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UC Irvine edges Rainbow Wahine basketball team in OT

UC Irvine forward Nevaeh Parkinson scored an inbounds play with less than a second left in overtime to give the Anteaters a 68-66 win over the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team today in Irvine, Calif.

After a blocked shot went out of bounds, UC Irvine inbounded the ball under its basket with 1.4 seconds left. Parkinson cut across the lane, took the pass and dropped in the tie-breaking layup with 0.4 showing on the clock.

After a timeout, UH couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer and UCI (22-5, 14-2 Big West) held on for its second overtime win over the Rainbow Wahine (13-14, 11-7) this season.

Parkinson finished with 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting and 10 rebounds and UCI broke the program record for wins in a season. Deja Lee and Nikki Tom had 14 points each for the Anteaters, who pulled out a 71-67 win in OT on Jan. 19 at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

UH guard Meilani McBee scored 13 of her career-high 23 in the fourth quarter to help the Wahine erase a seven-point deficit to force overtime. McBee hit three 3-pointers in the quarter and twice stepped inside the arc to hit game-tying jumpers.

Freshman center Imani Perez also set a career-best with 13 points, including a 3-pointer in overtime, and nine rebounds. Daejah Phillips added 11 points and Lily Wahinekapu finished with nine points, ending her streak of double-digit scoring performances at 12 consecutive games, and had five assists.

The Rainbow Wahine return home to close the regular season and will face Cal State Northridge on Thursday and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday on senior night.

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