UC Irvine (16-8, 10-4 Big West) at
CSUN (4-19, 2-12 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 20
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Premier America Credit Union Arena (2,500) - Northridge, Calif.

Cal State Bakersfield (2-23, 2-13 Big West) at
UC Irvine (16-8, 10-4 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball will start the week on the road, traveling to CSUN for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Feb. 20. The Anteaters then return to the Bren Events Center to host Cal State Bakersfield in their Breast Cancer Awareness Game on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• Last week, UC Irvine was dealt back-to-back losses for just the second time this season and first time since November. The Anteaters are second in the Big West standings, sitting 2.5 games back of league-leading Hawai'i and one game ahead of third-place UC San Diego.

• UCI ranks 14th in the country in scoring defense at 54.4 points allowed per game. The 'Eaters, who have not given up more than 50 points in five of their last six contests, are even better in conference where they are holding their opponents to 51.2 ppg.

• Junior Hunter Hernandez leads UC Irvine in both scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 17 of her 22 outings and owns a team-best two double-doubles.

• Senior Déja Lee reached a significant milestone in the Anteaters' 52-49 win at UC Davis on Feb. 1, as she scored her 1,000th career point on a clutch free throw with 17 seconds left in the game. Lee is the 15th member of UC Irvine women's basketball's 1K club. 

• Since 2020-21, UCI has combined for a league-leading 67-18 (.788) record in Big West play. During that stretch, the 'Eaters have not lost more than four conference games in a season.

BIG WEST STANDINGS
UC Irvine (10-4) is in a tight race for one of the coveted top-two seeds that receive a double-bye into the semifinals of the Big West Championships. The Anteaters are currently second where they are 2.5 games back of league-leading Hawai'i and one game ahead of third-place UC San Diego (9-5). UC Davis is also fourth with a 9-6 conference record.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
In its lone game last week, CSUN (4-19, 2-12 Big West) fell at Cal Poly, 75-34. The Matadors have lost nine of their last 10. Erika Aspajo is tops on the squad with 10.3 points and 4.9 assists per outing, but has not played since Jan. 30. Angie Ned, a UC Irvine women's basketball alum (2003-07), is in her first year as the head coach at CSUN. Ned was a two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year, and ranks fifth in UCI history with 1,333 career points.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield (2-23, 2-13 Big West) is coming off back-to-back road losses, falling at UC San Diego, 63-45, and at Cal State Fullerton, 78-68. Ary Dizon leads the Roadrunners with 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Taylor Caldwell is also tops on the squad in assists (47) and steals (30).

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine and CSUN are tied in their all-time series at 32 wins apiece. In the first meeting of the season, the Anteaters routed the Matadors, 68-39, at the Bren Events Center (Jan. 9). It was their sixth-straight win and largest margin of victory in the series.

UCI trails in its all-time series with Cal State Bakersfield, 13-12, but has won three in a row. The two teams met during The Big West's Bold Week back on Dec. 5, 2024, with the 'Eaters taking the 65-40 victory in Bakersfield.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine struggled from the perimeter in a 49-44 loss to league-leading Hawai'i last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters missed their first 11 3-point attempts and finished the game shooting a season-low 13.8% (4-29) from beyond the arc. The 'Eaters did a good job defensively, forcing 18 turnovers and holding the Rainbow Wahine to 32% overall and 3-of-17 from distance. UCI did not have a double-digit scorer for only the second time this season. Déja Lee and Hunter Hernandez tied for the team lead with eight points each. Hernandez also pulled down five rebounds, while Lee notched four boards and three assists. Nevaeh Dean added seven points and three blocks. Nikki Tom finished with five points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UC Irvine has become a powerhouse in The Big West under ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The 'Eaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last five years, including winning the first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than four conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 67-18 (.788) record during that stretch. The defending champion Anteaters have also advanced to the final of the Big West tournament three times in the last four years.

1K FOR DJ
Senior Déja Lee recently became the 15th member of UC Irvine's 1,000-point club. Lee reached the milestone on a free throw with 17 seconds left in a 52-49 win at UC Davis on Feb. 1, and has since moved up to No. 13 in program history (1,030). She is the first Anteater to accomplish the feat with all 1,000 points coming at UCI since Stephanie Duda in 2008. Transfers Diaba Konate '24 and Naomi Hunt '23 both scored 1,000 points in their collegiate careers that included three seasons at previous institutions. 

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 156 career victories. She is two wins behind Dean Andrea (158), who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. Inoue 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), four of their six 20-win campaigns and school records in both overall (25) and conference wins (16).

STEALING THE SHOW
Senior Nikki Tom is second among UCI's all-time leaders with 192 career steals. Tom has recorded multiple steals on 10 occasions this season, including in each of the last two games. She needs four more to tie the school record of 196 that was established by Andee Ritter in 2019. 

DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
UCI ended each of the last two seasons ranked among the top-15 in the nation in scoring defense. In 2023-24, the Anteaters allowed 55.7 ppg, which was 14th in all of NCAA Division I. In 2022-23, the 'Eaters were seventh in the country with a program-record 53.2 points allowed per contest. This year, they have held 17 of their 24 opponents to 60 points or less. As of Feb. 18, UC Irvine ranks 14th in the nation in both scoring defense (54.4 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (35.8%).

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
The Anteaters have used the same starting lineup in all but two games this season. Nevaeh Dean, Hunter Hernandez, Déja Lee, Nikki Tom and Olivia Williams have taken the court as the first five 22 times and UCI is 16-6 in those contests. Hernandez is the only one to have missed a start as she did not play in losses at New Mexico (Nov. 27) and at Denver (Nov. 30) due to an injury.

CAN'T GUARD THEM ALL
Seven 'Eaters, including all five starters, have knocked down 10+ 3-pointers this season. Olivia Williams leads the way with a team-high 33 threes. Déja Lee also has 28 and Hunter Hernandez has 24. Nikki Tom (13) and Nevaeh Dean (13) round out the starting five, while Summah Hanson has buried 16 triples off the bench. Lauryn Madsen joined the group with her 10th 3-pointer of the year last Saturday.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 77-26 (.748) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are 8-2 at the BEC this year. They have not lost more than four home games in each of the last seven seasons.

ON THE HUNT
Junior Hunter Hernandez, who sat out the 2023-24 campaign recovering from a knee injury sustained on Feb. 15, 2023, leads the team in scoring (13.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in 17 of her 22 outings with a pair of 20-point performances. In a 72-55 win over William & Mary on Nov. 11, Hernandez poured in a career-high 29, while she also finished with 20 at Penn on Nov. 21. In addition, Hernandez has two double-doubles this season with 18 points/10 rebounds at Cal Poly (Jan. 18) and 16 points/11 rebounds against Long Beach State (Jan. 30).

STEADY HAND
Reigning Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee has continued to be a steady force in all facets of the game for the Anteaters as she is averaging 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals. Lee, who has reached double figures in scoring 15 times, had a season-best 20 points at New Mexico (Nov. 27) where she was 7-for-12 from the floor and 3-of-5 from distance. The 5-foot-9 point guard also pulled down a career-high nine rebounds at Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 5. In addition, she has dished out a season-best six assists twice. Lee is tied for third in program history in career steals (188) and is seventh in threes made (127).

GIVE AND TAKE
Déja Lee leads UCI and ranks among the top-10 in The Big West in both assists (2.9 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Lee has dished out multiple assists in 20 of 24 games played, and had multiple steals on 11 occasions.

MAKING IT COUNT
Sophomore Summah Hanson is tops on the squad in free throw percentage (90%). Hanson has missed only six free throws on 60 attempts this season. The 6-foot-3 forward made her first 12 foul shots of the year before sinking 16 consecutive FTs from Nov. 21-Dec. 15. Hanson earned UC Irvine's lone 2024-25 Big West Player of the Week award on Nov. 25, following a season-best 20-point, 10-rebound effort in an overtime win at Penn. She is currently second on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg) and third in scoring (9.0 ppg).

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (33) and is second in efficiency at 34.4% (minimum 5 3FG made). She has knocked down multiple threes on 11 occasions with a career-high tying four vs. Saint Mary's (4-6) and at New Mexico (4-7). Williams' start in the season opener on Nov. 4 was her first game since suffering a knee injury in the opening quarter at Hawai'i on Jan. 19, 2023. The 6-foot-1 guard, who is averaging 8.1 ppg, has reached double figures in scoring nine times, including three-straight from Jan. 2-9. She finished with a career-high 18 points at UNM on Nov. 27.

IRON WOMAN
Senior Nikki Tom has played in every game since her arrival at UC Irvine in 2021-22. Her 121 consecutive appearances, 98 starts and 3,553 minutes are the most among UCI's active players. This year, Tom ranks second on the team in assists (57) and steals (35). The Fresno, California, native has also found her stride offensively as all three of her double-figure scoring efforts have come in Big West play.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. She has pulled down 5+ boards 12 times with a career-high 10 in a 56-49 win at UC San Diego on Feb. 8. She also has three double-figure scoring games with a season-best 11 points at Drexel (Nov. 20), 10 vs. Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) and 10 vs. UCSD (Jan. 11). In those three contests, the 6-foot-2 forward combined to go 15-for-25 (60%) from the field. Dean has started 87 of 88 games played in her two-plus years at UC Irvine. She transferred to UCI from Cincinnati prior to the 2022-23 season. 

UP NEXT
UC Irvine will host Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, Feb. 27, before making the short trip to Black & Blue Rival Long Beach State on Saturday, March 1.