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Not much figures to separate the Hawaii and UC Irvine women’s basketball teams in the Big West Conference again this season.
Hawaii received six first-place votes in the preseason coaches’ poll and UCI received five. Add up all the votes and it was a 96-95 edge in favor of the Rainbow Wahine, who return eight seniors from last season’s regular-season championship team.
The cupboards are hardly bare in Irvine as the Anteaters return point guard Déja Lee, the reigning Big West Player of the Year who led them to the conference tournament title last March, as well as Hunter Hernandez and Olivia Williams, both of whom missed last season recovering from knee injuries.
UC IRVINE
Coach: Tamara Inoue, ninth season
2024 record: 5-3
Last season: 23-8 overall, 16-4 in conference (Won the Big West Tournament, lost to Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament)
First conference game: Thursday, at Cal State Bakersfield (6:30 p.m.)
Top players: Lee is back after leading the Anteaters in scoring last season at 13.9 points per game. She was also second in the conference at 2.6 steals per game. Hernandez returns after missing last season with a torn ACL sustained in February 2023. She was leading the Anteaters in scoring at 15.7 ppg when she was injured. Williams also sat out last season with a knee injury. Nevaeh Dean is a three-year starter at forward and Nikki Tom is a three-year starter at shooting guard.
What we know so far: The Anteaters dropped their season opener to New Mexico State but then rattled off five straight victories, including a 64-61 thriller against Saint Mary’s on Nov. 16 and an overtime win at Pennsylvania on Nov. 21. UCI played without Hernandez against New Mexico on Nov. 27 and Denver on Saturday because of an injury and lost both games, but she is expected to be back in the near future.
Key stats: Summah Hanson, who was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year at Sacramento State last season, is averaging 14 points and 8.8 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 forward from Brisbane, Australia has seen little dropoff in her game since transferring to UCI, averaging 13.4 points and 6.9 rebounds through the first eight games.
Coach’s quote: “With the injuries, we’ve had short rosters the last two years. Up to 16 right now, so I think we’re going to be able to take care of the deeper bench, and it’s a new challenge this year.” – Inoue
CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
Coach: Angie Ned, first season
2024 record: 2-4
Last season: 3-27 overall, 1-19 in conference (Did not qualify for the Big West Tournament)
First conference game: Thursday, at UC Riverside (6 p.m.)
Top players: Erica Adams was the second-leading scorer for the Matadors last season at 8.8 ppg. She started all 27 games for CSUN last season after starting 35 games over three seasons at Pacific. Erika Aspajo, from Barcelona, spent the past three seasons playing for Georgian Court University in Lakewood Township, N.J. and then scored in double figures in her first three games with the Matadors. Kelly Tumlin is another first-year transfer who is off to a strong start.
What we know so far: After winning their first two games of the season for the second year in a row, the Matadors are hoping the trend stops there. CSUN lost its final 26 games last season and is riding a four-game skid heading into its conference opener.
Key stats: The Matadors have already seen an increase in 3-point attempts and efficiency under Ned, the former Director of Basketball Operations at UCI who is tied for fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,333 points). CSUN has attempted 153 3-point shots through six games and made 46 (30%). The Matadors shot 134 for 524 from behind the arc (25.5%) in 30 games last season.
Coach’s quote: “New environment, new opportunities, with an amazing drive and work ethic to just get things done. It’s obviously been a lot of work, but that’s a part of the process and for us we’re excited about the journey.” – Ned
UC RIVERSIDE
Coach: Brad Langston, second season
2024 record: 3-5
Last season: 18-13 overall, 13-7 in conference (lost to LBSU in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals)
First conference game: Thursday, vs. Cal State Northridge (6 p.m.)
Top players: The Highlanders lost their top four scorers to eligibility or to other programs, leaving Esther Matarranz and Zoe Tillery as the top returning players. Matarranz is a 6-2 forward who started seven games last season and Tillery is a 5-8 guard who started 15 games. Shelley Duchemin has been an early surprise for UCR after transferring from Northern Colorado. The 6-foot guard led the Highlanders in scoring in five of their first eight games.
What we know so far: After dropping five of its first six to start the season, UCR has strung together a two-game winning streak entering conference play, most recently knocking off Saint Mary’s, 49-41, on Saturday in Northern California. Matarranz produced the first double-double of the season for the Highlanders, finishing with 14 points, 16 rebounds and six steals.
Key stats: UCR has had the stingiest defense in the Big West so far, limiting opponents to 56.4 points and forcing 20.4 turnovers, the second-most in the conference.
Coach’s quote: “We’re just trying to take that identity that we established last year, which is an up-tempo, pressure team that’s going to cause havoc defensively. We made strides in our first year of doing that, being No. 1 in the Big West in forced turnovers and No. 1 in steals. We had four players in the Top 150 in steals in the NCAA and we’re just trying to take that identity and expand on it.” – Langston
CAL STATE FULLERTON
Coach: Jeff Harada, eighth season
2024 record: 0-7
Last season: 10-21 overall, 6-14 in conference (Lost to UC Davis in the first round of the Big West Tournament)
First conference game: Thursday, at Long Beach State (6 p.m.)
Top players: The Titans lost their top four scorers to eligibility or other programs, leaving 5-10 guard Demonnie Lagway as the top returning scorer. She started 10 games last season and averaged 5.5 ppg. She reached double figures in scoring in four straight games last month. Aixchel Hernandez has moved into the starting lineup this season after coming off the bench most of the past three seasons. The 6-1 forward had 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 66-51 loss to Fordham on Nov. 8, the sixth double-double of her college career. She also played all 40 minutes in each of the first five games of the season.
What we know so far: The Titans are winless heading into conference play, but three of their seven losses have come by four points or less, including a 64-61 overtime loss at Loyola Marymount last week.
Key stats: The Titans have won their conference opener four times under Harada, including a 67-61 decision against Long Beach State last season.
Coach’s quote: “We have to learn how to keep our energy consistent, and I think if we do that, then maybe we can move forward with what we want to accomplish as a team. These games test you and prepare you and get you ready for conference play. Right now, we’re trying to figure out our way and find our identity, and what kind of team we can be.” – Harada
LONG BEACH STATE
Coach: Amy Wright, second season
2024 record: 3-3
Last season: 15-18 overall, 8-12 in conference (Lost to UCI in the Big West Tournament semifinals)
First conference game: Thursday, vs Cal State Fullerton (6 p.m.)
Top players: Savannah Tucker was the leading scorer for Long Beach last season at 12.4 ppg and she’s back for her senior season, along with several other contributors from last season’s team. Patricia Chung had a stretch of six straight games scoring in double figures during conference play last season. Jada Crawshaw has moved into a starting role after averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds off the bench last season. Mykelle Richards, a freshman from Etiwanda High, has been LBSU’s top newcomer so far.
What we know so far: Long Beach split its first four games before facing a big test against Michigan on Nov. 24 and it went as expected. Long Beach shot just 1 for 22 from 3-point range and lost, 111-56. The team returned home and posted a 68-61 win against visiting Pepperdine on Sunday, but again struggled from behind the arc, shooting 1 for 21.
Key stats: LBSU is shooting 22.3% from 3-point range, which is last in the Big West, and it will be open against the best 3-point defensive team in the conference in Fullerton, which is limiting opponents to 25.2% from deep.
Coach’s quote: “One of our slogans is, be more than four. Can you walk in every day and be more than what you did the day before? We’re focused on just winning each possession, winning each day, and giving their best. At the end of the day, the winning will take care of itself as long as we’re doing that.” – Wright
