IRVINE, Calif. – Summah Hanson knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to lift UC Irvine women's basketball to a 60-57 win over CSUN Thursday evening at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters (24-4, 15-2 Big West) took their first lead of the game at the 7:50 mark of the third quarter. They stayed out front but couldn't pull away as the Matadors came back to reclaim the edge at 51-50 with 6:02 remaining in the fourth. It continued to go back-and-forth as the 'Eaters went up 54-51 and 57-54, but both times CSUN answered with a three to tie it up.
 
The Matadors got the ball back with the score knotted at 57-all. Lauryn Madsen then came up with a big steal, her fourth of the night, to give UCI possession with 18 ticks on the clock. The home team then drew up their final play and executed under pressure as Shirel Nahum found Hanson in the corner for the game-winning triple.
 
"This was a tough game for us; it just gets tougher and tougher as the season goes on," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "I thought our team did a good job of sticking with it and not panicking, and that was a great shot by Summah."
 
The Anteaters sent their two seniors, Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn, off with a win in their final regular-season home game. The two were honored in a Senior Night ceremony following the victory.
 
"I'm really proud of them," Inoue added. "With Hunter, she's the first player I've had for five years. She stuck it out with us; she believed in the staff and believed in this community. She really could have gone anywhere she wanted and decided to stay here, so I'm forever grateful for her. We have a lot of goals still together, so this is just one more step toward that.
 
"Then with Jada, it's been great for her to come home and play in front of her family and the community. We have some really good Orange County basketball players, we just have to convince them to stay here, and I think Jada has proven that with how well she has done here."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Hernandez and Wynn continued to produce for UC Irvine as they have done all season. Hernandez finished with a team-high 18 points and four assists. Wynn led the 'Eaters with 12 rebounds and also dished out four assists.
 
Junior Summah Hanson recorded her second double-double of the year, putting up 13 points and 11 boards, while adding two blocks. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen knocked down five threes for a career-high tying 15 points and had four of UCI's seven steals.
 
Twelve of the Anteaters' 17 field goals were from beyond the arc. They shot 26.6% (17-64) overall and 33.3% (12-36) from 3-point range. The 'Eaters won the battle in rebounding (43-41) and turnovers forced.
 
CSUN went 21-for-59 (35.6%) from the floor and 6-of-28 (21.4%) from distance. Saray White paced the Matadors with a game-high 23 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: CSUN (9-17, 5-12 Big West) raced out to a 6-2 lead, but Hernandez brought UC Irvine within one following a 3-pointer at the 5:19 mark. After the media timeout, the Matadors outscored the Anteaters, 13-6, to pull ahead 19-11 with just under a minute to go. The 'Eaters responded from beyond the arc with Madsen burying her third triple to cut the deficit to five.
 
CSUN went back on top by seven to start the second before Hernandez scored four-straight points to make it 24-21 with 5:17 to play. The two teams traded points the rest of the way. Hernandez capped the scoring with another trey in the final minute to close the gap to 29-26 at the half.
 
The Matadors struck first in the third frame, but Wynn and Madsen hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give UC Irvine its first lead of the night at 32-31 with 7:50 remaining. The Anteaters extended their advantage to eight on a Hanson triple at the 3:17 mark, but CSUN closed the period on an 8-3 run to make it a three-point game (46-43). All five of UCI's field goals in the quarter came from beyond the arc where it shot 50%.
 
The 'Eaters went up by five on the first possession of the fourth as a Hernandez layup made it 48-43. The Matadors chipped away, eventually snagging the lead at 51-50 on a traditional three-point play at the 6:02 mark. Nahum then tied it up with a couple free throws and Wynn followed with a jumper to beat the shot clock for a 54-51 advantage. CSUN buried a trey on the other end, but Hernandez came right back with an and-1 to put UC Irvine on top, 57-54. The Matadors had an answer once again with White knocking down a three at the 2:15 mark.
 
Both teams had an empty possession before Nahum corralled an offensive board with 49 seconds on the clock. After a timeout, Hanson missed a 3-point attempt and CSUN secured the rebound. Madsen then picked up her fourth steal, forcing a Matador turnover with the ball ending up in the hands of Wynn. Wynn's fast-break layup was blocked, but the ball stayed with the Anteaters. This time, Hanson nailed the corner three out of a timeout to give UCI a 60-57 cushion with 5.7 seconds on the clock. CSUN's final attempt was well off the mark as UC Irvine came away with its 24th win of the season.
 
UP NEXT: UCI begins a three-game regular-season ending road stretch at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Feb. 28. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at The Thunderdome.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine's 24 wins are the second-most in program history.
• UCI remained in sole possession of first place in the Big West standings, one game ahead of UCSD (14-3) and 1.5 in front of UC Davis (14-4).
• Hunter Hernandez moved up to No. 4 in single-season school history with 512 points.
• She is just the sixth Anteater to surpass 500 points in a season.
• Hernandez also climbed into the top-five among UCI's all-time scoring leaders with 1,334 career points.
• Jada Wynn (T2nd, 68) and Lauryn Madsen (T5th,62) are among UCI's top-five single-season leaders in 3-pointers made.
• UCI trailed at the half for just the seventh time this year (4-3), and fifth time in 17 Big West games.
• The Anteaters have now won nine in a row in their all-time series with CSUN.
• The 'Eaters closed out the regular season with a 14-1 home record.