UCI Women’s Basketball (7-3, 1-0) continued their successful season with a 60-48 victory over Oregon State (3-7, 0-1) on Dec. 15 at the Gill Coliseum.
The game kicked off with an unexpected three-pointer from UC Irvine senior guard Nikki Tom, who averaged 2.1 points per game coming into Sunday’s matchup. Irvine junior guard Olivia Williams followed with a jumper to extend their short lead. Four players scored in the first quarter, but none contributed more than UCI senior point guard Déja Lee, who scored five points to close the quarter at 13-9.
Williams jumped out of the gates in the second quarter as well, hitting another jumper as the Anteaters struggled to grow a confident lead. Oregon senior forward Kelsey Rees cut the lead to 17-15 with a layup and freshman guard Ally Schimel tied the game with her own layup.
Unlike their previous game against CSU Bakersfield, where they never trailed, the ‘Eaters found themselves behind in the second quarter after Oregon senior guard Catarina Ferreira made two free throws to set the lead at 19-17.
However, this lead was quickly retaken. Back-to-back layups from Irvine junior guard Hunter Hernandez sparked a 4-0 run, which was capped off by a jumper from redshirt freshman forward Daniela Falcón Hernández.
Oregon made two free throws immediately after, but Irvine continued to make big responses. Graduate forward Nevaeh Dean hit a three-pointer, followed by another from Lee. Irvine junior guard Ines Gnahore, playing her first game of the season, added a three-pointer to cap off a 9-0 run and extended Irvine’s lead to 32-21.
The ‘Eaters bench was pumped heading into the third quarter as the team continued to perform well. Lee pulled off another three-pointer, and Irvine sophomore forward Summah Hanson made three straight free throws for her first points of the game.
Throughout the game, it was clear that the offensive plan for Irvine was working. They scored no less than 13 points a quarter and found contributions from players up and down the roster consistently throughout the game. At the same time, Falcón Hernández proved that she was a valuable acquisition, going on a solo 3-0 run with a jumper and a free throw and helping the Anteaters close the third quarter, leading 46-29 with 10 minutes to play.
Anteater freshman guard Lauryn Madsen made her UCI debut at the start of the fourth quarter and made it count as she hit a free throw for her first college point. Her free throw marked the start of five straight free throws for Irvine, handing them a 6-0 run that was capped by a tipped-in layup from Hanson.
Although Irvine stretched their lead to 53-29, the scoring continued. A jumper from Williams and a layup from senior guard Amelia Scharpf put four points on the board for UCI in response to a layup from Ferreira. Oregon mounted a strong fourth quarter with a game-high 18 points, but they eventually fell 60-48 to UC Irvine.
UCI will remain in Oregon for their biggest challenge yet, with a match against University of Oregon on Dec. 19, who are currently ranked 14th in the Big West Conference.
Avery Rosas is a Sports Intern for the Fall 2024 Quarter. He can be reached at rosasaj1@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jaheem Conley.