UC Irvine (15-6, 9-2 Big West) at
UC San Diego (11-12, 7-4 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: LionTree Arena (4,000) - La Jolla, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball continues a three-game Big West road stretch at UC San Diego on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at LionTree Arena.

STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• Senior Déja Lee reached a significant milestone in the Anteaters' 52-49 win at UC Davis last Saturday, Feb. 1, as she scored her 1,000th career point on a clutch free throw with 17 seconds left in the game. Lee is only the 15th member of UCI women's basketball's 1K club. She is also the first 'Eater to accomplish the feat with all 1,000 points coming at UC Irvine since Stephanie Duda in 2008. Lee currently ranks 14th in program history with 1,003 career points. The 5-foot-9 point guard is also tied for second in steals (188) and is seventh in 3-pointers made (124).

• UCI's nationally-ranked defense, which is 14th in the country at 54.5 points allowed per game, has held its last three opponents to under 50, including Long Beach State (69.2 ppg) and UC Davis (67.6 ppg), who lead The Big West in scoring offense. Overall, the Anteaters have limited 15 of their 21 opponents to 60 points or less. They gave up 70+ only once in a preseason loss at Big Ten member Oregon (71).

• Junior Hunter Hernandez leads the 'Eaters in both scoring (13.5 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg). Hernandez has reached double figures in scoring in 15 of her 19 outings and owns a team-best two double-doubles with 16 points/11 rebounds against Long Beach State on Jan. 30 and 18 points/10 boards at Cal Poly on Jan. 18.

• Senior Nikki Tom has been a catalyst in the Anteaters' recent stretch where they have won seven of their last eight games. In UCI's first meeting with UC San Diego, Tom buried three triples and finished with a season-high 11 points. She matched that total with 11 in a 61-47 victory over Long Beach State and had 10 in a 79-63 triumph at Cal State Fullerton. Since Jan. 11, Tom is averaging 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals, while shooting 50% from the field (20-40) and 43% (6-14) from beyond the arc.

• Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has combined for a league-leading 66-16 (.805) record in Big West play. During that stretch, the Anteaters have not lost more than four conference games in a season. In addition, they have been swept in a Big West series only twice with both coming against Hawai'i (2022 and 2024). The 'Eaters returned the favor in 2023 when they won their two regular-season games against the Rainbow Wahine.

1K FOR DJ
Senior Déja Lee is officially the 15th member of UC Irvine's 1,000-point club. Lee reached the 1K milestone on a free throw with 17 seconds left in a 52-49 win at UC Davis on Feb. 1. 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. 

BIG WEST STANDINGS
UC Irvine (9-2) sits a half-game back of Hawai'i (10-2) in the Big West standings after the Rainbow Wahine's win over Cal Poly on Thursday evening. The Anteaters are 1.5 games ahead of UC Davis (8-4) in third, while UC San Diego sits in fourth at 7-4.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego (11-12, 7-4 Big West) has won five of its last six after a 72-49 victory at UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 6. Sumayah Sugapong, the 2023-24 Big West Freshman of the Year, is tops on the squad with 14.1 points, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals per contest. Sabrina Ma is also averaging 10.9 points, while leading the team in 3-pointers made (53) and 3FG percentage (41.1%).

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with UC San Diego, 13-2, and is 7-2 since the Tritons made the move to Division I in 2020-21. The Anteaters took the first meeting of the season, defeating UCSD, 73-66, in Irvine on Jan. 11. Summah Hanson led five 'Eaters in double figures with 15 points (5-5 FG, 5-5 FT). Sabrina Ma buried five 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 17 points for UC San Diego.

LAST TIME OUT
Déja Lee scored her 1,000th career point in UC Irvine's 52-49 road win over UC Davis last Saturday. Lee reached the milestone on a clutch free throw with 17 seconds left in the game. Hunter Hernandez knocked down a couple threes to give the Anteaters a 47-40 lead with 3:14 remaining. The Aggies chipped away, cutting their deficit to two before Lee's free throws put UCI on top, 51-47. UCD got a second-chance layup before Hernandez converted 1-of-2 foul shots on the other end. The home team got the ball back with 0.7 ticks on the clock, but their 3-point attempt was off the mark. Hernandez led the 'Eaters with a team-best 13 points. Summah Hanson also finished with nine points and a game-high tying nine rebounds. Lee added eight points and two assists, while Nevaeh Dean tallied seven points. Nikki Tom also notched six points, five boards and two assists.

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 66-16 (.805) 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.

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 15 of their 21 opponents to 60 points or less. As of Feb. 7, UC Irvine ranks 14th in the nation in scoring defense (54.5 ppg) and 21st in field goal percentage defense (36.2%).

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 19 times this season and UCI is 15-4 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
Six 'Eaters, including all five starters, have knocked down 10+ 3-pointers this season. Olivia Williams leads the way with a team-high 32 threes. Déja Lee also has 25, while Hunter Hernandez has 20. Nikki Tom (11) and Nevaeh Dean (10) round out the starting five, while Summah Hanson has buried 16 triples off the bench.

CLIMBING THE RANKS
Ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue ranks second among the program's all-time winningest coaches with 155 career victories. She is three 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 Déja Lee is tied for second among UCI's all-time leaders with 188 career steals, while senior Nikki Tom is right on her heels in a tie for fourth (186). They are both on pace to surpass the school record of 196 that was established by Andee Ritter in 2019. Tom entered the program's top-10 after her four steals in the opener vs. New Mexico State. Lee, who set a single-season school record with 82 steals last year, also cracked the top-10 with her 160th career takeaway at Drexel on Nov. 20.

GIVE AND TAKE
Déja Lee leads UCI and ranks among the top-seven in The Big West in both assists (2.9 apg) and steals (1.7 spg). Lee has dished out multiple assists in 17 of 21 games played, and had multiple steals on 11 occasions.

ON THE HUNT
Junior Hunter Hernandez has not missed a beat in her return to the court. 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 (5.7 rpg). The 5-foot-9 guard has scored 10+ points in 15 of her 19 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 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals. Lee, who has reached double figures in scoring 14 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 on two occasions. Lee is tied for second in program history in career steals (188) and is seventh in threes made (124).

MAKING IT COUNT
Sophomore Summah Hanson is tops in The Big West and 18th in the nation in free throw percentage (89.8%). Hanson has missed only six free throws on 59 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 Big West Player of the Week award this season on Nov. 25, following a season-best 20-point, 10-rebound effort in an overtime win at Penn. She is currently tied for first on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and third in scoring (9.8 ppg).

THREE-POINT THREAT
Junior Olivia Williams is tops on the squad in 3-pointers made (32) and in efficiency at 36.8% (minimum 5 3FG). 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 8.5 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 118 consecutive appearances, 95 starts and 3,449 minutes are the most among UCI's active players. This year, Tom ranks second on the team in assists (49) and steals (29). The Fresno, California, native has also found her stride offensively as she had a season-best 11 points vs. UC San Diego (Jan. 11) and Long Beach State (Jan. 30). Since Jan. 11, Tom is shooting 50% (20-40) from the field and 42.9% (6-14) from beyond the arc.

DEAN DELIVERS
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean is averaging a career-best 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She has pulled down 5+ boards 10 times with a season-high nine in a 72-68 overtime win at Penn. She also has three double-figure scoring games with a season-best 11 at Drexel (Nov. 20), 10 vs. Saint Mary's (Nov. 16) and 10 vs. UC San Diego (Jan. 11). In those three contests, the 6-foot-2 forward combined to go 15-for-25 (60%) from the field. Dean has started 84 of 85 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 a three-game road stretch at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 13. The Anteaters then return home to close out their regular-season series with Big West co-leader Hawai'i on Saturday, Feb. 15.