Coming into Thursday’s game, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) and UC Irvine (UCI) women’s basketball teams saw themselves on opposite sides of the same coin.

On Jan. 18, UCI were locked in a back-and-forth contest with California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO). A missed 3-pointer from Mustangs graduate guard Ashley Hiraki opened the door for the Anteaters. Junior guard Hunter Hernandez capitalized by converting an and-one. Hernandez’s bucket gave UCI the 59-57 victory and improved their record to 6-1 in conference.

Meanwhile, UCR had clawed their way back from a nearly 20-point deficit against the University of California, San Diego. But with a chance to win the game on the final possession, the Highlanders came up just short and weren’t able to complete the improbable comeback. The heartbreaking 59-58 loss dropped the Highlanders to 4-3 in the Big West.

Courtesy Adam Oshon Arun

Nevertheless, junior guard Shelley Duchemin and the rest of the Highlanders were looking forward to their matchup with the Big West leading Anteaters. 

Duchemin played a big role in the comeback against the Tritons and shared, “We were down almost 20 at one point. So at that point, it was just us against us. If we’re gonna win, it has to come from the team and everybody around us. We started passing the ball around, and we all were pretty motivated in that second half.”

The Highlanders would need to bring the same spirit to sweep the Anteaters. UCR won the first meeting 59-54, but 2023-2024 Big West Player of the Year Déja Lee and UCI had extra motivation to avenge the only blemish on their conference record.

Courtesy Elena Versage / The Highlander

UCR head coach Brad Langston emphasized the importance of a potential sweep against the Anteaters. 

“It would be tremendous for our progress moving forward. I think the team is working really hard, but to be able to put together a good win against a team that had NCAA [Tournament] experience would be huge for our momentum, to continue to move forward through the Big West.”

Langston also acknowledged that the Highlanders had their hands full with Lee. When asked about how he was preparing his team against the former Big West Player of the Year, Langston commented, “She’s a really strong driver, [and] limiting her ability to get inside the paint and then make our defense collapse [is important]. And then just making it tough [for Lee]. Picking her up full court, denying the basketball, just making sure that she doesn’t have access to the basketball to make plays for her team, especially down the stretch.”

Unfortunately for the Highlanders, they were without Duchemin, the team’s leading scorer, against UCI. However, Duchemin’s teammate, roommate and best friend, graduate guard Seneca Hackley, was ready to take her place in the starting five.

Duchemin and Hackley transferred in from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) this season and their friendship has helped them deal with the expectations that came with the arrival of the inseparable pair.

Both players were eager to share how the other has helped them throughout their collegiate basketball careers.

Duchemin mentioned, “[Seneca has] known a lot of stuff that I struggled with at Northern Colorado. I lost my father, so coming [to UCR] together is kind of like a breath of fresh air for both of us, and we just kind of knew that if nobody else has our backs, we’re gonna have each other’s.”

Hackley shared a similar sentiment, elaborating, “Shelley is my best friend. We’ve just been able to continue to grow throughout this past year. At UNC we were pretty close, but as we got here, we’ve just gotten even closer … Just being able to play with her and spend every day with her has been really enjoyable.”

Hackley had made her last seven appearances off the bench, but she’s willing to help the team however she can. In the starting lineup or off the bench, Hackley credits her versatility to a boost in confidence as the season has gone on.

“I think that’s the thing that makes the most difference. The coaches have a lot of confidence in me and my teammates as well, and they’re growing in confidence and seeing what I’m capable of,” expressed Hackley. 

Without Duchemin, Hackley took the reins on offense and led the Highlanders with a season high 18 points to go with a pair of assists. 

For the Anteaters, junior guard Olivia Williams led the way with 12 points. Lee did it all for UCI. She chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Lee really turned it on in the third quarter to give the Anteaters a double-digit lead.

Going into the fourth quarter, freshman guard Kaylani Polk and sophomore forward Maya Chocano stepped up in Duchemin’s absence. Polk and Chocano looked more comfortable as the game went on and started to take more initiative on offense. They each scored 11 points and set career highs in both points and minutes played.

The Highlanders outscored UCI 19-12 in the fourth quarter, yet the Anteaters hung on to win 56-53. The loss dropped UCR to .500. However, the Highlanders bounced back by beating California State University, Bakersfield 60-48 on Saturday.

Hackley continued her hot streak with another 17 points as the Highlanders improved to 5-4 in the Big West. The Highlanders are back in action on the road against UC Davis. As the Aggies enter this contest 6-3, Thursday’s contest will play a big role in seeding the Big West tournament.

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