The UC Irvine Women’s Basketball team (26-7,17-3) faced off against the San Diego State University Aztecs (26-5, 19-1) for the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) at the Jenny Craig Arena, San Diego and fell short 61-55 on March 19.
The game opened with a two pointer for Aztec senior guard Nala Williams, giving San Diego an early lead in the game, as sophomore guard Lauryn Madsen, junior point guard Shirel Nahum, senior guard Hunter Hernandez, senior guard Jada Wynn and junior forward Summah Hanson started for the Anteaters.
With two minutes gone and the Anteaters down, UC Irvine’s Hernandez came in with two back-to-back free throws that tied the game up at 2-2. Shortly after, Hernandez scored a layup, earning two more points for the Anteaters and giving them the lead.
Looking to take back the lead, Aztec sophomore guard Naomi Panganiban scored four free throws and her teammate, sophomore forward Bailey Barnhard, got a layup that brought the score to 8-4 for the Aztecs.
There was some back and forth when UC Irvine’s Hernandez earned the Anteaters four more points that tied up the score again.
This tie was short lived as San Diego scored four points. However, UC Irvine’s Wynn was able to cut the gap in half with a successful layup.
Both teams earned more points, and the quarter closed out with Anteater Hanson claiming a three-pointer that brought the score to a tie at 14-14.
In the second quarter, San Diego State pulled ahead early with two three-pointers within the first two and a half minutes.
The Aztecs jumped to a nine-point lead, but Anteater sophomore guard Naomy Zonzon-Huyghe got a layup that reduced the Aztec lead to seven points at 23-16.
UC Irvine fought back, with freshman point guard Ameerah Grant earning a three-pointer. UCI freshman forward Nohe’alani Stores and Hernandez followed up with a layup and two pointer, respectively, bringing the score to 25-23 to end the first half.
The third quarter continued the back and forth scoring between both teams. First, was a San Diego State layup, followed by an Anteater layup by Hanson.
Both teams stayed within a few points of each other until the Anteaters earned a five point lead with a two-pointer from Wynn and a layup from Stores.
With the score at 42-37 and one minute on the clock, the Aztecs earned two back-to-back three-pointers and ended the quarter in the lead at 43-42.
In the fourth quarter, Anteater Wynn earned four free throw points to bring the score to 48-45. Nahum then tied the score at 51-51 with a three-pointer, and both Anteater Hanson and Hernandez had successful layups later.
Following that, there was another tie at 55-55. However, the Aztecs went on to earn six more points to conclude the game, 61-55, and the Anteaters’ season.
Throughout the game, there were 12 lead changes and nine ties. UC Irvine’s Hernandez scored 19 points and was the Anteaters’ top scorer for this game. Anteater Wynn had nine rebounds, making her the rebound lead of the game for UC Irvine.
UC Irvine Women’s Basketball finished the season with record high wins, points and free throws.
Cayley Mazer is a Sports Intern for the winter 2026 quarter. She can be reached at cmazer@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor and Geneses Navarro.
