UC Irvine Women’s Basketball (5-1) snuck past the University of Pennsylvania (3-3), 72-68, in overtime at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa on Nov. 21. It was their fifth straight win dating back to their Nov. 7 home victory against Pepperdine.
The first three minutes of the game was a showdown between UPenn freshman forward Katie Collins and Irvine junior guard Hunter Hernandez. Collins made back-to-back layups to start the scoring, with Hernandez matching her with two layups of her own. Collins made another layup to aid her team, but only right before Hernandez hit a free throw and a triple. With the scoring solely coming from the two players, the game opened with the ‘Eaters in the lead, 8-6.
The Quakers took and maintained a lead for most of the first quarter. Although Irvine sophomore forward Summah Hanson hit a layup to cut the lead, UPenn took the lead one more time to end the first quarter ahead, 17-16.
UCI’s Hernandez came right back with another layup to start the second quarter, taking a short-lasting 18-17 lead. A 5-0 run from Penn set up Irvine sophomore point guard Shirel Nahum to make a clutch three-pointer, but UCI failed to maintain the lead once again.
Soon after, neither team seemed like they wanted to take the lead, exchanging a flurry of layups and jumpers within a minute-and-a-half span. Eventually, Penn was able to get back ahead, ending the quarter with a three-point lead, 35-32. Over the previous four games, Irvine had become unfamiliar with trailing late, but they were due for a turnaround.
Bursting back onto the court for the second half of the game, Hernandez and Irvine graduate forward Nevaeh Dean teamed up for a 7-0 run that put them back ahead, 39-35.
As UCI’s offense started to taper off, UPenn continued chipping away. The Quakers’ three-point shooting improved massively, hitting three triples to eventually find themselves in the lead, 49-48. Fortunately for the ‘Eaters, their free throw shooting didn’t slow down. With four free throws coming at the right time, UCI tied the game at 52-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
Continuing to assert herself on the court, UCI’s Hanson opened the fourth quarter with a triple that fueled Irvine. Hernandez still couldn’t be stopped, nailing two more free throws as Irvine junior guard Olivia Williams hit a triple. UPenn’s Collins maintained her scoring onslaught, however, tying the game up once again with a three-pointer. Collins eventually ended her night with a team-leading 18 points and seven rebounds.
Neither team could do much more than take a short-lived lead or make a game-tying shot, a trend that sent both teams into a five-minute overtime tied 63-63.
Seeing Hanson’s contributions throughout the game, the ‘Eaters got the ball into her hands as many times as they could down the stretch. Hanson missed two three-pointers to start OT but soon got the ball in to land a layup. Penn made a free throw, and Irvine’s lead was slim. Hanson responded by making another layup and then a jumper for fun.
Another jumper — this time from Hernandez — and a free throw from Irvine senior point guard Déja Lee put the nail in the coffin of a 72-68 victory for the ‘Eaters, a hard-fought win that left them with a Philadelphia sweep.
UC Irvine Women’s Basketball will take their five-game win streak to Albuquerque, N.M., for a pre-Thanksgiving matchup against the University of New Mexico on Nov. 27.
Avery Rosas is a Sports Intern for the fall 2024 quarter. He can be reached at rosasaj1@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Mia Noergaard