HENDERSON, Nev. – The second-seeded UC Irvine women's basketball team's second-half rally came up just short in a 63-56 loss to No. 3 seed UC Davis in the semifinals of the Hercules Tires Big West Championships, presented by Credit Union 1, Friday at Lee's Family Forum.
 
The Aggies (21-11) got out to a quick start, taking a 15-2 lead less than four minutes into the game. They proceeded to go up by as many as 21 late in the second quarter and held a 35-16 advantage at the half.
 
The Anteaters (21-10) then got going in the third frame where they shot 62.5% (10-16) and were 4-of-5 from distance. UCI outscored UCD, 26-12, to make it a five-point game. It remained close over the final 10 minutes with the 'Eaters closing to within one on two occasions, but they were never able to take the lead as UC Davis held on to advance to tomorrow's championship game.
 
"I'm proud of our fight," head coach Tamara Inoue said in a postgame press conference. "We fought back really well and didn't give up; I don't think my teams ever do. So I'm just really proud of my team for finishing the game strong."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Hunter Hernandez finished with a team-high 15 points. Senior Déja Lee added 13 points, while junior Ines Gnahore had 10 (4-6 FG). Hernandez and Lee fueled the second-half comeback as they combined for 25 of the team's 40 points over the final 20 minutes.
 
Senior Nevaeh Dean notched a team-leading eight rebounds and two blocks. Senior Nikki Tom dished out a game-high five assists.
 
UCI shot 34.4% (21-61) overall and 22.7% (5-22) from deep. The Anteaters scored 25 points off 20 Aggie turnovers, while committing only nine miscues of their own.
 
UC Davis closed out the game shooting 42.2% (19-45) from the field and 44.4% (8-18) from beyond the arc. UCD won the battle on the boards, 40-30. Tova Sabel led the way with 21 points, and Megan Norris had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Davis went 5-for-7 from the field over the first four minutes to take a 15-2 lead. UC Irvine then used a 5-0 run, capped by a Summah Hanson layup, to cut the deficit to eight at the 4:56 mark. The two teams traded points the rest of the way as UCD held a 19-9 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.
 
Lee got the scoring started in the second period with a jumper, but the Aggies answered with three consecutive triples to begin a 13-0 rally that put them on top, 32-11, with 3:32 remaining. Gnahore then provided a spark with a layup and the Anteaters' first 3-pointer of the game before UC Davis buried its seventh triple in the final minute to pull ahead, 35-16, at the half.  
 
The 'Eaters came out of the break firing with back-to-back threes from Hernandez and Lee starting an 11-0 run that made it an eight-point game (35-27) with 6:55 to go. The Aggies went back up by double digits before a 6-1 spurt, capped by an and-1 from Lee, cut it to 45-40 with 1:16 left. Both sides got one more bucket before the end of the quarter giving UCD a 47-42 edge.
 
It was a seesaw battle in the fourth period. UCI was within one on two occasions, the second on a Gnahore layup that made it 53-52 at the 4:34 mark. UC Davis then slowed the Anteaters' momentum as Sabel drained a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down. The Aggies increased their margin to six before a Gnahore free throw followed by an and-1 from Hernandez brought it back to two (58-56) with just over a minute to play. That was the closest the 'Eaters would get with UCD finishing on a 5-0 run.
 
 
NOTES
• The Aggies snapped UC Irvine's four-game win streak in the all-time series.
• UCI swept UC Davis in the regular-season series for the first time since 2014.
• Déja Lee ranks 10th in program history with 1,108 career points.
• Nikki Tom increased her school record career steals total to 205.
• Summah Hanson surpassed 700 career points (702).