IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team rolled to its fifth-straight win, toppling Colgate, 82-48, in the final game of the ZotGiving Classic Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (6-2) led by double digits for nearly 33 minutes, while their 34-point win was their largest margin of victory this season.

UCI set season bests in field goal percentage (50%), field goals made (31), 3-point field goals made (11), assists (24), turnovers forced (19), and steals (14). The 'Eaters capitalized on their strong defensive effort, scoring 29 points off turnovers.
 
"It was good to see solid numbers all four quarters," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I thought we did a good job of not rushing the offense and getting the right shot. We didn't just take the first open look, but kept the ball moving and got an even better shot."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: All 10 active players scored for UC Irvine. Senior Jada Wynn led the way with 18 points on a 6-of-11 shooting performance, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Wynn also had six assists and a team-best six rebounds.
 
Senior Hunter Hernandez (5-8 FG) and sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe (5-7 FG) added 14 and 13 points, respectively. Freshman Nohe'alani Stores made it a quartet of 'Eaters in double figures with 11 points, to go along with five rebounds and a career-high four steals. Junior Shirel Nahum chipped in eight points and a career-best seven assists.
 
UC Irvine forced 19 turnovers, while committing a season-low six miscues of its own. The Anteaters held a lopsided advantage in points off turnovers (29-4) and points in the paint (34-6). They also won the battle on the boards, 36-31.
 
Lara Cook paced Colgate (4-3) with 14 points and seven rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine scored the first seven points of the game before Colgate got on the board with a three at the 8:02 mark. The Raiders closed to within two before Hernandez bookended a 10-2 run with a pair of triples to give the Anteaters a 17-7 lead with 3:08 to go. After the two teams traded 3-pointers, freshman Ameerah Grant knocked down a couple free throws and Stores ended the first quarter with a layup to put the 'Eaters on top, 24-10.
 
UCI opened the second period on an 11-4 spurt, capped by back-to-back buckets from Stores, to make it 35-14 with 3:48 remaining. Colgate ended a three-minute scoring drought with a trey, but Wynn started and ended a 10-3 rally with her third and fourth threes of the half, to increase the Anteaters' cushion to 25. The Raiders drilled a 3-pointer in the final seconds, giving UC Irvine a 45-23 advantage at the break.
 
The 'Eaters continued to roll in the third frame with layups from Stores and Wynn pushing the margin to 49-23.  It went back-and-forth over the next few minutes before a pair of threes from Zonzon-Huyghe sparked a 12-0 run that put UCI up by 34 with 2:29 left. Colgate then scored the final five points of the quarter, including a triple at the buzzer, to make it 64-35.
 
UC Irvine led by at least 24 for the entire fourth period. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen scored her first points of the game on her team-leading 21st triple of the season. Sophomore Reese Noa also connected for her first three of the year, while freshman Despoina Baltzi scored four points in the final three minutes.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine begins conference play as part of The Big West's Bold Week, traveling to UC Riverside (Dec. 4) and CSUN (Dec. 6).
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has led by at least 17 in all six of its wins this season.
• The Anteaters have held each of their last four opponents to under 60 points.
• The 'Eaters improved to 4-0 at the Bren Events Center.
• They have now won eight-straight home games dating back to last year.
• UCI has committed fewer than 10 turnovers in its last two games.
• This was the first meeting with Colgate in UC Irvine women's basketball's 52-year history.