IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine women's basketball faced a rare deficit heading into the fourth quarter, but stepped up to the challenge for a 74-68 comeback victory over UC Riverside Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (17-2, 8-0 Big West) trailed by two at the half, and by four after the third quarter. They then outscored the Highlanders, 20-10, over the final 10 minutes. UCI held UCR to just 2-of-11 shooting (18%) in the fourth period. Seniors Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn led the offensive charge, combining for 14 of the team's 20 points. The duo hit back-to-back threes to put the 'Eaters on top for good with 6:05 remaining.
 
"This was only the second time in conference we were down going into the fourth, so it was a good challenge for them to make sure they really cared about the defense," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "Once we started to buckle down and do that, I thought we did a good job. Holding them to one shot and getting those rebounds are the little things we need to get better at, but I thought we did a great job of closing it out."
 
UC Irvine extended its program-record win streak to 16 games and remained undefeated at home where it is 10-0.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Hunter Hernandez finished with a team-high 20 points and seven rebounds. It was her 10th 20-point performance of the season.
 
Jada Wynn added 18 points, seven boards, and six assists, while junior Summah Hanson and freshman Nohe'alani Stores chipped in eight points each. Hanson also had four rebounds and two blocks. Junior Shirel Nahum had an impressive stat line with seven points, seven boards, and four assists.
 
The Anteaters shot 44.4% (24-54) from the field and 39.1% (9-23) from beyond the arc. They outrebounded the Highlanders, 36-32.
 
UCR finished the game shooting 42.9% (24-56) overall and 30.4% (7-23) from deep. Hannah Wickstrom dropped a game-high 30 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Riverside (6-12, 4-4 Big West) buried a three on its opening possession before UC Irvine reeled off seven-straight points with consecutive triples from Wynn and Hanson giving the Anteaters a 7-3 lead at the 8:18 mark. The Highlanders came right back with an 8-0 run to reclaim the advantage. Back-to-back layups from Stores brought the 'Eaters even at 11-all with 2:48 remaining. Freshman Ameerah Grant eventually broke a 13-13 deadlock with a corner trey, but UCR got on the board in the final seconds to cut UCI's edge down to one at 16-15.
 
After the Highlanders pulled out front on a jumper to start the second period, UC Irvine used a 12-2 spurt, capped by a Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe triple, to go up, 28-19, at the 5:46 mark. UC Riverside called a timeout and proceeded to outscore the Anteaters, 15-5, the rest of the way, putting the visitors on top by one (34-33) at the half.
 
The seesaw battle continued in the third frame with eight lead changes. UCI went up 48-46 on a pair of Grant free throws with 3:09 left, but UCR closed on a 12-6 run for a 58-54 cushion.
 
The 'Eaters came out firing in the fourth quarter where they outscored UC Riverside, 20-10, to pull away for the win. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen set the tone with a 3-pointer in the first 25 seconds. UC Irvine extended that into a 13-3 rally which ended with a Nahum layup for a 67-61 advantage with 5:26 to go. Hernandez and Wynn each hit a big three during that stretch. The Highlanders ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought with a couple free throws to close the gap to four, but that was the closest they would get as Hernandez drained another clutch jumper. The 'Eaters then went 5-for-6 at the free throw line to seal the 74-68 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine is back in the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, when it hosts UC San Diego (12-6, 7-1 Big West) in a key conference showdown. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine took over sole possession of first place in the Big West standings, sitting one game ahead of UC San Diego.
• The Anteaters are 8-0 in Big West play for the first time in program history.
• This was only the second time this season the 'Eaters had to come back from a halftime deficit in a win.
• With her second rebound of the game, Hunter Hernandez became the 11th Anteater to join the 1,000-point and 500-rebound club.  
• Hernandez, who is eighth on UCI's all-time scoring list (1,888), is one point behind All-American and Hall of Famer Cheri Graham.
• Jada Wynn extended her streak of games played with a 3-pointer made to 17.
• Summah Hanson has recorded two blocks in three-straight outings.