HENDERSON, Nev. – No. 1 seed UC Irvine dropped a 67-63 overtime decision to fourth-seeded Hawai'i in the semifinal round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship Friday at Lee's Family Forum.
 
The Anteaters (26-6) battled back from a double-digit deficit as they came out hot in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rainbow Wahine, 18-5, to take a 60-57 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation. The 'Bows then hit their first triple of the period to tie it up and send the game to overtime.
 
The 'Eaters held a 63-62 edge in the extra period, but were held scoreless over the final three minutes as UH closed on a 5-0 spurt for the win. Five of the Rainbow Wahine's seven points in OT came at the free throw line.
 
"I think it will take a little bit of time to come down from what just happened," head coach Tamara Inoue said in a postgame press conference. "It was a tough overtime toward the end but I'm just really proud of the team and the way we fought back. We kind of came out in the first half just not ready but the way we fought was really nice."
 
BY THE NUMBERS: Big West Player of the Year Hunter Hernandez finished with a game-high 33 points and eight rebounds. Senior Jada Wynn added 18 points and four assists. Hernandez and Wynn each knocked down four 3-pointers. Junior Shirel Nahum contributed seven boards and four assists.
 
The Anteaters shot 29% from the field, 35% from beyond the arc, and 94% (17-18) at the free throw line. They forced 14 turnovers, while committing only seven of their own. The 'Bows won the rebounding battle, 41-39.
 
UH was 42% overall, 44% from deep, and 53% at the foul line. The Rainbow Wahine had a balanced scoring effort with six players scoring at least nine points. Bailey Flavell led the way with 13.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: It went back-and-forth in the early going. UC Irvine struck first with a Wynn 3-pointer at the 8:25 mark. Hawai'i then took its first lead two minutes later. That lead would change hands four more times before the Rainbow Wahine used an 11-2 run to pull ahead 20-12 with 59 seconds on the clock. UH's Imani Perez knocked down three triples during that stretch. The Anteaters came back with four unanswered, capped by a Hernandez buzzer beater, to cut the deficit in half at the end of the first quarter.
 
The seesaw battle continued in the second period. Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe started the scoring with a corner three and Hernandez followed with a couple free throws to put UCI on top, 21-20. The two teams then traded points until the 'Bows ended the half on a 9-0 spurt to go up, 39-30, at the break.
 
Hawai'i (22-10) increased its margin to 12 at the 6:22 mark of the third frame. The 'Eaters came storming back with a 10-0 rally, capped by back-to-back triples from Wynn, to close the gap to 44-42 with 2:47 to go. The Rainbow Wahine called a timeout and Jovi Lefotu proceeded to score eight-straight points as UH reclaimed a double-digit advantage (52-42).
 
Hernandez scored the first four points of the fourth before the 'Bows got on the board. The Anteaters then caught fire from beyond the arc as Wynn, Hernandez (2), and Madsen combined to bury four treys to ignite a 12-3 run that gave them a 58-57 edge at the 3:24 mark. Both teams went scoreless over the next three minutes. Wynn then converted a driving layup to give UCI a 60-57 cushion with 13.1 seconds on the clock. UH answered on the other end with Flavell knocking down a game-tying three. The 'Eaters got one more chance to win it in regulation, but Hernandez's shot didn't fall, sending the game to overtime.  
 
Hawai'i opened the extra period with a couple free throws before Wynn tied it up on a step back jumper. Hernandez then converted 1-of-2 at the foul line to make it 63-62 in favor of UC Irvine with 3:25 remaining. That would be the final point for the Anteaters as the 'Bows finished on a 5-0 run for the 67-63 victory.
 
UP NEXT: UCI will now await Selection Sunday (March 15). The NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on ESPN at 5 p.m. (PDT), followed by the announcement of the WBIT selections at 6 p.m. (PDT) on ESPN+.
 
NOTES
• This was the Anteaters' first overtime game of the season.
• Hunter Hernandez had her fourth-straight 20-point performance, averaging 31.0 ppg since Feb. 28.
• Hernandez took over sole possession of No. 2 on UCI's all-time scoring list with 1,458 career points.
• The 'Eaters extended their streak of consecutive free throws made to 33 before their first miss of the game in overtime.
• Hernandez also saw her individual free throw streak reach 25.
• Hawai'i has won 16 of its last 17 games.