The UC Irvine Women’s basketball team (10-8, 5-2) defeated CSU Bakersfield (1-11, 0-4), 81-73, in a well-fought battle at the Icardo Center on Thursday Jan. 27.
Looking to get the lead early, UCI graduate forward Naomi Hunt went for not one, but two back-to-back threes. Her teammates instantly matched her energy and shifted into a full court press, gaining extra possessions.
With the Bakersfield Roadrunners off to a sluggish start, senior Anteater guard Andie Easley slithered through with a left hand hook shot for two points. Sophomore point guard Lexus Green scored an extra two.
Getting a jump on their opponents, the first quarter ended in favor of UCI, 21-16.
Returning from intermission, Hunt hit her third three within only 45 seconds of the start of the quarter, getting
Bakersfield’s Head Coach Greg McCall furiously called a timeout. With hopes of a change of events, he emptied his bench and sat his starting lineup.
After letting a few minutes pass, he put his starters back into the game to see if it sparked new energy into the players — and it did. The Runners’ senior center Vanessa Austin flaunted her post moves in the paint, as well as a clean assist to junior forward Miracle Saxon for a layup against a double team.
Ending the half with Irvine up 38-27, the Anteaters collected 24 rebounds in only two quarters. The Runners’ offense looked bright as they shot 71% from the free throw line.
The Runners used Austin’s toughness in the paint to their advantage, however being a little too physical led to offensive fouls. Irvine’s center Dusharm reciprocated the energy, turning this into a much more aggressive game.
Despite an almost 20 point deficit in the third quarter, Bakersfield remained optimistic as they implemented smarter tactics on the court. The team fluidly moved the ball, forcing Irvine’s defense to shift, and found easy baskets down low.
Entering the fourth quarter with three fouls, Irvine’s sophomore guard Chloe Webb seemed ready to settle down. Instead, she continued to put on a show with over 21 points with help from fellow teammate redshirt freshman Kayla Williams, who played as more of a distributor this game with clever passes.
The game dialed down to a 10 point difference that lasted about three minutes. With a minute to spare, Irvine’s guards were smart and kept the ball at the top of the key to run down the clock. The Anteaters added another win to their record, 81-73.
A tough fight resulted in a career high for Webb, who put up 26 points, along with Williams’ nine rebounds in a victory for the ‘Eaters. Bakersfield’s redshirt junior Jayden Eggleston led her team with 19 points.
The Anteaters traveled to the Mott Athletics Center to face the Cal Poly Mustangs on Jan. 29. Read about it here.
Jazlyn Flores is a Sports Intern for the winter 2022 quarter. She can be reached at jazlynpf@uci.edu.