contest at UCI. Sumayah Sugapong, the 2023-24 Big West Freshman of the Year and 2024-25 All-Big West Preseason Team selection, leads UCSD with 12.7 points and 4.0 assists per game. Kayanna Spriggs is also averaging 11.0 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds on the season.

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with CSUN, 32-31, but has won five in a row against the Matadors. Last year, the Anteaters earned a 67-63 victory on the road (Jan. 27) and a 64-54 triumph at the Bren Events Center (Feb. 29). Déja Lee led the 'Eaters, averaging 18.0 points, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals in the two wins.

UCI leads in its all-time series with UC San Diego, 12-2, and is 6-2 since the Tritons made the move to Division I in 2020-21. The Anteaters split the regular-season series last year, defeating UCSD, 57-49, in La Jolla (Jan. 18), and dropping a 69-65 overtime decision at home (Feb. 24).

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine nearly overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, but its late rally fell just short in a 59-54 loss to UC Riverside last Saturday at the SRC Arena. The Anteaters struggled early to contain a hot-shooting Highlander squad that went 17-for-27 (62.9%) from the field in the first half. UCI regrouped at the break, limiting UCR to 33% over the final 20 minutes. After trailing by as many as 16 early in the third quarter, the 'Eaters cut the deficit to one with 50 seconds left in the game, but the Highlanders answered with a clutch three and were then able to seal the victory at the free throw line. Déja Lee finished with a game-high 15 points. She also had four assists and three steals. Hunter Hernandez was just shy of a double-double with 13 points and a season-best nine rebounds, while Olivia Williams had her second-straight double-figure scoring effort with 11 points.

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UC Irvine has become a powerhouse in The Big West under ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The Anteaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years, including 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 59-15 (.797) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 73-25 (.745) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are 4-1 at home this year. They have not lost more than four home games in each of the last seven seasons.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
UC Irvine was picked second in The Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll. The defending Big West Champion Anteaters earned five of the 11 first-place votes and 95 total points in a narrow race with Hawai'i, which won the 2023-24 Big West regular season title. The Rainbow Wahine (96) received six first-place votes to come in one point ahead of the 'Eaters. Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee was named to the All-Big West Preseason Team. Lee was also included on the World Exposure Report's Top-50 Mid-Major Players to Watch list.

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 points per game, 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 nine of their 13 opponents to 60 points or less, including a season-low 38 vs. Cal Poly. As of Jan. 7, the Anteaters rank second in The Big West and 30th in the nation in scoring defense (55.8 ppg).

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 148 career victories. She is only 10 wins behind Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue, the 2021 co-Big West Coach of the Year, 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 903 career points, putting her 97 away from joining the 1,000-point club. If she accomplishes the feat, she would be the first Anteater to do so since Stephanie Duda in 2008.

MAKING IT COUNT
Sophomore Summah Hanson is tops in The Big West and 20th in the nation in free throw percentage (91.1%). Hanson has missed only four free throws on 45 attempts this season. She made her first 12 foul shots of the year and had a season-long streak of 16 consecutive FTs made 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 (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in eight of her 11 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. Hernandez added 18 points vs. Cal Poly, 15 vs. Saint Mary's, 13 vs. New Mexico State, 13 at UC Riverside, 11 at Oregon State and 11 vs. Pepperdine. 

PERFECT START
Junior transfer Ines Gnahore (Salt Lake CC) made her NCAA Division I debut at Oregon State on Dec. 15, finishing with three points (1-1 3FG), one rebound and one steal. The 5-foot-9 guard proceeded to make the first seven shots of her Anteater career before a 3-point miss in the third quarter vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 2. Through four games, Gnahore is averaging 6.3 points, while shooting 90% (9-10) overall and 66.7% (2-3) from distance.

SUMMAH TIME
Summah Hanson has made an immediate impact at UC Irvine as she is tied for the team lead in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and ranks second in scoring (11.3 ppg). Hanson, a sophomore transfer from Sacramento State, has reached double figures in scoring seven 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' only double-double of the season. She was named The Big West Player of the Week (Nov. 25) for her effort. 

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (22) and is third in efficiency (minimum 5 3FG) at 36.7%. She has knocked down multiple threes on seven occasions, including 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 has found her rhythm on the court, reaching double figures in scoring six times with a career-high 18 points at UNM. 

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 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.2 steals. She ranks among the top-five in The Big West in the latter two categories. Lee had a season-best 20 points at New Mexico 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 tied for fourth in program history in career steals (180) and is eighth in threes made (114).

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 110 consecutive appearances, 87 starts and 3,193 minutes are the most among UCI's active players. The Fresno, California, native is among the Anteaters' top-three in assists (31) and steals (16) this season. She has 23 career double-figure scoring performances and was a 2022-23 All-Big West honorable mention selection. Last year, Tom led the team with an 86.0 free throw percentage (49-57), which is the seventh-best in single-season school history.

STEALING THE SHOW
Déja Lee is tied for fourth among UC Irvine's all-time leaders with 180 career steals, while Nikki Tom is right on her heels in a tie for eighth (173). 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.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She has pulled down 5+ boards seven times with a season-high nine in a 72-68 overtime win at Penn. She also recorded back-to-back double figure scoring games for the first time in her collegiate career with 10 points vs. Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) and a season-best 11 at Drexel (Nov. 20). In those two games, the 6-foot-2 forward went 10-of-18 (56%) from the field. Dean has started 76 of 77 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season. 

FAMILIAR ROAD
After playing their first four games of the season at home, the 'Eaters hit the road for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year. They had a 46-day stretch where they played seven games with trips to Philadelphia, Albuquerque, Denver, Bakersfield, Corvallis and Eugene. Following its final non-conference game at the University of Oregon on Dec. 19, UCI had a two-week layoff over winter break before its Big West home opener against Cal Poly on Jan. 2. The 46 days in between home games was the second-longest stretch among NCAA DI teams this year, behind only Columbia (47).

UP NEXT
UC Irvine is back on the road next week, traveling to Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 16) and Cal Poly (Jan. 18).