UC Davis (12-5, 5-1 Big West) at
UC Irvine (15-2, 6-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball welcomes UC Davis to the Bren Events Center for their lone game of the week on Saturday, Jan. 17. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UCI is on a program-record 14-game win streak. It is the fourth-longest active win streak in all of NCAA Division I, behind only defending national champion UConn (32), Texas Tech (19), and Vanderbilt (17). The Anteaters are 15-2 on the season and 6-0 in Big West play. The 'Eaters are unbeaten through six conference games for the second time in program history. The 2022-23 squad went 7-0 before their first Big West loss.

• Senior Hunter Hernandez is putting together one of the best seasons in program history. The 5-foot-9 guard ranks second in the Big West and 29th in the nation with 19.2 points per game. She has nine 20-point performances, including in each of her last five outings. On Dec. 18, Hernandez dropped a career-high 36 at UTEP, which is tied for fourth among UCI's single-game scoring leaders. Hernandez is also the first Anteater to win four weekly awards in a season, increasing her career total to a school-record six. She was the first student-athlete to claim three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors since February 2017 when she took home the accolade on Dec. 8, Dec. 15, and Dec. 22. Hernandez, who became the 16th member of UC Irvine's 1,000-point club on Dec. 13, is now six rebounds away from 500 in her career. She would be just the 11th player in program history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

• Twelve of the Anteaters' 15 victories have been by a double-digit margin, while six have been by 20+ points. In their wins this season, the 'Eaters have trailed for only 42:20 of 600 minutes played. Last Saturday's 50-47 victory over Hawai'i was the first time UCI faced a halftime deficit, and the first time its opponent held the lead for more than seven minutes in a win. UC Irvine has led wire-to-wire on seven occasions. 

• Despite being the only Big West team without a non-Division I opponent on its preseason schedule, UC Irvine leads the conference in overall wins (15), scoring defense (57.1 ppg), scoring margin (+15.0), field goal percentage defense (.347), turnovers (13.7/gm), and free throw percentage (.813).

• Senior Jada Wynn has made a significant impact in a short amount of time at UCI. In her first year with the Anteaters, the Texas Tech transfer ranks second on the team in scoring (15.2 ppg), while leading the squad in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg). Wynn, who has started all 17 games, has 15 double-figure scoring performances, including four with 20+ points, and a team-best five double-doubles. She has also dished out 5+ assists on seven occasions.

SCHOOL RECORD STREAK
After a pair of road losses to drop to 1-2 in early November, UC Irvine has won a program-record 14 games in a row. The Anteaters' previous best was nine consecutive victories in 1976 and in 2022-23. During their current stretch, the 'Eaters are averaging 74.6 ppg, while owning a +18.8 scoring margin. Since Nov. 15, they are shooting 41% overall, 35% from beyond the arc, and 82% at the free throw line.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis (12-5, 5-1 Big West) was handed its first Big West loss last week, falling to UC Santa Barbara, 55-47, on Jan. 8. The Aggies bounced back two days later with an 87-61 win over Cal Poly. They also took down Cal State Fullerton on the road, 73-67, on Thursday, Jan. 15. Ryann Bennett leads UCD with 16.5 points and 3.9 assists per outing, while Megan Norris is averaging a double-double with 12.2 points and a conference-best 11.4 rebounds. Norris is also tops in the league with 32 blocks. As a team, UC Davis ranks 12th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (9.4) and 13th in threes attempted (28.7).

SERIES RECORD
UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Davis, 35-16, but has won four of the last five. The Anteaters swept the 2025 regular-season series, defeating the Aggies, 52-49, in Davis on Feb. 1, and 55-53 at the Bren Events Center on March 6. One week later, UCD snapped a four-game skid against the 'Eaters with a 63-56 Big West semifinal victory in Henderson, Nevada.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
UC Irvine moved up one spot to No. 13 in this week's College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll. The 'Eaters, who had been receiving votes for three-straight weeks in December, entered the top-25 on Dec. 23.

WEEKLY AWARD REPEAT
Hunter Hernandez became the first Anteater in program history to win four Big West Player of the Week awards in a season when she earned the honor on Jan. 12. Hernandez's fourth recognition came after leading UCI to another 2-0 week with game-highs of 21 points at Long Beach State and 20 vs. Hawai'i. The 5-foot-9 guard previously claimed three consecutive player of the week nods from Dec. 8-22. Hernandez took home her first of the year following her first career 30-point game at CSUN (31). She was bestowed with the award once again for a 27-point performance vs. CBU. Her 21st point against the Lancers was the 1,000th of her career. Hernandez made it three in a row after setting a career high for the second time in three weeks with 36 points in 34 minutes of a 93-72 victory at UTEP. She was 13-of-18 (72%) from the field, 4-for-5 (80%) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line against the Miners. Hernandez was the first individual to win three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards since February 2017.

DYNAMIC DUO
Seniors Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn have been the top duo in the Big West this year. In conference games, Hernandez leads the league in scoring (23.5 ppg), while Wynn is fourth (17.2 ppg). Wynn (7.8 rpg) and Hernandez (7.2 rpg) also rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in rebounding. In addition, Wynn sits among the top-four in free throw percentage (87.5%), 3FG percentage (47.2%), 3FG made per game (2.8), assists (3.8 apg), and assist/turnover ratio (1.77). Hernandez and Wynn have combined for 13 of the Anteaters' 14 20-point performances this season. They scored 20+ in the same game against Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 1) and at LBSU (Jan. 8).

LAST TIME OUT
UC Irvine showed its resolve down the stretch of a 50-47 victory over Hawai'i last Saturday at the Bren Events Center. For the first time during their 14-game win streak, the Anteaters faced a second-half deficit. Trailing by five early in the fourth quarter, the 'Eaters came back to take a 45-38 lead with 5:36 to play. UH closed the gap to one, but Jada Wynn, who scored UCI's final five points, came up clutch, sinking a turnaround jumper in the paint with 20 seconds on the clock to seal the three-point win. Hunter Hernandez led all players with 20 points. Wynn added 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Lauryn Madsen, who had a career-high six steals at LBSU two days earlier, swiped five against the 'Bows. Summah Hanson had another solid performance with five points, eight boards, and two blocks, while Shirel Nahum had five assists.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 88-26 (.772) at the Bren Events Center. Last year, the 'Eaters went 12-2 in Irvine, tying the single-season school record for home wins. This year, the Anteaters are 8-0. Dating back to the 2024-25 season, they are winners of their last 12 at home. 

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
UCI ranks first in the Big West in scoring defense (57.1 ppg), and second in scoring offense (72.1 ppg). The Anteaters have finished with 70+ points in 11 of their 17 games, while holding their opponents to under 60 points on 11 occasions. The 'Eaters have been among the top defensive teams in the nation over the last few years as they were 10th in scoring defense in 2024-25 (54.3 ppg), 14th in 2023-24 (55.7 ppg), and seventh in 2022-23 with a school-record 53.2 points allowed per game.

GETTING TO THE LINE
Through games of Jan. 15, UCI ranks third in all of NCAA Division I in free throw percentage (81.3%) and fourth in free throws made (18.7/gm). The Anteaters have five or fewer misses from the charity stripe in 13 of their 17 games. Individually, Hunter Hernandez is ninth in the nation in free throws made (94), while Jada Wynn (85.7%) is among the top-50 in FT percentage with a minimum 2.5 made per game. Ameerah Grant (87.2%), Hernandez (85.5%), Shirel Nahum (84.1%), and Lauryn Madsen (80%) are also shooting 80% or better from the foul line. Grant has made 23 consecutive free throws.

1,000 POINT CLUB
Senior Hunter Hernandez became the 16th member of UCI women's basketball's 1,000-point club on Dec. 13. Hernandez, who needed 21 points to reach the milestone, finished with a game-high 27 in a win over California Baptist. She has since moved up to 10th in program history with 1,149 career points. It is the second-straight season an Anteater hit the 1K benchmark.

SCORING SPREE
Since Dec. 6, Hunter Hernandez is averaging 25.1 points per contest, while shooting 45% from the field, 51% from distance, and 84% at the free throw line. During that eight-game stretch, the San Jose native has seven 20-point outings, including in each of the last five. In the non-conference finale at UTEP (Dec. 18), Hernandez went off for a career-high 36 points, which is tied for the fourth-highest individual scoring total in single-game school history. On the year, she leads the 'Eaters, is second in the Big West, and 26th in the nation with 19.2 ppg. Hernandez, who is UCI's only returning starter, is a two-time first-team All-Big West selection, and made the All-Freshman Team in 2021-22. She missed the 2023-24 season with a second ACL injury.

FAMILY TIES
Senior Jada Wynn has returned home for the final season of her collegiate career. After spending the last two years at Texas Tech, the Yorba Linda native is back in Orange County to play in front of her family. One family member will be on the bench as Jada is the eldest daughter of UCI assistant coach Derek Wynn.

WYNN-ING MENTALITY
After averaging 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists at Texas Tech, Jada Wynn is putting up career numbers as an Anteater. She ranks second on the squad with 15.2 points per game, while leading the team in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and assists (3.8 apg). The 6-foot-1 guard has 15 double-figure scoring games, four 20-point performances, and five double-doubles, including three-straight from Dec. 4-13. She started the streak with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at UC Riverside (Dec. 4). Two days later, Wynn put up 18 points/12 boards at CSUN. She also notched 12 points/11 rebounds vs. CBU (Dec. 13).

SHARPSHOOTER
Sophomore Lauryn Madsen is second on the squad and tied for third in the Big West with 38 made threes. On Dec. 16, she matched her career high with 15 points on a 5-of-8 performance from distance at New Mexico State. She previously went 5-for-9 for 15 points in a win over Bowling Green on Nov. 21. Madsen was the first Anteater to knock down five 3-pointers in a game since March 2, 2024. The Warden, Washington, native also buried four treys against Wichita State (14 points), CBU (12 points), San Diego (12 points), and Idaho State (12 points). On the season, only four of her 42 field goals and 10 of her 126 attempts have been from inside the arc. In 39 career games played, Madsen has a triple in 29 of them, and drained multiple threes 12 times. This year, the 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 2.0 steals per contest. 

ON POINT
Junior Shirel Nahum has taken on the starting point guard role after the graduation of two-time first-team All-Big West selection and 2023-24 Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee. Nahum had a breakout performance in a 90-75 win over NAU as she finished with a career-high 23 points. Nahum has also settled in as a primary playmaker with 3+ assists in 11 of her 17 appearances. She dished out a career-best seven dimes in a win over Colgate on Nov. 29. On the season, Nahum is averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.4 steals.

STATEMENT DEBUTS
Freshman Nohe'alani Stores, who has reached double figures in scoring on five occasions, is fifth on the team with 6.9 points per game, and ranks second in field goal percentage at 55.6%. In her collegiate debut against San Diego, the 6-foot-2 forward tied for the team lead with a season-high 17 points (7-8 FG). Stores reached double figures again in wins over NAU (14), Bowling Green (13), Colgate (11), and St. Thomas (10). Freshman Ameerah Grant has also been a significant contributor off the bench in her first collegiate season. Grant has scored in 12 of her 17 outings, finishing with a season-best 19 points at New Mexico State and 11 at UC Riverside. She has been lights out at the free throw line where she is 34-of-39.

SUMMAH TIME
Junior Summah Hanson is averaging 5.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks since making her season debut against California Baptist on Dec. 13. She has pulled down 5+ rebounds in six of her seven appearances with a best of nine boards against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 3. Last season, which was her first at UCI, Hanson was named the Big West's Best Sixth Player. She appeared in all 31 games, averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per outing. 

LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
UCI has become a powerhouse in the Big West under 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue. The Anteaters placed among the top-two in the conference in each of the last six years, including the first regular-season title in program history in 2022-23. Since 2020-21, UC Irvine has not lost more than five conference games in a season, combining for a league-leading 78-19 (.804) record during that stretch. The 'Eaters also advanced to the championship game of the Big West tournament three times in the last five years, winning it all in 2023-24.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine closes out a four-game Big West homestand next week when it welcomes UC Riverside (Jan. 22) and UC San Diego (Jan. 24) to the Bren Events Center.