October 23, 2026 | Women's Basketball
UC Irvine women's basketball is coming off one of the best seasons in program history. In 2025-26, the Anteaters produced their fifth-straight 20-win campaign, claimed a share of their second Big West regular season title, and earned an automatic bid to the WBIT for their fourth national postseason appearance in five years. The 'Eaters set school records in both overall (26) and conference (17) victories. They also won a program-best 16 games in a row, shattering the previous high of nine. In 2026-27, UCI has a handful of new faces, but the championship goals remain the same. Â
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1. TOP TIER
UC Irvine has been among the top-two in the Big West standings in each of the last seven years. During that stretch, the Anteaters are 98-29 in conference, won the first two Big West regular season titles in program history (2022-23, 2025-26), and claimed the conference tournament championship in 2023-24. The 'Eaters are ready to continue that success with a reloaded roster after graduating Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn, who combined for nearly half of the team's scoring last year. Hernandez was a five-year mainstay at Irvine, and one of the greatest to ever don the Blue & Gold. She broke UCI's single-season scoring record, became the program's all-time leader in free throws made, and finished second among the career scoring leaders. Hernandez is the type of player who can't be replaced, so UC Irvine will have to rely on a collective team effort to keep raising the bar in 2026-27.
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"Having a player like Hunter with you for five years, and playing for four, makes everything seamless, and sometimes you take it for granted," 11th-year head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I think for us, it's just going back to where we started. When Hunter first came in as a freshman, we shared the ball quite a bit so that's kind of the approach we're taking now – making sure we're sharing the ball and getting the right shots at all times."
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2. CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM
UC Irvine brings back eight letterwinners from last year's squad that went 26-7 overall and won a share of the Big West regular season championship with a 17-3 conference record. Three of the eight returners were starters in 2025-26, including senior point guard Shirel Nahum. Nahum was second on the team in assists (3.0 apg) and third in scoring (7.3 ppg). Senior forward Summah Hanson also averaged 6.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Two years ago, Hanson was named the Big West's Best Sixth Player. Rounding out the trio is junior guard Lauryn Madsen, who ended her sophomore campaign among the Anteaters' top-five single-season leaders in 3-pointers made (3rd, 70) and steals (T-5th, 71).
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3. IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCI has reloaded with four NCAA Division I transfers. Senior guard Ahrray Young played last season at Nevada where she averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Senior guard/forward Gracie Gallegos is a familiar face after spending the last three years at Big West rival UC San Diego. Gallegos missed the 2025-26 campaign with an injury, but was a key piece in the Tritons' 2024-25 championship run, starting all 35 games and finishing with 9.3 points and 5.3 boards per outing. Senior guard Makiah Asidanya is coming off her best season at UNC Greensboro where she started every game and ranked second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg). Junior guard Sarah Miller also joins the 'Eaters after two years at Penn.
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4. FRESHMAN TRIO
Complementing the transfers are three incoming freshmen. Point guard Delaney White comes to UC Irvine from Sierra Canyon High School where she led her team to the 2026 CIF-Southern Section Open Division title. She earned All-CIF and All-Southern California honors. Alleah Hanson, a 6-foot-2 forward, joins older sister, Summah, as an Anteater this year. The younger Hanson led Brisbane State High School to back-to-back Australian School Championships. She was also a member of the U20 Queensland team that advanced to the 2025 Australian National Championship. Ellery Burke-Brown, a 5-foot-9 shooting guard, was a two-time all-league selection at Roosevelt High School in Seattle.
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5. HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since 2017-18, UCI is 95-27 (.779) at the Bren Events Center. In 2025-26, the Anteaters went 14-1 at the Bren, setting a single-season school record for home wins. This year, the 'Eaters have 16 home games, starting on Nov. 18 when they entertain Idaho State. They will also host the second annual ZotGiving Classic, Nov. 27-28. UC Irvine has a couple notable road games as well, starting with its opener at defending national champion UCLA on Nov. 5, and its non-conference finale on Dec. 18 at New Mexico, which is coming off a 22-win season.
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"Every year the atmosphere at the Bren gets better and better," Inoue said. "I think the community support is why we get the wins, and just having people continue to come out to games makes a big difference. Defending our home court is important. With our conference being so local, sometimes home court advantage is difficult, but we definitely take pride in it."
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1. TOP TIER
UC Irvine has been among the top-two in the Big West standings in each of the last seven years. During that stretch, the Anteaters are 98-29 in conference, won the first two Big West regular season titles in program history (2022-23, 2025-26), and claimed the conference tournament championship in 2023-24. The 'Eaters are ready to continue that success with a reloaded roster after graduating Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn, who combined for nearly half of the team's scoring last year. Hernandez was a five-year mainstay at Irvine, and one of the greatest to ever don the Blue & Gold. She broke UCI's single-season scoring record, became the program's all-time leader in free throws made, and finished second among the career scoring leaders. Hernandez is the type of player who can't be replaced, so UC Irvine will have to rely on a collective team effort to keep raising the bar in 2026-27.
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"Having a player like Hunter with you for five years, and playing for four, makes everything seamless, and sometimes you take it for granted," 11th-year head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I think for us, it's just going back to where we started. When Hunter first came in as a freshman, we shared the ball quite a bit so that's kind of the approach we're taking now – making sure we're sharing the ball and getting the right shots at all times."
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2. CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM
UC Irvine brings back eight letterwinners from last year's squad that went 26-7 overall and won a share of the Big West regular season championship with a 17-3 conference record. Three of the eight returners were starters in 2025-26, including senior point guard Shirel Nahum. Nahum was second on the team in assists (3.0 apg) and third in scoring (7.3 ppg). Senior forward Summah Hanson also averaged 6.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Two years ago, Hanson was named the Big West's Best Sixth Player. Rounding out the trio is junior guard Lauryn Madsen, who ended her sophomore campaign among the Anteaters' top-five single-season leaders in 3-pointers made (3rd, 70) and steals (T-5th, 71).
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3. IMPACT TRANSFERS
UCI has reloaded with four NCAA Division I transfers. Senior guard Ahrray Young played last season at Nevada where she averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Senior guard/forward Gracie Gallegos is a familiar face after spending the last three years at Big West rival UC San Diego. Gallegos missed the 2025-26 campaign with an injury, but was a key piece in the Tritons' 2024-25 championship run, starting all 35 games and finishing with 9.3 points and 5.3 boards per outing. Senior guard Makiah Asidanya is coming off her best season at UNC Greensboro where she started every game and ranked second on the team in scoring (11.2 ppg). Junior guard Sarah Miller also joins the 'Eaters after two years at Penn.
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4. FRESHMAN TRIO
Complementing the transfers are three incoming freshmen. Point guard Delaney White comes to UC Irvine from Sierra Canyon High School where she led her team to the 2026 CIF-Southern Section Open Division title. She earned All-CIF and All-Southern California honors. Alleah Hanson, a 6-foot-2 forward, joins older sister, Summah, as an Anteater this year. The younger Hanson led Brisbane State High School to back-to-back Australian School Championships. She was also a member of the U20 Queensland team that advanced to the 2025 Australian National Championship. Ellery Burke-Brown, a 5-foot-9 shooting guard, was a two-time all-league selection at Roosevelt High School in Seattle.
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5. HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since 2017-18, UCI is 95-27 (.779) at the Bren Events Center. In 2025-26, the Anteaters went 14-1 at the Bren, setting a single-season school record for home wins. This year, the 'Eaters have 16 home games, starting on Nov. 18 when they entertain Idaho State. They will also host the second annual ZotGiving Classic, Nov. 27-28. UC Irvine has a couple notable road games as well, starting with its opener at defending national champion UCLA on Nov. 5, and its non-conference finale on Dec. 18 at New Mexico, which is coming off a 22-win season.
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"Every year the atmosphere at the Bren gets better and better," Inoue said. "I think the community support is why we get the wins, and just having people continue to come out to games makes a big difference. Defending our home court is important. With our conference being so local, sometimes home court advantage is difficult, but we definitely take pride in it."
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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Point Guard
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Point Guard
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