The UC Irvine women’s basketball team (2-1) fell short 62-60 to the University of Washington Huskies (3-0) on Thursday, Nov. 17 in an intense double overtime match.
Washington’s offense instantly worked smarter as the players moved without the ball around the perimeter to create space. Junior forward Lauren Schwartz patiently watched the zone defense shift for a perfect cross court pass to senior forward Haley Van Dyke for a three at the shot clock buzzer, giving the Huskies an early 5-2 lead.
Irvine was only shooting 29% from the three this season, so the Huskies’ defense knew to keep the Anteaters out of the paint. This resulted in a four minute scoring drought for UCI. With loud communication both offensively and defensively, the Huskies took a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Anteaters flipped a switch in the second quarter as they outscored the Huskies 16-8. Junior center Nevaeh Parkinson upped the team’s momentum by scoring some points under the basket, followed by sophomore guard Amelia Scharpf’s three pointer to set it to a one point deficit, 17-18. The ‘Eaters ended the quarter with their first lead of the night after graduate forward Naomi Hunt banked a three-point shot to take a 23-22 lead.
UCI’s energy remained fueled returning from halftime as Hunt drained two back-to-back threes. Feeling the pressure, Washington took a well-needed timeout to reset and came back to outscore the Anteaters for a few minutes. Anteater sophomore guard Déja Lee bumped Irvine right back up to a 38-33 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Anteaters took a 43-35 lead early into the fourth quarter. Both teams had a heated run going back and forth until the Huskies took the lead once again after sophomore guard Dalayah Daniels signaled Schwartz to cut through the open lane for a sharp pass. Schwartz pump faked the defender for an opening under the basket, finishing the layup to set the score at 48-47 with 1:26 left.
With the crowd echoing through the gym, Hunt sprinted back on offense to set herself at the left corner and called out for the ball. She quickly received a pass and buried a three to claim back the lead 50-48.
As the clock ticked down for Washington, Schwartz missed a crucial shot that senior guard Trinity Oliver quickly collected as her 16th game rebound. Oliver took no time to lay the ball up through the hoop for an and-1. The guard used too much force at the freethrow line, resulting in her ninth missed free throw of the contest, which would’ve given the team the lead.
After a rushed possession, the Huskies turned over the ball to the Anteaters with 17 seconds left. UCI sophomore guard Hunter Hernandez cut at the baseline to gather the ball for a layup at the buzzer, but came up just short. The game went into overtime with both teams tied at 50-50.
Washington was first to score entering overtime as Daniels split between the defenders for a floater right down the middle. Hunt responded for the Anteaters after collecting her own rebound from a missed shot to softly get it back through the net and tie the game once again.
The overtime period ended in a tie once again with free throws from both teams and a scoreless two minute period that followed. The game went into double overtime, tied at 54-54.
Irvine started the final five minute period with high-pressure defense and aggression. Washington freshman guard Hannah Stines managed to distract defenders and found an open window to Daniels for a shot off the glass, putting the Huskies up 57-55. Shortly after, Hunt hit her fifth three-pointer of the game from the top of the key for a one point Anteater lead with 1:55 remaining.
The score was tied once more by Washington after Daniels shot one for two at the free-throw line. At the one minute mark, her teammate Stines faked the defense out and went up for a clean one-handed hook that landed right through the net. With the Huskies in the lead 60-58, UCI junior guard Diaba Konate was fouled and made another two clutch shots. Thirty seconds remained on the scoreboard with the score tied at 60-60.
The Anteaters shifted to a zone defense to trap Oliver in the corner, but she instantly passed the ball to sophomore guard Jayda Noble, who pumped faked her defender to drive in for a floater that sunk right into the basket for the game winner. The bucket gave the Huskies a 62-60 victory, as Hunt was unable to connect with a hook shot for the Anteaters on the final possession to tie the game.
Washington was led by Daniels who added another double-double to her career with 23 points and 14 rebounds. Irvine was heavily assisted by Hunt who scored 17 points once again, 15 coming from three-point shots.
Jazlyn Flores is a Sports Staff Writer. She can be reached at jazlynpf@uci.edu.