UC Irvine (22-4, 13-2 Big West) at
UC San Diego (18-7, 13-2 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21
Time: 4 p.m. (PST)
Location: LionTree Arena (4,000) - La Jolla, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball heads south to La Jolla where it will square off against UC San Diego in a first-place battle on Saturday, Feb. 21. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at LionTree Arena. 
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• With its 77-62 win over Long Beach State on Thursday, UCI moved into a tie for first with UCSD in the Big West standings. The Anteaters and Tritons are both 13-2, and sit a half-game ahead of UC Davis (13-3). Overall, the 'Eaters are 22-4, marking their fifth-straight 20-win season and putting them three away from tying the school record. Six of UC Irvine's eight 20-win campaigns have come under 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue.

• Senior Hunter Hernandez made her way into the Anteaters' single-season top-10 scoring list as she sits eighth with a career-high 476 points. Her average of 18.3 ppg ranks second in the conference.

• Senior Jada Wynn is also tops in the Big West and third in single-season school history with a team-leading 66 3-pointers made. She has been extremely efficient from beyond the arc where she ranks 21st in the nation at 42.3%. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen has also buried 56 threes to tie for eighth among UCI's single-season leaders.

• From Nov. 15-Jan. 22, the 'Eaters won a program-record 16 games in a row. They are one of 12 teams in all of NCAA Division I women's basketball with a win streak of at least 16 games this season. UC Irvine has started a new run as winners of its last five, which is the longest active streak in the Big West.

• Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than five games in Big West play, combining for a conference-best 85-21 (.802) record during that stretch.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego (18-7, 13-2 Big West) saw a five-game win streak snapped with an 88-80 triple-overtime loss at UC Davis last Thursday. Two days later, UCSD bounced back with a 79-68 win at UC Riverside to remain atop the Big West standings heading into a bye on Thursday, Feb. 19. Erin Condron leads four Tritons in double figures with 15.7 points per contest, while she is also tops on the squad in rebounding (8.2 rpg). Sabrina Ma and Rosa Smith have been the team's biggest threats from the perimeter, knocking down 59 and 47 threes, respectively. Makayla Rose (3.4 spg) and Dymonique Maxie (4.4 apg) have also been key to UC San Diego's success this year.

SERIES RECORD
UCI leads in its all-time series with UC San Diego, 14-3. The Tritons won the first meeting of the season as they escaped with a 68-66 victory at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 24. The Anteaters nearly erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit, but an open look from three to win the game at the buzzer was just off the mark. The loss snapped UCI's 16-game win streak. Hunter Hernandez recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Summah Hanson also finished with a season-high 18 points. UCSD was led by Rosa Smith and Erin Condron, who had 20 and 19 points, respectively.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
UC Irvine held steady at No. 19 in this week's College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll. This is the ninth-straight week the 'Eaters have been in the top-25. On Jan. 20, the Anteaters earned their highest mid-major ranking in program history at No. 12.

LAST TIME OUT
The first quarter was the difference in UC Irvine's 77-62 win over Long Beach State Thursday at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters outscored the Beach, 32-12, in the opening period, tying the most points they have scored in a quarter this season. The two teams were then even in the second and third, while LBSU won the fourth to trim the final margin to 15. Hunter Hernandez scored a team-high 19 points. Lauryn Madsen went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc to tie her career high with 15 points. Madsen added four steals. Jada Wynn chipped in 13 points, a game-high six assists, and three steals. The 'Eaters forced Long Beach State into 21 turnovers and scored 22 points off those miscues. They also tied their season low with five turnovers committed, while finishing with 13 steals and 17 assists.

20-20 VISION
Twenty wins have become the standard for UC Irvine women's basketball. After reaching the benchmark twice in 42 seasons, the Anteaters have registered six 20-win campaigns in head coach Tamara Inoue's 10 years at the helm. With their 84-39 victory over Cal Poly on Feb. 12, the 'Eaters hit 20 wins for the fifth-straight season. It also marked the fastest they reached the milestone in program history. With five regular-season games remaining, and sitting at 22-4, UCI is now chasing the school record of 25 wins which was set in 2022-23.

BIG WEST DOMINANCE
UC Irvine also has its sixth-straight season with at least 10 Big West wins. In their 13 conference victories, the Anteaters have been dominant with a +21.1 scoring margin. They held a lead of 20 or more 10 times, while finishing with six 20+-point victories, including four by more than 30 - at UC Riverside (77-40), vs. UC Davis (73-42), at Cal State Bakersfield (85-53), and vs. Cal Poly (84-39). UCI trailed by double digits against a Big West opponent for the first time on Jan. 24 when it fell behind UC San Diego by 10 with 9:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. The 'Eaters then faced their largest deficit of the conference season (14) with 3:07 left in their five-point loss at Hawai'i.

DEFEND THE BREN
Since 2017-18, UCI is 94-27 (.777) at the Bren Events Center. This year, the Anteaters are 13-1, setting a school record for home wins in a season.

ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END
After a pair of road losses to drop to 1-2 on Nov. 12, UC Irvine reeled off a program-record 16 wins in a row. The streak came to an end with a 68-66 loss to UC San Diego on Jan. 24. The Anteaters nearly doubled their previous best of nine consecutive victories which they set in 1976 and later matched in 2022-23. As of Feb. 20, the 'Eaters are one of 12 NCAA Division I women's basketball teams to have a win streak of at least 16 games this season.

DYNAMIC DUO
Seniors Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn have been the top duo in the Big West this year. In conference games only, Hernandez ranks second in the league in scoring (19.3 ppg), while Wynn is fifth (16.8 ppg). Wynn (6.7 rpg) and Hernandez (6.6 rpg) are also among the top-10 in rebounding. In addition, Wynn leads the Big West in 3-pointers made (2.9/game) and 3FG percentage (45.3%). Overall, Hernandez (476) and Wynn (407) have scored nearly half of UC Irvine's total points. They also combined for 18 of the Anteaters' 19 20-point performances and nine of their 11 double-doubles this season. The duo scored 20+ in the same game against Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 1), at LBSU (Jan. 8), and at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 14), and both had a double-double vs. NAU on Nov. 15.
 
ELITE COMPANY
On Dec. 13, Hunter Hernandez became the 16th member of UCI women's basketball's 1,000-point club. 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 seventh in program history with 1,298 career points. On Jan. 22, the San Jose native also pulled down her 500th career rebound, making her the 11th Anteater to join the exclusive 1,000-point/500-rebound club. In addition, Hernandez's 476 points this year puts her at No. 8 among UCI's single-season scoring leaders.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
UCI ranks first in the Big West in scoring defense (56.5 ppg), and second in scoring offense (72.1 ppg). The Anteaters have finished with 70+ points in 17 of their 26 games, while also holding their opponents to under 60 points on 16 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 ppg. UCI currently ranks 20th in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense and sixth in field goal percentage defense (34.6%).

GETTING TO THE LINE
Through games of Feb. 19, UC Irvine ranks eighth in the nation in both free throws made (16.6/game) and free throw percentage (79.4%). The Anteaters have three or fewer misses from the charity stripe in 13 of their 26 games. Individually, Hunter Hernandez is 24th in the country and tied for seventh in single-season program history with 123 free throws made. Six 'Eaters are shooting 80% or better at the foul line, led by Jada Wynn at 85.8%, which is among the top-40 in the country.

SENIOR LEADER
Fifth-year senior Hunter Hernandez has led UCI in scoring 15 times this season. She owns a team-best 23 double-figure scoring games and 11 20-point performances. Hernandez is also the only 'Eater to reach the 30-point benchmark this season. She did it on three occasions, all on the road - at CSUN (31), at UTEP (36), and at Cal State Fullerton (30). On the year, Hernandez ranks second in the Big West with 18.3 ppg. With five regular-season games remaining, she already has a career-high 476 points, which puts her eighth among UCI's single-season leaders. Hernandez, who is the Anteaters' 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.

WYNN-ING MENTALITY
After averaging 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists at Texas Tech, senior transfer Jada Wynn is putting up career numbers as an Anteater. She ranks second on the squad with 15.7 points per game, while leading the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg), assists (3.8 apg), and 3FG made (66). Her 66 threes rank third in single-season school history. The 6-foot-1 guard has 22 double-figure scoring games, seven 20-point performances, and five double-doubles, including three-straight from Dec. 4-13. During that stretch, she pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds at UC Riverside (Dec. 4). In a New Year's Day win over Cal State Bakersfield, she also scored a career-best 25 points. On the year, Wynn is shooting 41.7% from the field, 42.3% from deep, and 85.8% at the free throw line.  A local product from Yorba Linda, California, Wynn is the eldest daughter of UCI assistant coach Derek Wynn.

SUMMAH TIME
Junior Summah Hanson is averaging 7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks since making her season debut against California Baptist on Dec. 13. The 6-foot-3 forward, who missed the first 10 games recovering from an offseason injury, has pulled down 5+ rebounds in 11 of her 16 appearances. On Feb. 7, the Brisbane, Australia, native recorded her first double-double of the year with 12 points and a season-best 13 boards in a win over UC Santa Barbara. She also notched a season-high 18 points against UC San Diego on Jan. 24. Since Jan. 17, Hanson is shooting 44.4% (24-54) from the field, 39.3% (11-28) from deep, and 94.1% (16-17) at the free throw line. Hanson was named the 2024-25 Big West's Best Sixth Player. 

SHARPSHOOTER
Sophomore Lauryn Madsen is second on the squad, tied for fourth in the Big West, and tied for eighth in single-season school history with 56 made threes. This season, she has buried five 3-pointers in a game for a career-high 15 points on four occasions. She most recently went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc against Long Beach State on Thursday. Madsen also finished with 15 points at Cal State Bakersfield (5-9 3FG), at New Mexico State (5-8 3FG), and against Bowling Green (5-9 3FG). On the year, 56 of her 61 field goals and 165 of her 177 attempts have been from beyond the arc. In 48 career games played, Madsen has a triple in 36 of them, and drained multiple threes 17 times. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 7.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest. Defensively, Madsen leads the 'Eaters with 55 steals. She has recorded multiple takeaways 14 times and swiped 4+ on five occasions with a career-high six at Long Beach State on Jan. 8.

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. She recently had three-straight double-digit scoring games from Feb. 5-12, with 16 points vs. Cal Poly, 12 vs. UC Santa Barbara, and 12 at Cal State Bakersfield. In those three games, she was 18-for-32 (56.3%) from the field. Nahum has also settled in as a primary playmaker with 3+ assists in 18 of her 26 appearances. She dished out a career-best seven dimes in a win over Colgate on Nov. 29. On the year, Nahum is averaging 7.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals.

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 85-21 (.802) 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.

THE GOAT
Tamara Inoue has cemented her legacy as the most accomplished head coach in program history. On Feb. 27, 2025, Inoue earned her 159th career victory to surpass Dean Andrea (1979-1991) as UCI's all-time winningest head coach. Inoue owns a 183-120 career record in her nine-plus seasons at the helm. She has led UC Irvine to a pair of Big West Championships, four of the Anteaters' five national postseason appearances, their first victory in a national postseason tournament (WNIT), six of their eight 20-win campaigns, and single-season school records in overall wins (25), conference wins (16), and home wins (13).

UP NEXT
UC Irvine welcomes CSUN to the Bren Events Center for its final regular-season home game next Thursday, Feb. 26. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. The Anteaters will honor their two seniors, Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn, following the game.