UCI Women’s Basketball narrowly escapes UCR, wins fifth straight 56-53

UCI Women’s Basketball (13-5, 7-1) faced off against UC Riverside (8-10, 4-4) for the second time this season, defeating them 56-53 on Jan. 23 at the Bren Events Center.

Irvine was fresh off of their fourth straight win, their latest being a 59-57 win against Cal Poly on Jan. 18. Looking to split the season series after a frustrating 59-54 loss on Jan. 4 in Riverside, Calif., the ‘Eaters were determined to secure a win against UCR.

UCI junior guard Hunter Hernandez opened the scoring with two free throws to establish an early 2-0 lead. Graduate forward Nevaeh Dean followed with a steal, and assisted junior guard Olivia Williams on a layup, extending their lead to 4-0. Their offensive aggression continued throughout the first quarter, and despite efforts from the Highlanders, Irvine led 15-10 going into the second quarter. 

With UCI receiving the ball at the start of the second quarter, Williams made her way into the paint before hitting a jumper, extending the lead to 17-10. Two plays later, Irvine senior guard Nikki Tom put up back-to-back layups — a notable contribution considering Tom’s resistance to shoot throughout most of the season. 

Dean hit a three-pointer to cap off a 7-0 run, putting Irvine up 24-13. While Irvine’s offense continued to improve as the first half ended, shooting 50% overall, UCR struggled to rebound efficiently and ended the second quarter trailing 32-22.

Riverside kicked off the second half with a 4-0 run that brought hope back into their bench. However, Irvine senior point guard Déja Lee went on her own 4-0 run with two layups, followed by a three-pointer from Williams, completing Irvine’s second 7-0 run of the game. Quickly, the Eaters’ extended their lead to 39-26, and the game seemed to be slipping away from the Highlanders.

The biggest highlight of the game for Riverside was graduate guard Seneca Hackley, who scored a season-high 18 points and led the charge in a comeback attempt against Irvine. By the end of the third quarter, the ‘Eaters had secured a 44-34 lead.

The Highlanders opened the fourth quarter with free throws from Hackley and graduate center Gemma Cutler, followed by another three-pointer from Hackley. Suddenly, things got serious for Irvine. More than halfway through the fourth quarter, UCI still hadn’t scored a single point and struggled to control the ball. 

A layup by Riverside freshman guard Kaylani Polk, capping a 7-0 run, served as a reality check for UCI head coach Tamara Inoue, who reinserted all of her starters to make sure the team could shut things down. Fortunately, they did just that — all five made offensive contributions, starting with a 9-4 run that included four free throws by Lee and Tom, a jumper by Hernandez and a Williams layup. The quarter wasn’t easy, but they did enough to maintain their lead.

The Highlanders were relentless in the fourth quarter, aided by a rattled Anteaters team. They pulled within two points by the end of the quarter, adding pressure to what had once seemed like a secure game. But their efforts weren’t enough for the Eaters’ defense, and Riverside fell to Irvine 56-53. 

UCI will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, for a matchup against the University of Hawai’i on Jan. 25 at SimpliFi Arena. 

Avery Rosas is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at rosasaj1@uci.edu

Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jaheem Conley.

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