SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – 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.
 
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.
 
As a team, the 'Eaters have tied the most overall and conference wins in program history, 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.
 
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.  
 
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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 by 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.
 
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.
 
UP NEXT: UC Irvine will close out the regular season at UC Davis on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at University Credit Union Center.
 
NOTES
• Hunter Hernandez moved up to No. 2 in single-season school history with 579 points on the year.
• Hernandez is now 14 points away from tying the 42-year-old school record held by Cheri Graham (593).
• Hernandez also surpassed 1,400 career points, making her just the fourth 'Eater to reach that benchmark.
• Lauryn Madsen climbed one spot into fourth among UCI's single-season leaders in 3-pointers made (65).
• UC Irvine had a change to its starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 6, 2025 (19 games).
• The Anteaters extended their win streak in their all-time series with Cal Poly to 11 games.