First look: UC Irvine, Gonzaga women’s first-round NCAA opponent, has a familiar vibe
Like all teams preparing for NCAA Tournament openers, Gonzaga’s initial knowledge of UC Irvine was limited.
No recent postseason history exists regarding the Anteaters because they’re making their first NCAA appearance in nearly three decades (1995) and second overall.
Yet the Zags don’t have to look far to get a feel for what they will face. UC Irvine is similar to West Coast Conference teams.
The 13th-seeded Anteaters face No. 4 Gonzaga (30-3) in a first-round matchup Saturday at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Tipoff is at 4:30 p.m.
UC Irvine opened the season with a 63-58 loss at Pepperdine. The Anteaters’ nonconference schedule also included a loss at Saint Mary’s (52-37) and a win over Pacific (66-60).
They handed visiting Eastern Washington its first loss, 71-63.
UC Irvine earned its NCAA berth by beating UC Davis 53-39 in the Big West Tournament title game Saturday.
They’ve averaged 63.2 points and allowed 55 per game, which ranks ninth in the country.
It’s apparent the Anteaters lean on defense, especially full-court pressure. They don’t shoot well, making 39.9% from the field and even fewer on 3-pointers (136 of 523, 26%).
Deja Lee, a 5-foot-9 junior guard, averages a team-leading 13.9 points, and 6-1 graduate guard Moulayne Johnson Sidi Baba averages 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. Lee scored 21 points and Johnson Sidi Baba added 13 in the Anteaters’ win over UC Davis.
It was UC Irvine’s first Big West Tournament title.
Only two Anteaters average in double figures.
UC Irvine heads to Spokane on a six-game winning streak, but it faces a tall task against a team that has won 34 straight at home.
“For me, this is why I do it,” UCI coach Tamara Inoue told the Orange County Register newspaper Sunday. “I love it. I love pressure. I love rising. It’s been amazing. Our players recognize it every single day in and day out.”
Inoue is in her eighth season as head coach. Prior to her taking over, UCI had two winning seasons in 15 years.
“If anybody says this is easy, they’re lying, and I really mean it,” Inoue said. “You know, it’s a process. I think a lot of people in this generation, they want instant success. I cannot thank (athletic director) Paula Smith and the university enough for being patient with me to be able to build culture. I want cultures, I want to develop. This university helps me in that way.”
Gonzaga coach Lisa Fortier said her initial information on UCI was minimal. The Anteaters’ best player is Lee.
“Their leading scorer is a Canadian that we’re a little familiar with,” Fortier said. “We know a little about her, but not as much as when she was in high school.”
Judging by statistics, UCI will try to avoid an uptempo pace.
The Anteaters don’t rely on long-distance shooting.
“They don’t make a ton of 3s a game,” Fortier said. “They press, they turn teams over. They’re positive on the glass. And that’s really the extent of my knowledge.”
Fortier said the Zags will guard against putting much stock in scouting reports from common opponents because the games were played in early November.
“That’s a long time ago,” Fortier said. “They lost to Pepperdine in their first game of the year. I think both of those coaches would say they’re a different team at that time. We’ll have to dig into the film ourselves and make our own assessments.”
Ejim All-American
Gonzaga senior forward Yvonne Ejim was named Associated Press All-American honorable mention on Wednesday.
Ejim, who was selected as the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year,
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Ejim has averaged 20 points per game, good enough for 22nd in the nation, and 8.5 rebounds. She has scored in double figures in 35 consecutive games, dating back to last season.
Ejim also led the WCC and is sixth in the nation in field-goal percentage at 62.8%. She has scored double figures in every game this season and has recorded 13 double-doubles.
Ejim is the eighth Zag to earn AP All-America honors, joining Shannon Mathews (2005), Stephanie Hawk (2007), Courtney Vandersloot (2009-11), Haiden Palmer (2014), Jill Townsend (2021), Jenn Wirth (2021) and Kaylynne Truong (2023), all of whom were all selected honorable mention .