IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine women's basketball came out on top in a battle of two of the Big West's early unbeaten teams as they defeated Cal State Fullerton, 64-51, Saturday afternoon at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters, who have won 12 in a row, improved to 13-2 overall and 4-0 in conference.
 
It went back-and-forth in the first quarter where there were four lead changes, but UCI pulled out front for good at the 2:38 mark. The 'Eaters built a double-digit advantage late in the second period and never looked back, going up by as many as 20 in the third frame. The Titans did use a late push to make it a 10-point game with just under two minutes left in regulation, but that was the closest they would get as UC Irvine held CSF scoreless the rest of the way, while tacking on three more points from the foul line.
 
Cal State Fullerton (7-7, 3-1 Big West), which entered the game leading all of NCAA Division I in turnovers forced, got the Anteaters to commit a season-high tying 23 miscues, but only held a 17-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
"Fullerton came in with a lot of confidence; they have been doing really well in conference," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "They create a lot of chaos and a lot of turnovers, and we kind of played to their hand today with 23 of them. Once we started to control that and understand the pace we did better. I thought the first three quarters we did a good job with that, then the fourth quarter we kind of relaxed and needed to finish stronger, but I'm proud of our team for getting this win."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Hunter Hernandez had her third-straight outing with 20+ points as she tallied a game-high 26. Hernandez also had eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
 
Senior Jada Wynn finished with 10 points, four boards, and four assists. Junior Summah Hanson had one of her best performances since making her season debut on Dec. 13, finishing with six points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. Freshman Ameerah Grant chipped in six points, and classmate Nohe'alani Stores pulled down seven boards.
 
UCI outrebounded Cal State Fullerton, 47-43. The 'Eaters also shot 37% overall, while holding the Titans to 27%, including one 3-pointer on 21 attempts (4.8%).
 
Despite missing 10 free throws for just the second time this season, the Anteaters owned a lopsided advantage at the line where they were 24-of-34 compared to 12-of-25 for CSF.
 
Cristina Jones led Cal State Fullerton with 21 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine started the scoring with a corner three from sophomore Lauryn Madsen at the 8:55 mark. The lead would change hands three times over the next few minutes. Cal State Fullerton went up 8-5 before a Wynn triple tied it with 4:28 remaining. That started a 9-3 run that gave the Anteaters a 14-11 edge at the end of the first quarter.
 
After trading buckets in the opening minute of the second period, the 'Eaters used a 7-2 spurt to pull ahead, 23-15, at the 5:54 mark. Grant hit a big 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down during that stretch. The Titans got back on the board after the media timeout, but UCI reeled off nine-straight points to go up, 32-17, with 1:30 left. Jones, who scored all nine of CSF's second-quarter points, went 3-for-4 from the free throw line over the final 45 seconds to close the gap to 33-20 at the half.
 
Hernandez kicked off the third frame with a triple, but Cal State Fullerton responded with a 6-1 run to make it 37-26 with 6:46 to go. Both sides then converted on their next possession before an and-1 from Grant started an 8-0 rally that gave UC Irvine a 47-28 lead. The Anteaters stayed out front and owned an 18-point cushion (52-34) at the end of the period.
 
The Titans came out strong in the fourth with a 5-0 run cutting their deficit to 13 at 52-39 with 7:55 to play. After calling a timeout, Hernandez knocked down a jumper and proceeded to score UCI's next seven points for a 61-44 margin. CSF stayed in it, coming within 10 on a Jones layup at the 1:51 mark, but the 'Eaters were able to get to the free throw line to seal the 64-51 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will make the short trip to Black & Blue Rival Long Beach State for a 6 p.m. Big West showdown next Thursday, Jan. 8.
 
NOTES
• UCI extended its school-record win streak to 12 games.
• The Anteaters remained unbeaten at home, improving to 7-0 at the Bren this season.
• The 'Eaters have won five in a row against Cal State Fullerton and now lead the all-time series, 53-40.
• Hunter Hernandez has scored 25+ points in five of her last six outings.
• She netted 20+ for the seventh time this season and 12th time in her career.
• In four Big West games, Hernandez is averaging 25.0 points and 7.8 rebounds.
• The Anteaters were held to under 70 points for the first time since Nov. 28.
• They also kept their opponent to under 60 for the eighth time in 14 games.