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UC Irvine women fall to San Diego State in WBIT opener

March 20, 2026

SAN DIEGO — The UC Irvine women’s basketball team saw its record-setting season come to an end with a 61-55 loss to fourth-seeded San Diego State in the first round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament on Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.

UCI and SDSU were locked in a back-and-forth battle from start to finish with nine ties and 12 lead changes. The Anteaters went ahead 55-53 on a Hunter Hernandez jumper with 2:38 left in the fourth quarter, but the Aztecs answered on their next possession – a Kennedy Lee drive that knotted the score again with 1:21 remaining.

UCI went scoreless the rest of the way, and San Diego State secured the win at the free-throw line. Naomi Panganiban snapped the 55-55 tie with a pair of free throws with 33.2 seconds left, and Nala Williams made four insurance free throws in the final 20.3 seconds.

“I’m really proud of my team for the way we fought and stayed in it,” UCI head coach Tamara Inoue said during a postgame press conference. “I thought we did a great job of managing the threes and getting after it. The fourth quarter at the very end, I thought we had some good looks and opportunities, but it didn’t go our way. Right now, I’m just really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Big West Conference Player of the Year Hunter Hernandez finished with a team-best 19 points and four assists for UCI (26-7), which set program records for wins, total points (2,340), free throw percentage (80.6%) and 3-point baskets (284) while winning a share of the Big West Conference regular-season title.

Big West Newcomer of the Year Jada Wynn filled the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Summah Hanson added seven points, five rebounds and four steals.

Panganiban was taking a 15-foot shot from the left side of the basket when she was hit on the arm by UCI’s Shirel Nahum to send her to the line for the go-ahead free throws. Twelve seconds later, Williams was fouled by Hernandez, which forced the Anteaters’ leading scorer out of the game with five fouls.

Williams’ four game-clinching free throws capped a 13-for-13 night for the Aztecs from the foul line.

“Free throws were key in the second half,” SDSU coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said. “That was a really good win against a very good team.”

Panganiban had a game-high 22 point to pace SDSU (26-5), which shot 41% from the field, 6 for 17 from 3-point range and held a 34-29 rebounding advantage. Lee finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, and Bailey Barnhard had eight points, nine rebounds and five assists.

“San Diego State has had a tremendous season and the way they play is a good brand of basketball,” Inoue said. “All credit to them and best of luck to them the rest of the tournament.”

The Anteaters shot 35% from the field, 6 for 21 from 3-point range and made all nine of their free throws.

Both teams had problems finding their range in a 14-14 first quarter, but SDSU opened the second quarter on a 9-0 run on 3-point shots by CJ Latta and Lee followed by a basket and a free throw by Panganiban.

But Panganiban’s basket at 6:40 was the Aztecs’ last of the first half. They missed their last eight shots from the floor and didn’t score over the last 4:23 and UCI shaved a nine-point deficit to 25-23 by halftime.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Hernandez and Lauryn Madsen were part of a 10-3 run that gave the Anteaters their largest lead of the game at 42-37 with 1:02 remaining in the third. SDSU regained the lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Nat Martinez and Panganiban.

The seesaw battle continued in the fourth. The Anteaters used a 6-0 surge to take a 48-45 lead at the 7:31 mark, but the Aztecs responded with six straight points for a 51-48 advantage, setting the stage for the final minutes.

SDSU hosted the game at USD’s gym because Viejas Arena is hosting the first and second rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament this week.

NOTES

This was UCI’s sixth postseason appearance, five of which have come under Inoue, including four in the past five years. … Hernandez finished with a single-season school-record 655 points and ends her career as UCI’s all-time leader in free throws made (402). She also ranks second in program history in career points (1,477) and career free-throw percentage (83.1%). … In their final three games, the Anteaters shot 41 for 42 at the free-throw line (97.6%).

The Union-Tribune’s Bill Center contributed to this story.

Orange County Register

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UC Irvine women fall to San Diego State in WBIT opener

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