LONG BEACH, Calif. – UC Irvine women's basketball handled business on the road, taking down Long Beach State, 78-59, for their 13th-straight win Thursday evening at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid.
 
The Anteaters (14-2, 5-0 Big West), who finished with a season-high 17 steals, forced the Beach into 23 turnovers and scored 27 points off those miscues. LBSU was able to hang around thanks to timely shooting from beyond the arc as it buried a season-best 10 3-pointers. Long Beach had entered tonight averaging 5.2 threes a game.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Hunter Hernandez notched her fourth-straight 20-point performance as she led all players with 21. Hernandez also pulled down seven rebounds.
 
Senior Jada Wynn added 20 points, five assists, and three steals.
 
Sophomore Lauryn Madsen filled the stat sheet with four points, six rebounds, three assists, and a career-high six steals. She was the first 'Eater with six steals in a game since Diaba Konate did it against Long Beach State on Jan. 25, 2024.
 
Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe chipped in nine points, while freshman Nohe'alani Stores had eight. Junior Summah Hanson contributed seven points and eight boards.
 
UCI shot 38.7% from the field, 44% from distance, and 79.2% at the free throw line. They won the rebounding battle, 41-29, and outscored LBSU, 18-5, in second-chance points. The Anteaters also held a lopsided advantage in free throws made (19-5) and attempted (24-7).
 
Rosie Akot led four Beach players in double figures with 18 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It was a seesaw battle in the early going with five lead changes through five minutes of play. Hernandez put UC Irvine on top, 10-9, with a three at the 5:14 mark. The Anteaters stayed out front until Long Beach State tied it up at 14-all. UCI then outscored the Beach, 8-2, over the final two minutes with a triple from Madsen at the buzzer giving the visitors a 22-16 advantage.
 
LBSU (1-13, 0-4 Big West) scored eight points in a one-minute stretch to pull even once again at 26-26 with 4:32 remaining in the second period. After calling a timeout, the 'Eaters responded with a 15-0 rally to take their largest lead of the half. Long Beach State was able to knock down a 3-pointer with 13 seconds on the clock to make it a 12-point game (41-29) at the break.
 
Wynn buried a three to start the third frame, but the Beach came back with five unanswered to close the gap to 10 at the 7:50 mark. Hanson responded with a triple, starting a 9-2 spurt that increased UC Irvine's edge to 53-36 with 6:06 left. The Anteaters kept their foot on the gas, pulling ahead by 20 late in the quarter and taking a 66-48 margin into the fourth.
 
Long Beach State closed to within 14, but Wynn helped the 'Eaters maintain a comfortable lead with the team's first five points of the final quarter. UCI then used a 9-0 run, capped by a Zonzon-Huyghe layup, to put the game well out of reach at 78-54 with two minutes to go.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine returns to the Bren Events Center to host Hawai'i in a 2 p.m. Big West showdown on Saturday, Jan. 10.
 
NOTES
• UCI extended its school-record win streak to 13 games.
• The Anteaters have scored 70+ points in eight of their last nine outings.
• The 'Eaters have not trailed at or after the half in all 14 wins this season.
• They have also held a lead of at least 20 points in 13 of their 14 victories.
• Hunter Hernandez has eight 20+ point games this season and 13 in her career.
• In five Big West games, Hernandez is averaging 24.2 points and 7.6 rebounds.
• This is the second time in their last three outings that Hernandez and Wynn have scored 20+ in the same game.
• Ameerah Grant went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe, extending her streak of consecutive free throws made to 23.
• With three assists tonight, Shirel Nahum now has 100 in her career.
• The Anteaters held their opponent to under 60 points for the ninth time this season.
• This was head coach Tamara Inoue's 175th career victory.