EL PASO, Texas – Senior Hunter Hernandez went off for a career-high 36 points to lead the UC Irvine women's basketball team to a 93-72 victory over UTEP in their non-conference finale Thursday evening at Don Haskins Center. It was the Anteaters' program-record 10th-straight win.
 
"We put the pressure on our team to win the 10th to see if they could handle it, so I'm really proud of their effort tonight," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Hunter Hernandez was spectacular again and really carried our team. Collectively, we shot the ball well, got to the line, and did a good job defending, but what I'm most proud of is we outrebounded a really good team. We still have a lot of season left, but this was a great way to finish the preseason."
 
UCI (11-2) never trailed in its sixth victory by 20+ points. After the Miners tied it up at 4-4, the 'Eaters pulled out front for good on a three from Shirel Nahum with 6:39 left in the first quarter. UC Irvine built a 15-point advantage at the half before erupting for 32 points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Hernandez led the charge with 13 points in both the second and third periods.
 
The Anteaters handed UTEP its first home loss of the season as the Miners dropped to 7-3.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Hernandez's 36 points came on a 13-of-18 shooting performance. She was 4-for-5 from 3-point range and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. The 5-foot-9 guard added six rebounds.
 
Senior Jada Wynn finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Junior Shirel Nahum also had 11 points, four assists, and two steals.
 
Junior Summah Hanson chipped in nine points and six boards, while sophomore Lauryn Madsen went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc for nine points.
 
UCI shot a season-best 56.6% (30-53) from the field and 50% (9-18) from distance. The 'Eaters were also 24-of-29 (82.8%) at the charity stripe. They outrebounded the Miners, 34-28, and despite committing three more turnovers, they won the battle in points off turnovers (21-18).
 
UTEP shot 39.7% overall, 28.6% from 3-point range, and 74.1% at the foul line. Portia Adams paced the Miners with 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine won the tip and Wynn quickly put the Anteaters on the board with a turnaround jumper. UTEP pulled even at 4-4 before a 3-pointer from Nahum started an 11-4 run that gave UCI a 15-8 lead with 2:48 remaining. The Miners closed the gap to two, but the 'Eaters finished strong for a 21-15 cushion at the end of the first quarter.
 
Madsen and Hernandez each buried a three in the first two minutes of the second period to put UC Irvine on top, 27-17. The teams proceeded to trade baskets until back-to-back triples from Hernandez increased the Anteaters' margin to 37-22 at the 4:56 mark. UCI continued to roll, going up by as many as 18. UTEP then connected from downtown with the clock winding down to make it 43-28 at the half.
 
The 'Eaters outscored the Miners, 19-11, over the first six minutes of the third frame to take a 23-point lead (62-39). Nahum started the stretch with four points, while Hernandez added nine, including seven in a two-minute span. UC Irvine remained hot on the offensive end, going up 75-50 on a Hernandez jumper right before the buzzer.
 
The Anteaters stayed in control over the final 10 minutes to close out the 2025 calendar year with a 21-point victory.  
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is idle for the next two weeks before returning to action against Cal State Bakersfield in its Big West home opener on Thursday, Jan. 1. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Bren Events Center.
 
NOTES
• UCI set season highs in points (93), FG% (56.6%), and 3FG% (50%).
• This was UC Irvine's second game with 90+ points, and sixth-straight with 70+ points.
• The Anteaters' 32 third-period points were their most in a quarter this season and tied for the fifth-most in program history.
• The 'Eaters improved to 11-0 when leading at halftime.
• UCI has not trailed in seven of its 11 victories.
• Hunter Hernandez had her second 30-point game of the season, topping her previous best of 31 at CSUN.
• Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in nine-straight outings.
• Lauryn Madsen is 12-for-23 from behind the arc over the last three games (52%).
• Jada Wynn dished out 5+ assists for the fifth time this year.
• Ameerah Grant extended her streak of consecutive free throws made to 16.