ANCHORAGE, Alaska – UC Irvine women's basketball led wire-to-wire in a dominant 75-50 win over Bowling Green State University in the first game of the ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout Friday evening at Alaska Airlines Center.
 
The Anteaters (3-2) raced out to a 15-3 lead after the first 10 minutes of action. The Falcons cut the deficit to eight in the second period, but UCI closed the half on an 11-4 run to pull ahead, 33-18. The 'Eaters led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by as many as 31.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: For the second game in a row, five Anteaters reached double figures in scoring. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen (5-9 3FG) led the way with a career-high 15 points. After going 0-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first half, Madsen knocked down five of her six 3-point attempts over the final 20 minutes. She also swiped a career-best four steals.
 
Senior Jada Wynn notched her second-straight double-double with 14 points and a career-best 12 rebounds, to go along with a game-high six assists.
 
Freshman Nohe'alani Stores went 6-for-7 from the field for 13 points, while pulling down six boards. Junior Shirel Nahum and senior Hunter Hernandez added 10 points each. Freshman Ameerah Grant contributed a season-best eight points (3-6 FG).
 
The 'Eaters shot a season-best 42.6% from the field, and held Bowling Green to 23%. UCI also owned a lopsided advantage in points in the paint (32-16), and rebounds (45-38).
 
Paige Kohler paced the Falcons with 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Nahum started the scoring with a jumper one minute into the game. UC Irvine proceeded to go up, 6-0, before Bowling Green (1-4) got on the board with a free throw at the 5:32 mark. The Anteaters continued to roll, outscoring the Falcons, 9-2, over the final five minutes of the first quarter for a 15-3 lead. BGSU was 0-for-14 before its first made field goal with 1:03 on the clock.
 
After a layup from Wynn to open the second period, Bowling Green used an 11-5 spurt to close the gap to eight with 6:17 remaining. Another mid-range jumper from Nahum put the 'Eaters back on top by double digits. The Falcons then went 1-of-2 at the free throw line, but a triple from Wynn started a 9-3 rally that gave UCI a 33-18 advantage at the half.
 
Madsen knocked down the first of her five 3-pointers less than a minute into the third frame. Nahum followed with a jumper to give UC Irvine a 20-point cushion. BGSU answered with a triple and the two teams traded points over the next four minutes. The Anteaters then scored 10 unanswered with three-straight layups from Stores and back-to-back threes from Madsen making it 55-28 with 2:14 left. UCI maintained a 27-point margin (60-33) heading into the fourth.
 
The 'Eaters led by 20+ over the final 10 minutes, and went up by as many as 31 on another Stores layup at the 6:48 mark. The Falcons went on a late 11-2 run, before an and-1 from Haley Hernandez put UC Irvine on top, 73-48, with 2:52 to go. Both sides were held to a couple free throws the rest of the way, giving the Anteaters the 75-50 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine advances to the championship game of the Great Alaska Shootout where it will face either St. Thomas or tournament host Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 7:30 p.m. (AT)/8:30 p.m. (PT).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine scored 70+ points for the third time in five games.
• Last year, the Anteaters scored 70+ points five times.
• The 'Eaters allowed a season-low 50 points.
• Jada Wynn had her third outing with 6+ assists.
• Wynn and Hunter Hernandez are tied for the team lead with four double-figure scoring games each.
• Lauryn Madsen has made 15 3-pointers this season to lead the team.
• Madsen is the first Anteater to knock down five threes in a game since March 2, 2024.