IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine closed out the game on a 9-0 run with senior Nikki Tom knocking down the game-winner in a thrilling 55-53 victory over UC Davis Thursday at the Bren Events Center.
 
Tom's first and only basket of the night came when the Anteaters needed it most. With time winding down, the 5-foot-9 guard calmly drained a shot from just inside the arc to give UCI the two-point advantage with 1.6 seconds on the clock. The Aggies called a timeout to advance the ball, but Summah Hanson stole the inbounds pass to give the 'Eaters their 20th win of the season.
 
UC Irvine (20-9, 14-5 Big West) secured its fourth-straight 20-win campaign. The Anteaters also clinched a top-two seed in the upcoming Hercules Tires Big West Championships.
 
"Nikki is a winner," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "She knows when it's time to score so I knew she was going to take that shot. The stat sheet doesn't always show how valuable she is, but Nikki by far is my most valuable player."
 
"The play was for (Déja Lee) to take it down and go 1-on-1, but my person went and doubled so I was open," Tom said about the game-winning play. "Before it even started, Amelia (Scharpf) told me be ready to shoot so I was really prepared and knew my teammates trusted me to have that moment. Once I got it, I saw (the defender) closing out at me, took one dribble and pulled up."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Junior Hunter Hernandez led the 'Eaters with 12 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Senior Dejá Lee finished with 10 points, a game-high six assists and four boards, while junior Olivia Williams added 10 points (4-6 FG) and a career-high three blocks.
 
Sophomore Summah Hanson pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. Hanson also had seven points, including a clutch three that started the Anteaters' late rally.
 
Graduate student Nevaeh Dean contributed seven points, six rebounds, three steals, and one block. 
 
UCI shot 36.0% from the field and held UC Davis to 35.2%. UCD owned a slight 36-33 edge on the boards.
 
Megan Norris led the Aggies with a game-high 15 points. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Davis (18-11, 12-7 Big West) opened the scoring with a jumper at the 8:20 mark before UC Irvine scored 11 unanswered over the next three minutes. The run saw five points from Hernandez, including the Anteaters' first three of the night, to give UCI a nine-point lead. The Aggies then used an 8-0 run of their own to pull within one (11-10) with 3:18 to go. The 'Eaters and the Ags traded buckets the rest of the way, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Williams, as the home team maintained a 16-15 advantage.
 
UC Irvine sank the first bucket of the second quarter with a tip-in from Dean, but UC Davis scored the next five to take a 20-18 lead at the 8:42 mark. The Anteaters utilized a 7-0 spurt, with four points from Shirel Nahum and a triple from Ines Gnahore, to regain a 25-20 margin with 2:19 left. The Aggies then scored five-straight to tie it up at 25-all at the break. 
 
The 'Eaters started the third period on a 7-1 run that began with a layup from Lee, followed by another Williams 3-pointer to increase their cushion to 32-26 at the 7:28 mark. UC Davis then outscored UCI 13-6 to end the quarter and go up, 37-36, at the buzzer. 
 
UCD connected from distance to start the fourth frame, but UC Irvine responded with a 6-2 rally, capped by a three from Dean, to tie it up (44-44) with 7:28 remaining. The Aggies proceeded to score seven unanswered for their largest lead of the night, 51-44, at the 5:04 mark.
 
The Anteaters punched back with a 9-2 run, including five-straight points from Hanson and a game-tying jumper from Lee with 2:46 to play. After empty possessions on both sides, the 'Eaters finally broke through, taking the 55-53 edge on a jumper from Tom with 1.6 seconds on the clock. UC Davis had one more possession, but Hanson stole the inbounds pass to seal the win. UCI held the Aggies scoreless over the final 4:25.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center for its regular-season finale against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, March 8. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet. The Anteaters will hold their Senior Day Ceremony after the game.
 
NOTES
• Five of UC Irvine's seven 20-win seasons have come under ninth-year head coach Tamara Inoue.
• The Anteaters will finish among the top-two in the Big West for the sixth-straight year.
• With a top-two seed, UCI receives a double-bye into the semifinals of the Big West Championships.
• The 'Eaters swept the regular-season series with UC Davis for the first time since 2014.
• UCI improved to 11-2 at home this year.
• Dejá Lee increased her career steals total to 197, giving her sole possession of No. 2 in the school record books.
• Hunter Hernandez scored her 800th career point.