2024-25 Women's Basketball Season Review
3/28/2025
UC Irvine women’s basketball had a milestone-filled season in 2024-25. Tamara Inoue became the all-time winningest head coach in program history, while Nikki Tom broke the career steals record. Déja Lee also joined the 1,000-point club. As a team, the Anteaters recorded their fourth consecutive 20-win campaign. Four of those victories came against schools that made the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Statistically, UCI was once again one of the top defensive squads in the nation, ranking fifth in field goal percentage defense (35.4%) and 10th in scoring defense (54.3 ppg). Below is a look at some key moments from another special season.
Nov. 7, 2024 - UC Irvine earned its first win of the year, defeating Pepperdine, 65-56, in front of 1,867 fans at the Bren Events Center. On their third annual Kids Day, the Anteaters welcomed over 1,500 elementary students from local Title 1 schools. UCI used the energy from the largest home crowd of the season to pull away in the third quarter where it outscored the Waves, 24-8.
Nov. 11, 2024 - The ‘Eaters rolled to a 72-55 victory over William & Mary, which ended up winning the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and its NCAA First Four game. The Tribe were unable to slow down Hunter Hernandez, who finished with a career-high 29 points. She went 8-for-18 from the field, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. Olivia Williams also had 15 points.
Nov. 21, 2024 - UC Irvine closed out the first trip to Philadelphia in program history with a 72-68 overtime victory at Penn. It was a tough battle from start to finish with 21 lead changes and 10 ties through 45 minutes. Summah Hanson stepped up for the Anteaters with the team’s first double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. Hernandez also poured in 20 points for the ‘Eaters, who earned their fifth-straight win.
Dec. 5, 2024 - UCI led wire-to-wire in a 65-40 victory at Cal State Bakersfield, marking the fifth consecutive year the Anteaters won their Big West opener. Shirel Nahum and Summah Hanson tied for the team lead with 12 points each, while Déja Lee pulled down a career-high nine rebounds.
Dec. 15, 2024 - UC Irvine defeated eventual WCC tournament champion Oregon State, 60-48, at Gill Coliseum. It was UCI’s second victory in its all-time series with the Beavers, and first since December 3, 1999.
Jan. 18, 2025 - The ‘Eaters earned the first of their six Big West regular-season series sweeps with a 59-57 win at Cal Poly. The Mustangs were up 57-56 and had possession, but were off the mark on a 3-point attempt. Hunter Hernandez collected the rebound before quickly calling a timeout with 14 seconds left. The Anteaters advanced the ball and with time winding down, got it back to Hernandez, who drove the lane for the layup and the foul. She converted the free throw for the 59-57 lead with 1.3 ticks on the clock. Hernandez finished with a double-double, notching 18 points and 10 boards.
Jan. 30, 2025 - UC Irvine took down Black & Blue rival Long Beach State, 61-47, at the Bren Events Center. UCI stifled a Beach offense that entered the contest averaging 70.6 ppg. Hunter Hernandez finished with a game-high 16 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double in as many weeks. Déja Lee added 15 points, while Nikki Tom registered 11 points and a game-high four steals. It was the 600th victory in program history.
Gallery: Women's Basketball vs. Long Beach State
Feb. 1, 2025 - Déja Lee reached a significant milestone in the Anteaters’ 52-49 road win over UC Davis. Lee scored her 1,000th career point on a clutch free throw with 17 seconds left in the game. She joined elite company as only the 15th member of UC Irvine women’s basketball’s 1,000-point club.
Feb. 8, 2025 - The ‘Eaters came alive in the third quarter to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and run away with a 56-49 win at UC San Diego. UCI outscored the Tritons, 31-17, over the final 20 minutes. Hunter Hernandez had a game-high tying 15 points, while Nevaeh Dean corralled a game and career-high 10 rebounds. The Anteaters completed the Big West season sweep over UCSD, which went on to win the Big West Championship as the tournament’s No. 4 seed.
Feb. 20, 2025 - UC Irvine recorded the sixth 100-point game in program history and first since Nov. 9, 2021, with a 100-56 win at CSUN. The Anteaters were lights out in the first half where they shot 61.5% (24-39) from the field and 64.7% (11-17) from beyond the arc. Shirel Nahum led four ‘Eaters in double figures with a career-high 18 points. Ines Gnahore (6-9 FG) and Hunter Hernandez (5-5 FG) both finished with 15 points. Déja Lee chipped in 11 points and a game-high seven assists.
Feb. 27, 2025 - Two school records were broken in UCI’s 62-34 victory over Cal State Fullerton at the Bren Events Center. Nikki Tom became the Anteaters’ all-time steals leader with her 197th career takeaway that came just one minute and 19 seconds into the game. The win was also the 159th under the direction of Tamara Inoue, making her the program’s all-time winningest head coach. Summah Hanson had an impressive outing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
March 6, 2025 - UCI closed on a 9-0 run with Nikki Tom knocking down the game-winner in a thrilling 55-53 home win over UC Davis. With time winding down, Tom calmly drained a shot from just inside the arc to give the ‘Eaters the two-point advantage with 1.6 seconds on the clock. The Aggies were unable to get a shot off on their final possession as UC Irvine came away with its 20th win of the season. The victory also clinched a top-two seed in the Big West Championships for the fifth year in a row.
March 8, 2025 - The Anteaters ended the regular season with an emphatic 62-49 win over UC Santa Barbara. It was the final home game for graduating seniors Nevaeh Dean, Déja Lee, Amelia Scharpf and Nikki Tom. UCI caught fire in the third quarter where it went 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Five of those 3-pointers came in the final three minutes as the ‘Eaters quickly saw a two-point lead balloon to 14 by the end of the period. They led by double digits the rest of the way.
