IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine women's basketball's defensive effort lifted them to an impressive 63-41 win over UC Santa Barbara Saturday at the Bren Events Center.
 
The Anteaters were locked in from the get-go, holding the Gauchos to 28.3% from the field and just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc. UCSB, which knocked down 11 threes in its win against UC Davis on Thursday, was averaging a Big West-leading nine 3-pointers made per game.
 
"Santa Barbara was coming off a really good game against Davis," head coach Tamara Inoue said. "We knew we had to slow them down and just contain. I thought our team did a really good job of doing that."
 
The 'Eaters never trailed in their ninth 20-point victory of the season and fifth against Big West opponents. UC Irvine improved to 19-4 overall and 10-2 in conference.
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Senior Hunter Hernandez and junior Summah Hanson each recorded a double-double. Hernandez finished with a game-high 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds, while Hanson notched 12 points and led all players with 13 boards. It was Hernandez's fourth double-double of the season and the first for Hanson.
 
Junior Shirel Nahum had a solid stat line with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals against zero turnovers. Senior Jada Wynn added nine points, eight boards, and three assists. Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe also had eight points in 12 minutes.
 
UCI shot 34.8% (23-66) from the field, 26.7% (8-30) from beyond the arc, and 81.8% (9-11) at the free throw line. The Anteaters outrebounded UC Santa Barbara, 48-36, and held a 13-7 advantage in turnovers forced.
 
The 'Eaters and Gauchos, who both entered today's game shooting 35% from 3-point range to lead the Big West, struggled to from distance as they combined to go 13-for-55 (23.6%).
 
Júlia Puente-Valverde paced UCSB with nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine took a 6-0 lead following a Hanson layup at the 8:13 mark. UC Santa Barbara (16-6, 8-5 Big West) called an early timeout before getting on the board with a 3-pointer. After a steal and layup from Nahum, the Gauchos used a 7-2 spurt to knot the score at 10-all. The Anteaters then outscored UCSB, 8-1, over the final two minutes of the first quarter for an 18-11 advantage.
 
With 6:28 remaining in the second period, Wynn buried UCI's first triple of the game to start a 10-2 run that gave the 'Eaters a 30-15 cushion at the 2:07 mark. UC Irvine maintained a 15-point lead at the half (32-17).
 
The Anteaters started the third frame on an 8-0 rally that was bookended by treys from Hanson and Nahum to go up, 40-17, with 6:37 to play. UC Santa Barbara came back with five unanswered points, but Hernandez ended a four-minute UCI scoring drought with a layup to put the 'Eaters back on top by 20. The home team would take a comfortable 47-25 cushion into the fourth.
 
UCSB put together a couple mini runs but never threatened over the final 10 minutes. The closest the Gauchos would get was within 17 on two occasions, but Zonzon-Huyghe knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Daniela Falcon Hernandez added a corner three to give UCI the 22-point victory.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will be back at the Bren Events Center next Thursday, Feb. 12, when it hosts Cal Poly in its Black History Month Game. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
 
NOTES
• UC Irvine has reached double digits in the Big West win column for the sixth-straight year.
• The Anteaters have held 15 of their 23 opponents to under 60 points.
• This was the third time UCI gave up single-digit points in multiple quarters.
• This was the second time this season two 'Eaters recorded a double-double in the same game.
• Hunter Hernandez has pulled down 10 rebounds in three of her last four outings.
• Summah Hanson's 13 boards are tied for the most by an Anteater this year.
• Shirel Nahum had her second-straight double-figure scoring game and increased her career total to 400 points.