Cal State Fullerton (7-19, 5-11 Big West) at
UC Irvine (18-8, 12-4 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 27
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

UC Irvine (18-8, 12-4 Big West) at
Long Beach State (13-12, 9-7 Big West)
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 1 p.m. (PST)
Location: Walter Pyramid (4,200) - Long Beach, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine begins the penultimate week of the regular season at the Bren Events Center, hosting Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27. The Anteaters then head to Black & Blue rival Long Beach State on Saturday, March 1, for a 1 p.m. showdown that will be broadcast on Spectrum SportsNet.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• With her season-high tying four steals against Cal State Bakersfield last Saturday, senior Nikki Tom tied Andee Ritter for the most career steals in program history at 196. Tom's next takeaway will give her sole possession of the school record. UCI's next victory will also be the 159th under the leadership of Tamara Inoue, which would make her the program's all-time winningest head coach in just her ninth season, which includes a shortened 2020-21 campaign.

• UC Irvine ranks eighth in the country in field goal percentage defense (.354) and 12th in scoring defense (54.2 ppg). The Anteaters, who have allowed fewer  than 60 points in eight of their last nine contests, are even better in conference where they are holding their opponents to a league-leading 51.4 ppg.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has combined for a conference-best 69-18 (.793) record in Big West play. During that stretch, the 'Eaters have not lost more than four league games in a season.

• Junior Hunter Hernandez leads UCI in both scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg). Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 19 of her 24 outings and owns a team-best two double-doubles.

• Senior Nevaeh Dean has recorded at least one block in six-straight games. She is tops on the squad with 1.1 blocks per outing.

BIG WEST STANDINGS
UC Irvine (12-4) is in a tight race for one of the top-two seeds that receive a double-bye into the semifinals of the Big West Championships. The Anteaters are currently second where they are two games back of league-leading Hawai'i (14-2) and 1.5 games ahead of third-place UC Davis (11-6). UC San Diego is also fourth with a 10-6 conference record.

SCOUTING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton (7-19, 5-11 Big West) fell to UC Santa Barbara, 80-56, in its lone game last week. Aaliyah Stanton leads the Titans in scoring (14.3 ppg), assists (2.0 apg) and steals (1.5 spg). Eva Levingston has also registered a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest, while Aixchel Hernandez is averaging 9.0 points, 7.3 boards and 2.0 blocks.

SCOUTING THE BEACH
Long Beach State (13-12, 9-7 Big West) is coming off a split where it defeated UC Riverside, 75-69, before dropping a 73-58 decision at UC Santa Barbara. Savannah Tucker leads The Big West in scoring (17.4 ppg), while Rachel Loobie is tops in the conference in rebounding (8.4 rpg). Jada Crawshaw is also averaging 10.5 points per outing, and Patricia Chung has dished out a team-high 3.0 assists per contest.

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with Cal State Fullerton, 51-40. The 'Eaters, who have won 11 of the last 12, defeated the Titans, 79-63, on the road in the first meeting on Jan. 16. Hunter Hernandez recorded a team-best 16 points and six rebounds, while Déja Lee had 15 points (11-13 FT). Aaliyah Stanton paced CSF with a game-high 17 points.

UCI trails in its all-time series with Long Beach State, 64-25, but has won four in a row. In the first meeting of the season, the Anteaters took down the Beach, 61-47, at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 30. Hernandez finished with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds. Lee (15), Nikki Tom (11) and Olivia Williams (10) also reached double figures in scoring for the 'Eaters.

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine completed the regular-season series sweep against Cal State Bakersfield with a 60-49 victory over the Roadrunners last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters did not trail after pulling ahead by two with 5:23 to go in the first quarter. They went up by as many as 15 in the third before a late 'Runner rally made it a six-point game with 5:52 to play. Hunter Hernandez answered with a pair of free throws and UCI proceeded to outscore the visitors, 9-4, down the stretch. Déja Lee finished with a game-high 15 points. She was a perfect 8-of-8 at the charity stripe. Hernandez also reached double figures with 14 points to go along with seven rebounds. Nevaeh Dean added nine points, six boards and three blocks, while Nikki Tom had a game-high four steals.

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. 25, UC Irvine ranks 12th in the nation in scoring defense (54.4 ppg) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (35.6%).

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 78-26 (.750) at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters are 9-2 at the BEC this year. They have not lost more than four home games in each of the last seven seasons.

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 69-18 (.793) 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 became the 15th member of UC Irvine's 1,000-point club earlier this season. 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. 12 in program history (1,056). 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
Head coach Tamara Inoue is tied for the most wins in program history with Dean Andrea, who spent 13 years at the helm from 1978-1991. UCI's next victory will be the 159th under Inoue and will make her the program's all-time winningest head coach in just her ninth season, which includes a shortened 2020-21 campaign. It will cement Inoue's legacy as the most accomplished head coach in program history as she has also 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 tied for first with Andee Ritter (2015-19) among UCI's all-time leaders with 196 career steals. Her next steal will give her sole possession of the school record. Tom has notched multiple steals on 11 occasions this season. 

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 24 times and UCI is 18-6 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 35 threes. Déja Lee also has 31 and Hunter Hernandez has 28. Nikki Tom (13) and Nevaeh Dean (13) round out the starting five, while Summah Hanson and Lauryn Madsen have buried 19 and 13 triples, respectively, off the bench.

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 (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in 19 of her 24 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). On Feb. 20, Hernandez was perfect from the floor, going 5-for-5 overall, 3-of-3 from deep and 2-for-2 at the free throw line for 15 points at CSUN.

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 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals. Lee, who has reached double figures in scoring 17 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, and dished out a season-best seven assists at CSUN on Feb. 20. Lee is third in program history in career steals (189) and sixth in threes made (130).

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 UCI'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 OT win at Penn. She is currently second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and third in scoring (8.8 ppg).

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (35) and in efficiency at 34% (minimum 5 3FG made). She has knocked down multiple threes on 12 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 7.8 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 123 consecutive appearances, 100 starts and 3,590 minutes are the most among UCI's active players. This year, Tom ranks first on the team in steals (39) and second in assists (62). The Fresno, California, native has also found her stride offensively with all three of her double-figure scoring efforts coming in Big West play.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 5.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. She has pulled down 5+ boards 13 times with a career-high 10 in a 56-49 win at UC San Diego on Feb. 8. She also has a team-leading 28 blocks, including at least one in each of the last six outings. Offensively, Dean owns 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 89 of 90 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 closes out the regular season at home next week. The Anteaters will entertain UC Davis on Thursday, March 6, before hosting UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 8. UCI will recognize its four seniors after Saturday's game.