IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine women's basketball had five players reach double figures in scoring with two recording a double-double in a 90-75 win over Northern Arizona Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
Junior Shirel Nahum led the way with a game and career-high 23 points. Senior Jada Wynn also had a season-best 21 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Hunter Hernandez finished with 11 points and 11 boards.
 
The Anteaters (2-2) had their best offensive output of the year, setting season highs in points, field goals made (28), 3-pointers made (10), assists (18), and free throw percentage (92.3%).
 
The 'Eaters were also dominant on the boards where they owned a 48-32 advantage, including a 21-8 margin on the offensive glass.
 
"This was a good team win," UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said. "That's the way we're going to win this year. I don't think it's one or two players; obviously Hunter and Jada are big keys to our success, but they are happily sharing that ball. We have a lot of pieces here, and I think the way we win is through the team effort, so to see five in double figures makes me really happy."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Shirel Nahum and Jada Wynn both had their first 20-point performances at UC Irvine. Nahum was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Wynn was 4-for-7 from distance and 9-of-10 at the charity stripe. Wynn also dished out a game-high six assists.
 
Freshman Nohe'alani Stores notched her second double-digit scoring game of the year with 14 points (6-11 FG). Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe added a season-best 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with a pair of triples.
 
Seven of Hunter Hernandez's 11 rebounds were on the offensive end. She also had a team-best three steals.
 
NAU (1-3) had four in double figures, led by Naomi White's 21 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine scored the first four points of the game and proceeded to go up, 10-3, at the 5:57 mark. Northern Arizona responded with a triple, but back-to-back layups from Stores put the Anteaters on top by eight. After trading buckets, the Lumberjacks used an 8-2 spurt to cut the deficit to two, but Nahum drilled a three with 40 seconds on the clock to give UCI a 21-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.
 
Nahum started the second period the same way she ended the first, knocking down another 3-pointer. NAU came storming back to tie it up at 24-24, but the 'Eaters got buckets from Stores and Nahum to pull out front once again. Wynn then drained a couple threes to start an 8-0 rally that increased UC Irvine's cushion to double digits at 36-26. Northern Arizona closed to within five but another late trey from Nahum put the home team up, 39-31, at the break.
 
The Lumberjacks struck first in the third frame. The Anteaters then went on a 12-4 run, capped by threes from Wynn and Zonzon-Huyghe, for a 55-42 lead with 4:38 remaining. UCI went up by 17 late in the quarter before NAU connected from distance with eight seconds on the clock to make it 68-54.
 
Northern Arizona outscored the 'Eaters, 14-5, over the first six minutes of the fourth to close the gap to five at 73-68. Wynn then ended a three-plus minute scoring drought for UC Irvine with a big three at the 2:48 mark. After getting a stop on the defensive end, sophomore Lauryn Madsen followed with another triple to put the Anteaters on top, 79-68. The Lumberjacks came within seven with 2:07 on the clock, but clutch free throw shooting by Nahum kept the game out of reach.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back on the road next week, traveling to Anchorage for the Great Alaska Shootout, Nov. 21-22. The Anteaters will open the tournament against Bowling Green.
 
NOTES
• Dating back to last season, UC Irvine has won six consecutive home games.
• The Anteaters are now 83-26 (.761) at the Bren Events Center since 2017-18.
• UCI improved to 3-3 all-time against NAU after its first win in the series since 1999.
• This was the first meeting between the Anteaters and Lumberjacks since 2015.
• UCI had two players with a double-double in the same game for the first time since March 23, 2024.
• It was Hunter Hernandez's sixth career double-double and Jada Wynn's first.
• The Anteaters have made 23+ free throws in three of their four games.
• Wynn leads the way in that category as she is 28-of-35 at the charity stripe this season.
• Defensively, UCI has given up more than 60 points in three-straight games for the first time since Jan. 20-27, 2022.
• All four of UC Irvine's games this season have been decided by 12 or more points.