Cal State Bakersfield (5-7, 0-2 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-2, 2-0 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

Cal State Fullerton (6-6, 2-0 Big West) at
UC Irvine (11-2, 2-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball resumes conference play this week as they host Cal State Bakersfield in their Big West home opener Thursday, Jan. 1. The Anteaters then return to the hardwood to face Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, Jan. 3. Both games are set for a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Bren Events Center.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• Hunter Hernandez was the first individual to win three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards since February 2017 as she earned the honor on Dec. 8, 15, and 22. Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 10 consecutive outings, and dropped 25+ in three of the last four. Since Dec. 6, the 5-foot-9 guard is averaging 26.8 ppg, while shooting 49% from the field, 53% from beyond the arc, and 93% at the free throw line.

• UC Irvine is on a program-record 10-game win streak. Eight of those 10 victories were by double digits, and six came by a 20-plus point margin.

• The Anteaters are 11-2 on the season, matching their best record through 13 games as they also went 11-2 in 2018-19. 

• In their 11 wins this season, the 'Eaters have led for 408 of 440 minutes played. They trailed in a win only four times, falling behind Wichita State (1:16), CSUN (4:22), CBU (3:40), and NM State (6:06). The latter three games ended up being 17+ point victories for UCI. The Anteaters have not trailed at or after the half in all 11 of their wins.

• UCI leads the Big West in overall wins (11), scoring defense (57.8 ppg), scoring margin (+15.5), free throw percentage (82.6%), and FG% defense (35.2%). The 'Eaters were the only conference member without a non-Division I opponent on their preseason schedule.

SCHOOL RECORD STREAK
After a pair of road losses to drop to 1-2 in early November, UC Irvine has won a program-record 10 games in a row. The Anteaters' previous best was nine consecutive victories in 1976 and in 2022-23. During their current stretch, the 'Eaters own a +20.9 scoring margin, a +6.2 rebounding margin, and a +5.2 turnover margin. They are shooting 42% overall, 35% from beyond the arc, and 84% at the free throw line. UCI has scored 70+ points in each of its last six outings.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield (5-7, 0-2 Big West) was last in action on Dec. 20 when it won its third-straight game with an 85-72 victory over Eastern Washington. Crishawn Coleman leads the Roadrunners and is tied for third in the Big West with 17.8 points per outing. Tena Ikidi is also averaging 8.0 points and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (6-6, 2-0 Big West) closed out the 2025 calendar year with a 110-22 rout of NAIA member La Sierra on Dec. 28. Cristina Jones leads the Titans with 14.8 points per game, while Nicole Steiner is averaging 11.9 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest. CSF is tops in the Big West and second in the nation in steals (17.3 spg) and turnovers forced (29.0/gm).

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine and Cal State Bakersfield are tied in their all-time series at 13 victories apiece. The Anteaters defeated the Roadrunners twice last year, coming out on top, 65-40, in Bakersfield on Dec. 5, 2024, and 60-49 at the Bren Events Center on Feb. 22, 2025.

UCI leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 52-40. Last season, the 'Eaters swept the Titans for the second year in a row, claiming a 79-63 victory on the road (Jan. 16), and a 62-34 win at home (Feb. 27).

1,000 POINT CLUB
Senior Hunter Hernandez became the 16th member of UCI women's basketball's 1,000-point club on Dec. 13. Hernandez, who needed 21 points to reach the milestone, finished with a game-high 27 in a win over California Baptist. She has since moved up to No. 13 in program history with 1,055 career points. It is the second-straight season an Anteater hit the 1K benchmark as alum Déja Lee did it in 2024-25.

THREE-PEAT
Hunter Hernandez won three consecutive Big West Player of the Week awards from Dec. 8-22. The 5-foot-9 guard took home her first honor of the year following her first career 30-point game as she dropped 31 at CSUN. She was then recognized for a 27-point performance vs. CBU. Her 21st point against the Lancers was the 1,000th of her career. Hernandez made it three in a row after setting a career high for the second time in three weeks with 36 points in 34 minutes of a 93-72 victory at UTEP. She was 13-of-18 (72%) from the field, 4-for-5 (80%) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line against the Miners. Hernandez became the first individual to win three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards since February 2017.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
UC Irvine entered the College Insider Women's Mid-Major Top-25 for the first time since the final rankings of the 2023-24 season when they came in at No. 24 on Dec. 23. The Anteaters moved up three spots to No. 21 in this week's poll.

LAST TIME OUT
Hunter Hernandez went off for a career-high 36 points to lead the Anteaters to a 93-72 victory over UTEP in their non-conference finale on Dec. 18. It was UC Irvine's program-record 10th-straight win. 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. Jada Wynn finished with 11 points, seven boards, and seven assists. Shirel Nahum also had 11 points, four assists, and two steals. Summah Hanson chipped in a season-best nine points and six rebounds, while Lauryn Madsen went 3-of-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 outrebounded the Miners, 34-28.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 85-26 (.766) at the Bren Events Center. Last year, the 'Eaters went 12-2 in Irvine, tying the single-season school record for home wins. This year, the Anteaters are 5-0 with a +18.6 scoring margin at the Bren. Dating back to the 2023-24 season, the 'Eaters have won nine in a row at home.

WIDE MARGIN
In its 11 wins this season, UCI has led for 408:45 of 440 minutes played. The 'Eaters have been dominant as they have not trailed in seven of their 11 victories, and have outscored their opponents by 20.6 ppg in those contests. 

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
UCI ranks first in the Big West in scoring defense (57.8 ppg) and second in scoring offense (73.2 ppg). The Anteaters have finished with 70+ points in nine of their 13 games. They have also held their opponents to under 60 points on eight occasions. The 'Eaters have been among the top defensive teams in the nation over the last few years as they were 10th in scoring defense in 2024-25 (54.3 ppg), 14th in 2023-24 (55.7 ppg), and seventh in 2022-23 with a school-record 53.2 points allowed per game.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Through games of Dec. 29, UC Irvine ranks first in the Big West and second in the nation in in free throw percentage (82.6%). The Anteaters have five or fewer misses from the charity stripe in 10 of their 13 games. Individually, Hunter Hernandez is ninth in all of NCAA Division I in free throws made (68), and 23rd in free throw percentage (89.5%). Jada Wynn (86.6%), Shirel Nahum (86.1%), and Ameerah Grant (84.4%) are also shooting over 80% with at least 10 attempts from the foul line.

SCORING SPREE
Hunter Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 12 of 13 games this season. She has been on fire recently, averaging 26.8 ppg since Dec. 6. During that four-game stretch, the San Jose native is shooting 49% from the field, 53% from beyond the arc, and 93% at the free throw line. In her last outing at UTEP (Dec. 18), Hernandez dropped a career-high 36 points, which is tied for the fourth-highest individual scoring total in single-game school history. On the year, Hernandez leads the 'Eaters and ranks second in the conference with 17.9 points per contest. Hernandez, who is UCI's only returning starter, has 53 career double-figure scoring games, and 10 20+ point performances. She is a two-time first-team All-Big West selection (2024-25 and 2022-23), and made the All-Freshman Team in 2021-22. Hernandez missed the 2023-24 season with a second ACL injury.

FAMILY TIES
Senior Jada Wynn has returned home for the final season of her collegiate career. After spending the last two years at Texas Tech, the Yorba Linda native is back in Orange County to play in front of her family. One family member will be on the bench as Jada is the eldest daughter of UCI assistant coach Derek Wynn.

WYNN-ING MENTALITY
After averaging 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists at Texas Tech, Jada Wynn is putting up career numbers as an Anteater. She ranks second on the squad with 14.5 points per game, while leading the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg), assists (3.7 apg), and steals (1.5 spg). The 6-foot-1 guard owns 11 double-figure scoring games and five double-doubles, including in three of her last five outings. On Dec. 4, she had 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at UC Riverside. Two days later, Wynn put up 18 points and 12 boards at CSUN. She also notched 12 points and 11 rebounds against CBU (Dec. 13).

SHARPSHOOTER
After her only game without a 3-pointer made this season, sophomore Lauryn Madsen has responded by going 12-for-23 (52%) from beyond the arc in the last three contests. On Dec. 16, she matched her career high with 15 points on a 5-of-8 performance from distance at New Mexico State. She previously went 5-for-9 for 15 points in a win over Bowling Green on Nov. 21. Madsen was the first Anteater to knock down five threes in a game since March 2, 2024. The Warden, Washington, native also buried four treys against Wichita State (14 points), CBU (12 points), San Diego (12 points), and Idaho State (12 points). Madsen is second in the Big West in 3-pointers made (35). Only three of her 38 field goals and nine of her 104 attempts have been from inside the arc this season. In 35 career games played, Madsen has a triple in 26 of them, and drained multiple threes 12 times. For the season, the 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest. 

ON POINT
Junior Shirel Nahum has taken on the starting point guard role after the graduation of two-time first-team All-Big West selection and 2023-24 Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee. Nahum had a breakout performance in a 90-75 win over NAU as she finished with a career-high 23 points. Over the last eight games, Nahum has settled in as a primary playmaker with 27 assists (3.4 apg). She dished out a career-best seven dimes in a win over Colgate on Nov. 29. On the season, Nahum is averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals.

STATEMENT DEBUT
Freshman Nohe'alani Stores, who has reached double figures in scoring on five occasions, ranks fifth on the team with 7.5 points per game. She is also tops on the squad in field goal percentage (61.4%). In her collegiate debut against San Diego, the 6-foot-2 forward tied for the team lead with a season-high 17 points (7-8 FG). Stores reached double figures again in wins over NAU (14), Bowling Green (13), Colgate (11), and St. Thomas (10). 

FRENCH CONNECTION
Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe (La Roche-sur-Yon, France) is in her first season at UCI, making it the fourth year in a row the Anteaters have a native of France on their roster. Zonzon-Huyghe, who is averaging 6.0 ppg, had a  season-best 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-4 3FG) against Colgate on Nov. 29. She also reached double figures with 10 (5-8 FG) at CSUN and 10 vs. Northern Arizona (4-5 FG). The 5-foot-9 guard has been efficient this season, shooting 53.6%. Zonzon-Huyghe came to Irvine after an impressive year at Arizona Western College where she was an NJCAA second-team All-American.

SUMMAH TIME
Junior Summah Hanson is averaging 7.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks since making her season debut against California Baptist on Dec. 13. Last year, which was her first at UCI, Hanson was named the Big West's Best Sixth Player. She appeared in all 31 games, averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per outing. 

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UCI has become a powerhouse in the Big West under 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The Anteaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last six years, including the first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than five conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 74-19 (.796) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last five years, winning it all in 2023-24.

THE GOAT
Tamara Inoue has cemented her legacy as the most accomplished head coach in program history. On Feb. 27, 2025, Inoue earned her 159th career victory to surpass Dean Andrea (1979-1991) as UCI's all-time winningest head coach. Inoue owns a 172-118 career record in her nine-plus seasons at the helm. She has led UC Irvine to a pair of Big West Championships, four of the Anteaters' five national postseason appearances, their first victory in a national postseason tournament (WNIT), five of their seven 20-win campaigns, and single-season school records in both overall (25) and conference (16) wins.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine continues Big West play at Black & Blue Rival Long Beach State next Thursday, Jan. 8. The Anteaters then host Hawai'i in a 2 p.m. showdown at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 10.