2026 WBIT First Round
UC Irvine (26-6, 17-3 Big West) vs.
[4] San Diego State (25-5, 19-1 Mountain West)
Date: Thursday, March 19
Time: 6 p.m. (PDT)
Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100) - San Diego, Calif.

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine women's basketball (26-6) will make the drive south to face San Diego State in the first round of the WBIT on Thursday, March 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jenny Craig Pavilion on the campus of the University of San Diego.
 
STARTING FIVE: STORYLINES
• The Anteaters will be making the program's sixth postseason appearance, and fifth in 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue's tenure. It is also their fourth postseason berth in the last five seasons after going to the NCAA tournament in 2024, and receiving an automatic bid to the WNIT in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, UCI defeated the Aztecs in the first round of the WNIT at Viejas Arena.

• UC Irvine took home three major Big West awards. Hunter Hernandez was named the Big West Player of the Year, while Jada Wynn was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year. Tamara Inoue also earned her second career Coach of the Year honor. In addition, Hernandez and Wynn were first-team all-conference selections, and Nohe'alani Stores garnered an All-Freshman Team nod.

• Senior Hunter Hernandez has cemented her legacy as one of the most prolific scorers in UCI women's basketball's 52-year history. She is the Anteaters' all-time single-season leader with 636 points, and tied the single-game school record with a career-high 41 at Cal Poly on March 5. She is the only 'Eater to reach the 600-point benchmark in a season. Hernandez is also the school-record holder in career free throws made (398) and ranks second with 1,458 career points. Over the last four games, Hernandez has been on fire, averaging 31.0 points, while shooting 44% (33-75) from the field, 43% (10-23) from deep, and 92% (48-52) at the free throw line.

• Three 'Eaters have buried 55+ 3-pointers this season. Jada Wynn leads the way with 75 triples, which is second among UCI's single-season leaders. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen isn't far behind in third with 69, while Hernandez is ninth with 57. As a team, the Anteaters are 17th in the nation in 3FG made (8.7/gm) and 22nd in 3FG% (35.7%). Their 278 made threes are a school record. UC Irvine has also established single-season school records in free throws made (557), overall wins (26), and conference wins (17). This is UCI's fifth-straight 20-win season. 

• UC Irvine claimed a share of its second Big West regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed in last week's conference tournament where it fell in overtime to fourth-seeded Hawai'i in the semifinals. Hunter Hernandez finished with a game-high 33 points and eight rebounds to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.

POSTSEASON NOTABLES
UC Irvine is making its sixth postseason appearance, fifth under 10th-year head coach Tamara Inoue, and fourth in the last five seasons. The Anteaters were an NCAA tournament team in 1995 and 2024, while they made the WNIT in 2022 and 2023. The 'Eaters also competed in the 2018 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). UCI is 1-5 all-time in the postseason with its lone win coming against San Diego State in the first round of the 2023 WNIT. 

BIG WEST AWARDS
Senior Hunter Hernandez was named the Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Year. She joined Déja Lee (2023-24) as the only two Anteaters to win the award. Hernandez also became the first 'Eater to receive a third career first-team All-Big West honor. Hernandez ranks second in the conference and 18th in the nation with 19.9 points per game. Senior Jada Wynn was selected as the Big West Newcomer of the Year and earned a first-team all-conference nod. Wynn is averaging 15.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per outing. Tamara Inoue collected her second Big West Coach of the Year award, and first since 2021. Nohe'alani Stores rounded out UCI's honorees with a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State (25-5, 19-1 Mountain West) won the Mountain West regular-season title before falling to Air Force in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The Aztecs will be making their third postseason appearance in the last four years. They went to the NCAA tournament in 2025, and earned a WNIT bid in 2023. SDSU has reached 25 wins in back-to-back seasons and surpassed 20 in each of the last four. Naomi Panganiban, an All-MWC selection, is tops on the squad with 14.4 points per outing. Mountain West Player of the Year Nala Williams is also averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.6 steals. Stacie Terry-Hutson, who is in her 13th year at the helm of the Aztec women's basketball program, earned her first Mountain West Coach of the Year award.

SERIES RECORD
UC Irvine trails in its all-time series with San Diego State, 21-9, but has won its last three road games against the Aztecs. The two teams' most recent meeting came in the first round of the WNIT where the Anteaters defeated SDSU, 55-45, at Viejas Arena on March 17, 2023.

LAST TIME OUT
Top-seeded UC Irvine dropped a 67-63 overtime decision to No. 4 seed Hawai'i in the semifinal round of the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Women's Basketball Championship last Friday at Lee's Family Forum. The Anteaters 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 went scoreless over the final three minutes, allowing UH to close on a 5-0 spurt for the win. Five of Hawai'i's seven points in OT came at the free throw line. Hunter Hernandez, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished with a game-high 33 points and eight rebounds. Jada Wynn added 18 points and four assists. Hernandez and Wynn each knocked down four 3-pointers. Shirel Nahum chipped in seven boards and four assists.

40 PIECE
Hunter Hernandez tied the single-game school record with 41 points in an 85-65 win at Cal Poly on March 5. Hernandez is the third Anteater in program history with a 40-point game as she joined Mikah Maly-Karros (41 on March 10, 2010) and Cheri Graham (41 on Dec. 12, 1983) in the exclusive group. Her 41 points are also tied for the 12th-highest scoring output in all of NCAA Division I women's basketball this season. The San Jose native went 11-for-22 from the field and 16-of-18 at the charity stripe. Her 16 free throws matched the most by an 'Eater in a game, while she passed Katherine Hamilton to become UC Irvine's all-time leader with 375 career free throws made. Two days later, Hernandez added on to her free throw record as she went 10-of-10 from the charity stripe at UC Davis.

STAYING HOT
Hunter Hernandez brings a streak of eight-straight double-figure scoring games, and four consecutive 20-point performances into the postseason. Since Feb. 28, Hernandez is averaging 31.0 points, while shooting 44% (33-75) from the field, 43% (10-23) from deep, and 92% (48-52) at the free throw line. In addition to her 41-point outing, the 5-foot-9 guard had 33 against Hawai'i in the Big West semifinals, 26 at UC Santa Barbara, and 24 in the Anteaters' regular-season championship clinching win at UC Davis. Hernandez has also made at least 10 free throws in each of her last three outings. She had a streak of 25 consecutive foul shots made until a miss in overtime last Friday.

SINGLE-SEASON LEADERS
Hunter Hernandez is UC Irvine's all-time single-season leader with 636 points. She is the first 'Eater to reach the 600-point benchmark as she broke Cheri Graham's previous record of 593 that stood since 1983-84. Hernandez is also second among UCI's single-season leaders with 183 free throws made. In addition, senior Jada Wynn (2nd, 75) and sophomore Lauryn Madsen (3rd, 69) rank among the Anteaters' top-three single-season leaders in 3-pointers made.

THE GOAT
Tamara Inoue is the most decorated head coach in program history. She is the Anteaters' only two-time Big West Coach of the Year, while her teams have captured the only two Big West regular-season titles in program history (2022-23 & 2025-26). In 2023-24, she also guided UCI to its first Big West Championship and NCAA tournament appearance in 29 years. Inoue is UC Irvine women's basketball's all-time winningest head coach. On Feb. 27, 2025, she earned her 159th career victory to surpass Dean Andrea (1979-1991). Inoue now owns a 187-122 career record in her 10th season at the helm. Her .605 win percentage is the best among UCI's head coaches who were at the helm for more than 30 games. Her teams have twice broken the school record in wins with 25 in 2022-23 and 26 in 2025-26. In addition, Inoue has led the Anteaters to five of their six national postseason berths, their first victory in a national postseason tournament (2023 WNIT), and six of their eight 20-win campaigns.

MID-MAJOR RANKINGS
UC Irvine was receiving votes in this week's College Insider Women's Mid-Major Poll, breaking a streak of 12 consecutive weeks in the top-25. On Jan. 20, the Anteaters earned their highest mid-major ranking in program history at No. 12.

20-20 VISION
Twenty wins have become the standard for UC Irvine women's basketball. After reaching the benchmark twice in 42 seasons, UCI has 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. The Anteaters closed out the regular season at 26-5, breaking the school record of 25 wins that was also set by an Inoue squad in 2022-23.

BIG WEST DOMINANCE
UC Irvine reached double digits in the Big West regular-season win column for the sixth-straight year. In their school-record 17 conference victories, the Anteaters were dominant with a +18.3 scoring margin. They held a lead of at least 20 in 11 of those games, and went on to close out seven wins by 20-plus, 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). 

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 into second in program history with 1,458 career points. On Jan. 22, Hernandez also pulled down her 500th career rebound, making her the 11th 'Eater to join the 1,000-point/500-rebound club.

PARTY OF FIVE
On March 9, Hunter Hernandez earned her program record fifth Big West Player of the Week award. She is also the first Big West women's basketball player to win five weekly honors in a season since 2018-19. Hernandez was most recently recognized after averaging 32.5 points in road wins at Cal Poly (March 5) and UC Davis (March 7). She tied UCI's single-game scoring record with 41 points against the Mustangs and went on to break the single-season school record two days later as her game-high 24 points against the Aggies put her at 603 on the year. Hernandez also reset the Anteaters' all-time career record in free throws made at 385. Hernandez previously earned the distinction on Jan. 12, and received three consecutive player of the week nods from Dec. 8-22, 2025. Her first of the year came after her first career 30-point game at CSUN (31). She was bestowed with the honor once again for a 27-point performance vs. CBU that put her over the 1K career milestone. 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. Hernandez was the first individual to win three-straight Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week awards since February 2017.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE
UCI ranks first in the Big West in scoring offense (71.4 ppg) and second in scoring defense (58.0 ppg). The Anteaters have finished with 70+ points in 20 of their 32 games. They have also held their opponents to under 60 points on 18 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 32nd in all of NCAA Division I in scoring defense, 13th in FG% defense (35.8%), and 16th in 3FG% defense (26.9%).

GETTING TO THE LINE
Through games of March 16, UCI ranks third in the nation in both free throws made (17.4/game) and free throw percentage (80.4%). The Anteaters have three or fewer misses from the charity stripe in 17 of their 32 games, including a perfect 15-of-15 performance at UC Davis on March 7. Individually, Hunter Hernandez is sixth in the country and second in single-season program history with 183 FTs made. Six 'Eaters are shooting over 80% at the line, led by Jada Wynn at 86.2%, which is 41st in all of NCAA Division I.

DYNAMIC DUO
Seniors Hunter Hernandez and Jada Wynn were the top duo in the Big West this year. In conference games only, Hernandez ranked second in the league in scoring (20.9 ppg), while Wynn was sixth (15.6 ppg). Wynn (6.8 rpg) and Hernandez (6.1 rpg) were also among the top-12 in rebounding. Overall, Hernandez (636) and Wynn (484) have combined for 49% of UC Irvine's total points. Together, they have 23 of the Anteaters' 24 individual 20-point performances and nine of their 12 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.

SENIOR SCORING LEADER
Fifth-year senior Hunter Hernandez has led UCI in scoring 20 times this season. She owns a team-best 29 double-figure scoring games and 15 20-point performances. Hernandez is also the only 'Eater to reach the 30-point benchmark this season. She has done it on five occasions, all on the road - at Cal Poly (41), at UTEP (36), vs. Hawai'i in Henderson (33), at CSUN (31), and at Cal State Fullerton (30). She has two of the top-five scoring games in program history as her 41 points are tied for first and her 36-point effort is tied for fifth. On the year, Hernandez ranks second in the Big West and 18th in the nation with 19.9 ppg. Hernandez, who is the Anteaters' only returning starter, is a three-time first-team All-Big West selection, and made the All-Freshman Team in 2021-22. She missed the 2023-24 season recovering from a second ACL injury.

WYNN-ING FORMULA
After averaging 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in two seasons at Texas Tech, senior transfer Jada Wynn is putting up career numbers as an Anteater. She was named the Big West Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection after ranking among the top-10 in the league in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounding (7.1 rpg), assists (3.8 apg), and 3FG made (75). Her 75 threes are also second in single-season school history. The 6-foot-1 guard has 26 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 scored a career-best 25 points. On the year, Wynn is shooting 39% from the field, 40% from deep, and 86% at the free throw line. A local product from Yorba Linda, California, Wynn is the eldest daughter of UCI assistant coach Derek Wynn.

ON POINT
Junior Shirel Nahum took 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 six of her last 10 outings with 15 at UC Davis (March 7), 18 at UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 28), 12 at UC San Diego (Feb. 21), 16 vs. Cal Poly (Feb. 12), 12 vs. UCSB (Feb. 7), and 12 at Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 5). Nahum also settled in as a primary playmaker with 3+ assists on 21 occasions. She dished out a career-best seven dimes in a win over Colgate on Nov. 29. On the year, Nahum is averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.1 steals.

SHARPSHOOTER
Sophomore Lauryn Madsen is second on the squad, and third in single-season school history with 69 made threes. This year, she has buried five 3-pointers in a game for a career-high 15 points on five occasions. She most recently went 5-for-12 from beyond the arc against CSUN on Feb. 26. Madsen also finished with 15 points vs. Long Beach State (5-7 3FG), at Cal State Bakersfield (5-9 3FG), at New Mexico State (5-8 3FG), and vs. Bowling Green (5-9 3FG). On the year, 69 of her 74 field goals have been from beyond the arc. In 54 career games played, Madsen has a triple in 41 of them, and drained multiple threes 20 times. The 5-foot-11 guard is averaging 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per contest. Defensively, Madsen leads the 'Eaters with 69 steals, which is sixth in single-season school history. She has recorded multiple takeaways 19 times and swiped 4+ on six occasions with a career-high six at LBSU on Jan. 8.

SUMMAH TIME
Junior Summah Hanson is averaging 6.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.0 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 15 of her 21 appearances. The Brisbane, Australia, native has two double-doubles on the year with 12 points and a season-best 13 boards against UCSB (Feb. 7), and 13 points/11 rebounds vs. CSUN (Feb. 26). She also notched a season-high 18 points against UC San Diego on Jan. 24. Hanson was the 2024-25 Big West's Best Sixth Player. 

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 March 12, the 'Eaters are one of 16 NCAA Division I women's basketball teams to have a win streak of at least 16 games this season.

UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's WBIT first-round game between UCI and SDSU will advance to face either No. 1 seed Texas A&M or McNeese State on Sunday, March 22.