IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine women's basketball team kicked off the 2025-26 campaign with a 72-54 win over the University of San Diego Wednesday at the Bren Events Center.
 
UCI (1-0) hosted its annual Kids Day as local elementary schools made up most of the crowd of 1,204 that cheered the Anteaters on to the 18-point victory.
 
The 'Eaters came out ready to play, draining their first three triples. They continued to roll, going up by as many as 15 in the opening quarter. USD responded in the second period where it held a 17-11 advantage to close the gap to five. UC Irvine then erupted for 28 points on 70% shooting from the field in the third frame to put the game out of reach.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: A pair of newcomers led four Anteaters in double figures as senior transfer Jada Wynn and freshman Nohe'alani Stores finished with 17 points each. In her collegiate debut, Stores was 7-of-8 from the floor. Wynn was also 9-for-9 at the free throw line and dished out a game-high seven assists.
 
"Jada is a natural born leader by trade," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I'm really proud of her seven assists and her rebounding. With Lani, we've been following her since eighth grade, so having her here is an exciting piece for us. She has a Division I body coming in and loves contact so all we have to do is set her up for success. I thought my staff did a really good job of getting her ready."
 
Preseason All-Big West selection Hunter Hernandez had 13 points and six rebounds. The senior went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen was also 4-of-8 from deep for a career-high 12 points. Madsen added a team-leading eight boards. Junior Shirel Nahum totaled six points, four assists, and three steals.
 
The 'Eaters shot 40.8% overall and 39.1% from distance, while holding the Toreros to 32.2% and 30.4%, respectively. UCI also won the battle in free throws made (23-9), rebounding (37-33), assists (16-7), and turnovers forced (16-15).
 
Kylie Ray paced San Diego with a game-high 23 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: Three-pointers from Wynn, Madsen, and Hernandez propelled UC Irvine to an 11-3 game-opening run. The Anteaters continued to roll, taking a 20-5 lead following a layup by Wynn at the 2:03 mark. San Diego closed on a 5-1 spurt to make it 21-10 at the end of the first quarter.
 
The Toreros (1-1) kept the momentum on their side in the second period. The visitors closed the gap to 25-22 with 4:47 remaining in the half. After the media timeout, the 'Eaters got a couple free throws from Wynn, and a Stores layup to increase their margin to seven. UCI stayed out front, holding a 32-27 edge at the break.
 
USD started the third frame with a 3-pointer, but Madsen answered with her third triple of the game. The sides traded points until another layup from Stores and a trey from Wynn pushed the lead to 10 (42-32). San Diego drew back within seven, but UC Irvine outscored the Toreros, 15-7, over the final five minutes to go on top, 60-45.
 
The Anteaters were up by double digits for the entire fourth quarter. They led by as many as 21 before closing out the 72-54 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will head to the University of Arizona for a 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT game on Sunday, Nov. 9.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine is now 4-0 when hosting Kids Day at the Bren Events Center.
• The crowd of 1,204 is tied for eighth in the program's attendance records.
• The Anteaters snapped a five-game skid in their all-time series with San Diego.
• It was their first win over the Toreros since 2008.
• Four of the 11 'Eaters who logged minutes made their NCAA Division I debuts.