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Kayla Williams pumped in 20 points as UC Irvine overpowered Hawaii 82-68 on Friday night at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif.
Williams shot 8-for-13 from the field and dished out seven assists as the Anteaters (8-5) remained unbeaten in Big West Conference play at 5-0. Hawaii dropped to 2-3 in conference play (3-4 overall). The teams meet again today to complete the two-game series.
Amy Atwell paced the Rainbow Wahine with 16 points, adding three rebounds and two blocks. Jadynn Alexander scored 13, including 8-for-8 at the free-throw line. Kasey Neubert had 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman Kelsie Imai had 12 points, six assists and two blocks.
UCI shot just 5-for-20 from 3-point range, but was 27-for-42 inside the arc. Former Konawaena standout Caiyle Kaupu had 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the floor, adding four rebounds. Haleigh Talbert added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Alexus Seaton also tallied 11 points.
Hawaii shot 95 percent at the charity stripe (19-for-20) and outrebounded UCI 37-26. However, the Anteaters committed just seven turnovers while UH had 20 giveaways.
The home team roared to a 9-2 lead and stretched it to 22-9 by the end of the first quarter. Turnovers — seven — and 4-for-16 shooting from the field hampered the visiting Rainbow Wahine in the opening stanza.
The Anteaters extended it to 27-11 with 8:37 remaining in the first half before Hawaii went on a 12-5 run. Hawaii got within 32-23 after back-to-back treys by Meilani McBee and Jadynn Alexander. UCI answered with a 3 from Kaupu for a 12-point lead with 3:39 before intermission.
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