CSUN (9-16, 5-11 Big West) at
UC Irvine (23-4, 14-2 Big West)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 26
Time: 6 p.m. (PST)
Location: Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.

UC Irvine (23-4, 14-2 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara (18-8, 10-7 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28
Time: 2 p.m. (PST)
Location: The Thunderdome (5,000) - Santa Barbara, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball is set to host CSUN in its regular-season home finale on Thursday, Feb. 26. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters will then make their way to UC Santa Barbara for a 2 p.m. showdown on Saturday, Feb. 28.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• UCI will recognize its two seniors, Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn, following their final regular-season home game on Thursday. Hernandez and Wynn have powered the Anteaters' success this year. Hernandez leads UC Irvine and ranks second in the Big West with 18.3 ppg. Her 494 total points are also seventh in single-season school history. Wynn is averaging 15.8 points, a team-best 7.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per outing.

• With a 70-68 comeback win at UC San Diego last Saturday, the 'Eaters (14-2) reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Big West standings. They are a half-game ahead of UC Davis (14-3), and one game in front of the Tritons (13-3). 

• Three Anteaters have knocked down 40+ 3-pointers this season. Jada Wynn leads the way with 66 triples, which ranks third among UC Irvine's single-season leaders. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen is also eighth with 57 threes, while Hunter Hernandez is just outside UCI's top-10 with 45. As a team, the 'Eaters lead the Big West in 3FG percentage (35.5%).

• From Nov. 15-Jan. 22, the Anteaters won a program-record 16 games in a row. They are one of 13 teams in all of NCAA Division I women's basketball with a win streak of at least 16 games this season. UC Irvine currently holds the longest active streak in the Big West with six-straight victories.

• Since 2020-21, UCI has not lost more than five games in Big West play, combining for a conference-best 86-21 (.804) record during that stretch.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN (9-16, 5-11 Big West) defeated Long Beach State, 85-75, last Saturday to move two games ahead of LBSU and Cal State Bakersfield in the race for the eighth and final Big West Championship berth. Rita Nazario (10.6 ppg) and Saray White (10.1 ppg) lead the Matadors in scoring, while Jite Gbemuotor is averaging 9.1 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per outing.

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
UC Santa Barbara (18-8, 10-7 Big West) split its two games last week, defeating CSUN on the road, 74-58, before falling to Hawai'i, 58-52. Zoe Borter leads the Gauchos with 15.0 points per contest. Borter has knocked down a team-best 54 threes while shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc. Zoe Shaw is another threat from the perimeter with 53 triples (37.3%). Olivia Bradley is also averaging 12.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

SERIES RECORDS
UC Irvine leads in its all-time series with CSUN, 34-32. The Anteaters won their eighth-straight against the Matadors with a 72-46 victory in Northridge during the Big West's Bold Week on Dec. 6, 2025. Hunter Hernandez led the way with a then career-high 31 points.

UCI trails in its all-time series with UC Santa Barbara, 68-42, but has won 10 of the last 11 after taking the first meeting of the season, 63-41, at the Bren Events Center on Feb. 7. Hunter Hernandez (15 points/10 rebounds) and Summah Hanson (12 points/13 rebounds) each recorded a double-double in the victory.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
UC Irvine held steady at No. 19 in this week's College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll. This is the 10th-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
UC Irvine reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Big West standings with a resilient 70-68 win at UC San Diego last Saturday. UCSD took the early momentum, finishing the first quarter with a 24-17 lead. The Tritons continued to roll, going up by as many as 13 in the second, before UCI closed the gap to six at the half. The Anteaters then rallied late in the third, scoring the final nine points to cut the deficit to one at 54-53. It went back-and-forth in the final quarter before an and-1 from Jada Wynn with just under a minute remaining gave the 'Eaters the lead for good. Wynn finished with a game-high 20 points, going 12-of-13 at the free throw line. Hunter Hernandez added 18 points, while Shirel Nahum had 12. Makayla Rose paced UC San Diego with 16 points. Erin Condron added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

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 four regular-season games remaining, and sitting at 23-4, 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 14 conference victories, the Anteaters have been dominant with a +19.7 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. 24, the 'Eaters are one of 13 NCAA Division I women's basketball teams to have a win streak of at least 16 games this season.

SINGLE SEASON LEADERBOARD
Senior Hunter Hernandez ranks seventh in single-season school history in points (494) and free throws made (129). She is six points away from becoming just the sixth 'Eater to reach 500 in a season. Senior Jada Wynn (66) and sophomore Lauryn Madsen (57) are also third and eighth, respectively, among UCI's single-season 3-point leaders. In addition, Wynn has 427 points this year, putting her 40 away from cracking the Anteaters' top-10.

DYNAMIC DUO
Seniors Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn have been the top duo in the Big West this year. In conference games, Hernandez ranks second in the league in scoring (19.3 ppg), while Wynn is fourth (17.0 ppg). Wynn (6.8 rpg) and Hernandez (6.4 rpg) are also among the top-10 in rebounding. In addition, Wynn leads the Big West in 3-pointers made (2.7/game) and 3FG percentage (43.9%). Overall, Hernandez (494) and Wynn (427) have scored nearly half of UC Irvine's total points. They also combined for 19 of the Anteaters' 20 individual 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 1,316 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.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
UCI ranks first in the Big West in both scoring offense (72.0 ppg) and scoring defense (57.0 ppg). The Anteaters have finished with 70+ points in 18 of their 27 games, including each of their last four. They have also held 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 22nd in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense and seventh in field goal percentage defense (34.9%).

GETTING TO THE LINE
Through games of Feb. 23, UC Irvine ranks fifth in the nation in free throw percentage (79.6%) and seventh in free throws made (17.0/game). The Anteaters have three or fewer misses from the charity stripe in 13 of their 27 games. Individually, Hunter Hernandez is 24th in the country and seventh in single-season program history with 129 free throws made. Six 'Eaters are shooting 80% or better at the foul line, led by Jada Wynn at 86.4%, which is 32nd in all of NCAA Division I. Wynn has been even better in crunch time as she is 13-of-13 in the final two minutes of regulation this year.

SENIOR LEADER
Fifth-year senior Hunter Hernandez has led UCI in scoring 15 times this season. She owns a team-best 24 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 four regular-season games remaining, she already has a career-high 494 points, which puts her seventh 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.

WEEKLY AWARD REPEAT
Hunter Hernandez became the first Anteater in program history to win four Big West Player of the Week awards in a season when she earned the honor on Jan. 12. Hernandez's fourth recognition came after leading UCI with game-highs of 21 points at LBSU and 20 vs. Hawai'i. The 5-foot-9 guard previously claimed three consecutive player of the week nods from Dec. 8-22, 2025. Hernandez took home her first of the year following her first career 30-point game at CSUN (31). She was bestowed with the honor once again for a 27-point performance vs. CBU. Her 21st point against the Lancers was the 1,000th of her career. Hernandez made it three in a row after setting a career high for the second time in three weeks with 36 points in 34 minutes of a 93-72 victory at UTEP. She was 13-of-18 (72%) from the field, 4-for-5 (80%) from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line against the Miners. Hernandez was the first individual to win three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards since February 2017.

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 15.8 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. She recently saw a streak of 24 consecutive games played with a 3-pointer come to an end as she was 0-for-3 at UC San Diego. The 6-foot-1 guard has 23 double-figure scoring games, eight 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 41.4% from the field, 41.5% from deep, and 86.4% 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 7.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 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 12 of her 17 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 UCSD on Jan. 24. Since Jan. 17, Hanson is shooting 45.6% (26-57) from the field, 43.3% (13-30) 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, fifth in the Big West, and eighth in single-season school history with 57 made threes. This year, 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 last Thursday. Madsen also finished with 15 points at Cal State Bakersfield (5-9 3FG), at New Mexico State (5-8 3FG), and vs. Bowling Green (5-9 3FG). On the year, 57 of her 62 field goals and 170 of her 182 attempts have been from beyond the arc. In 49 career games played, Madsen has a triple in 37 of them, and drained multiple threes 17 times. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per contest. Defensively, Madsen leads the 'Eaters with 57 steals. She has recorded multiple takeaways 15 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 has reached double digits in scoring in four of her last six outings with 12 at UC San Diego (Feb. 21), 16 vs. Cal Poly (Feb. 12), 12 vs. UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 7), and 12 at Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 5). Nahum has also settled in as a primary playmaker with 3+ assists in 18 of her 27 appearances. She dished out a career-best seven dimes in a win over Colgate on Nov. 29. On the year, Nahum is averaging 7.1 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 86-21 (.804) 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.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine closes out the regular season on the road next week, traveling to Cal Poly (March 5) and UC Davis (March 7).