Thursday, March 5
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
6:00 PM
UC Irvine
25-5,16-3Big West
85
at
65
Cal Poly
3-26,1-18Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UC Irvine | 19 | 23 | 27 | 16 | 85 |
| Cal Poly | 6 | 20 | 25 | 14 | 65 |
Hernandez Scores 41 in Anteaters' 85-65 Win at Cal Poly
March 05, 2026 | Women's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. β Senior Hunter Hernandez tied the single-game school record with 41 points to lead UC Irvine to an 85-65 victory over Cal Poly Thursday evening at Mott Athletics Center.
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Hernandez went 11-for-22 from the field and 16-of-18 at the charity stripe. Her 16 free throws matched the most by an Anteater in a game, while she also passed Katherine Hamilton to become UCI's all-time leader with 375 career free throws made. Hamilton's previous record of 368 had stood since 1983.
Β
As a team, the 'Eaters have tied the most overall and conference wins in program history,Β improving to 25-5 and 16-3 in Big West play. They remain in first place along with UC San Diego (16-3) and sit one game ahead of UC Davis (15-4). The Anteaters and Aggies will square off Saturday in Davis.
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BY THE NUMBERS: Hernandez is just the third 'Eater in program history with a 40-point game, joining Mikah Maly-Karros (2010) and Cheri Graham (1983) at the top of the list. It was Hernandez's fourth 30+ point outing this year, topping her previous best of 36 at UTEP on Dec. 18. Β
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Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe went 5-for-9 from the field for 12 points, while she dished out a team-best five assists. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen added 11 points. Junior Summah Hanson pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Senior Jada Wynn chipped in eight points, four boards, four assists, and two steals.
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UCI shot 44% (22-50) from the floor with six triples, and went 35-of-48 (72.9%) at the free throw line. The Anteaters won the battle in rebounding (38-31), second chance points (23-8), turnovers forced (15-9), and points off turnovers (25-8).
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Cal Poly shot 41.1% (23-56) and was 14-for-19 (73.7%) at the foul line. Charish Thompson led four Mustangs in double figures with 15 points.
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HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine raced out to an 8-2 lead following six-straight points from Hernandez. Cal Poly (3-26, 1-18 Big West) then made its first field goal of the game at the 4:58 mark, but triples from Madsen and Hernandez started a 10-0 rally that put the Anteaters on top, 18-4, with under a minute to go. The Mustangs got one more bucket, while Zonzon-Huyghe went 1-of-2 at the foul line to give UCI a 19-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
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The 'Eaters started the second period on a 10-2 run for their largest lead of the half at 29-8 with 6:36 remaining. Cal Poly closed the gap to 11 over the next three minutes, but UC Irvine outscored the home team, 7-2, down the stretch for a 42-26 cushion at the break.
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The two teams traded points to begin the third frame before the Anteaters used an 11-3 spurt, capped by a Madsen 3-pointer, to pull ahead byΒ 22 (64-42) at the 3:09 mark. The 'Eaters maintained a 20-point margin until the Mustangs converted a fast break layup in the final seconds to make it 69-51.
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Hernandez scored the first seven points of the fourth to put UCI up, 76-51 with 8:37 left. The Anteaters led by at least 18 the rest of the way.
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UP NEXT: UC Irvine will close out the regular seasonΒ at UC Davis on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at University Credit Union Center.
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NOTES
β’Β Hunter Hernandez moved up to No. 2 in single-season school history with 579 points on the year.
β’Β Hernandez is now 14 points away from tying the 42-year-old school record held by Cheri Graham (593).
β’Β Hernandez also surpassed 1,400 career points, making her just the fourth 'Eater to reach that benchmark.
β’Β Lauryn Madsen climbed one spot into fourth among UCI's single-season leaders in 3-pointers made (65).
β’Β UC Irvine had a change to its starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 6, 2025 (19 games).
β’ The Anteaters extended their win streak in their all-time series with Cal Poly to 11 games.
Β
Β
Hernandez went 11-for-22 from the field and 16-of-18 at the charity stripe. Her 16 free throws matched the most by an Anteater in a game, while she also passed Katherine Hamilton to become UCI's all-time leader with 375 career free throws made. Hamilton's previous record of 368 had stood since 1983.
Β
As a team, the 'Eaters have tied the most overall and conference wins in program history,Β improving to 25-5 and 16-3 in Big West play. They remain in first place along with UC San Diego (16-3) and sit one game ahead of UC Davis (15-4). The Anteaters and Aggies will square off Saturday in Davis.
Β
BY THE NUMBERS: Hernandez is just the third 'Eater in program history with a 40-point game, joining Mikah Maly-Karros (2010) and Cheri Graham (1983) at the top of the list. It was Hernandez's fourth 30+ point outing this year, topping her previous best of 36 at UTEP on Dec. 18. Β
Β
Sophomore Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe went 5-for-9 from the field for 12 points, while she dished out a team-best five assists. Sophomore Lauryn Madsen added 11 points. Junior Summah Hanson pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Senior Jada Wynn chipped in eight points, four boards, four assists, and two steals.
Β
UCI shot 44% (22-50) from the floor with six triples, and went 35-of-48 (72.9%) at the free throw line. The Anteaters won the battle in rebounding (38-31), second chance points (23-8), turnovers forced (15-9), and points off turnovers (25-8).
Β
Cal Poly shot 41.1% (23-56) and was 14-for-19 (73.7%) at the foul line. Charish Thompson led four Mustangs in double figures with 15 points.
Β
HOW IT HAPPENED: UC Irvine raced out to an 8-2 lead following six-straight points from Hernandez. Cal Poly (3-26, 1-18 Big West) then made its first field goal of the game at the 4:58 mark, but triples from Madsen and Hernandez started a 10-0 rally that put the Anteaters on top, 18-4, with under a minute to go. The Mustangs got one more bucket, while Zonzon-Huyghe went 1-of-2 at the foul line to give UCI a 19-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Β
The 'Eaters started the second period on a 10-2 run for their largest lead of the half at 29-8 with 6:36 remaining. Cal Poly closed the gap to 11 over the next three minutes, but UC Irvine outscored the home team, 7-2, down the stretch for a 42-26 cushion at the break.
Β
The two teams traded points to begin the third frame before the Anteaters used an 11-3 spurt, capped by a Madsen 3-pointer, to pull ahead byΒ 22 (64-42) at the 3:09 mark. The 'Eaters maintained a 20-point margin until the Mustangs converted a fast break layup in the final seconds to make it 69-51.
Β
Hernandez scored the first seven points of the fourth to put UCI up, 76-51 with 8:37 left. The Anteaters led by at least 18 the rest of the way.
Β
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will close out the regular seasonΒ at UC Davis on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at University Credit Union Center.
Β
NOTES
β’Β Hunter Hernandez moved up to No. 2 in single-season school history with 579 points on the year.
β’Β Hernandez is now 14 points away from tying the 42-year-old school record held by Cheri Graham (593).
β’Β Hernandez also surpassed 1,400 career points, making her just the fourth 'Eater to reach that benchmark.
β’Β Lauryn Madsen climbed one spot into fourth among UCI's single-season leaders in 3-pointers made (65).
β’Β UC Irvine had a change to its starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 6, 2025 (19 games).
β’ The Anteaters extended their win streak in their all-time series with Cal Poly to 11 games.
Β
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballTeam Stats
Irvine
CPO
FG%
.440
.411
3FG%
.273
.238
FT%
.729
.737
RB
38
31
TO
9
15
STL
9
5
Game Leaders
Pts
41
FGM
11
3FGM
3
FTM
16
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
0
3FGM
0
FTM
8
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