IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in another dominant Big West win as they routed CSUN, 68-39, Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
All three of the Anteaters' conference wins have come by 20+ points this season. In those three contests, they have allowed just 39.0 points per game with a +25.3 scoring margin.  
 
UC Irvine (9-5, 3-1 Big West) had an impressive defensive performance against CSUN, forcing 26 turnovers with a season-high 17 steals. The 'Eaters also outrebounded the Matadors, 45-28, with 22 offensive boards.
 
UCI raced out to a 20-0 lead and never looked back. CSUN was able to close the gap to five in the second quarter, but after calling a timeout, the Anteaters closed on a 10-4 run to go up, 35-24, at the half. They kept the momentum after the break, outscoring the Matadors, 21-5, in the third frame to put the game well out of reach.
 
"Defensively, we have to learn how to play for four quarters," said head coach Tamara Inoue, who picked up her 149th career win. "But, I was proud of them for the third quarter. They came out and kept (CSUN) under 10 points, and we also did a good job of rebounding tonight."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Dejá Lee finished with a game-high 15 points and added four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. 
 
Junior Olivia Williams recorded her third-straight double-figure scoring game with 12 points, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line, while also finishing with four boards, four assists, one steal, and a block. 
 
Junior Hunter Hernandez notched 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Freshman Lauryn Madsen rounded out a quartet of double-digit scorers for the 'Eaters with a season-best 10 points. Madsen also chipped in two rebounds, two steals and an assist.
 
The Anteaters shot 38.2% from the field and were a perfect 8-of-8 at the charity stripe. They scored 29 points off of 26 turnovers forced, and held a 19-6 advantage on second chance opportunities.
 
CSUN (3-11, 1-4 Big West) shot 29.5% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc. Morgan Edwards led the Matadors with 11 points and four rebounds. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine raced out to a 20-0 lead at the 3:20 mark. Before the opening tip, Williams knocked down two free throws after an administrative technical was called on CSUN. The in-game run was then highlighted by three buckets from Lee, including two from beyond the arc, and four points from Hernandez. The Matadors eventually got on the board with a 3-pointer at the 2:23 mark as the Anteaters held a 20-4 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
 
UCI and CSUN traded buckets over the first two minutes of the second period, before the Matadors scored 11 unanswered, including three-straight triples from Edwards, to close the gap to 25-20 with 3:43 remaining. The 'Eaters then used a 10-4 run to go back up by double-digits, 35-24, at the half. 
 
UC Irvine held CSUN to just five points in the third, outscoring the visitors 21-5 to increase its cushion to 56-29 heading into the final frame. The Anteaters made four 3-pointers in the quarter with two from Madsen, one from Hernandez and one from Williams.
 
The 'Eaters opened the fourth with three-straight buckets to take their largest lead of the night at 62-29 with 7:50 to play. After the Matadors went on a mini 8-0 spurt, UCI held them to just two points over the final five minutes to seal the 68-39 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 11, when it takes on UC San Diego at 2 p.m.
 
NOTES
• CSUN's four points in the first and five points in the third were the two lowest-scoring quarters the Anteaters have allowed this season.
• The 'Eaters have not seen a lead change in their first four Big West games.
• UC Irvine extended its home win streak to five games.
• UCI had four double-digit scorers for the third time this season, but first since Nov. 16.
• Dejá Lee is now in sole possession of fourth among UCI's all-time steals leaders with 184 career takeaways.
• Lee also dished out her 200th career assist.
• Hunter Hernandez surpassed 600 career points, while Olivia Williams eclipsed the 400-point benchmark.
• Lauryn Madsen, who made her collegiate debut on Dec. 15, knocked down her first career 3-pointer with 2:05 left in the third quarter.
• Olivia Williams buried multiple threes for the fourth-straight game and eighth time this season.