On March 11, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) women’s basketball team kicked off the Big West Championships with their first round matchup against UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). The seventh-seeded Highlanders entered the contest a slight underdog against the sixth-seeded Gauchos. However, UCR was confident knowing that they had a 2025-2026 All-Big West First Team member on their side in sophomore guard Hannah Wickstrom.
UCR graduate center Bria Shine mentioned what it was like playing with Wickstrom. She noted, “She’s our rock. She does whatever she can. She does a lot for our team. Just being able to support her finds me joy. You know a lot of players want to score all the points. Hannah doesn’t find joy in that. She just knows that at the end of the day, as long as the team wins, that’s good enough for her.”
Wickstrom started off slow offensively, but UCSB failed to contain the Australian throughout all four quarters. Wickstrom started to find her groove in the second half and finished the contest with 26 points, nine rebounds and six steals.
Wickstrom detailed how other aspects of the game helped bring out her offense. “I’ll always try to do whatever it takes to get my team to win. If that’s getting rebounds, I think it also helps me get into my offensive flow. Getting steals and especially rebounds help me push the pace and find my flow in the game.”
Coming out of halftime, the Gauchos went on a 11-2 run. After the Highlanders found themselves down by nearly double-digits, Wickstrom and fellow sophomore guard Kaylani Polk helped spark a comeback to bring UCR back in front before the start of the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was tightly contested, but the Highlanders were able to hit clutch shots down the stretch while the Gauchos were unable. UCR head coach Brad Langston credited the adversity his team faced throughout the season as the reason they were able to close out in the big moments: “I’m really, really proud of this team. We’ve had a lot of adversity, injuries, illnesses. We played a really tough strength of schedule to get to this point. That’s what it’s all about, right? So really, really proud of the poise that we showed and how we battled the last four minutes, holding them without a field goal. So I think it speaks to our growth and where this program is headed.”
A 58-53 win over the Gauchos set up a quarterfinal matchup with UC Davis (UCD) the very next day. UCD was fresh and boasted a star-studded lineup that featured All-Big West First Team member, center Megan Norris, and a trio of guards in Avery Sussex, Nya Epps and Ryann Bennett. The Highlanders knew they were in for a tough test as UCR lost both regular season matchups and they would be fatigued from their battle with UCSB the day before.
The Aggies got out of the gates quickly and jumped out to an early double-digit lead behind nine first quarter points from Bennett. She highlighted, “A big thing for me was just to come out aggressive. I knew that we were going to have to get a lead because they were going to be tired from yesterday, and I thought I did a good job with that.”
UCD would extend their lead to as many as 14 points, but the Highlanders would claw their way back just like they did against the Gauchos. Once again, it was Wickstrom who took the reins of the offense. Epps, an All-Big West Defensive Team member, made Wickstrom’s life difficult, but the Australian superstar still finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and eight steals.
UCD head coach Jennifer Gross discussed what it was like gameplanning against a player of Wickstrom’s caliber. She detailed, “Hannah is a tremendous player and you’re not able to limit her too much. We knew that you got to try to make her work and make her shots tough. Nya [Epps] kind of drew the match up today. Nya is a tremendous defender. I thought she did a really good job of making Hannah work. Obviously we know that you got to bring a double [team] sometimes, [but] I thought our team executed the game plan pretty well. But I really want to shout out Nya. I thought she worked extremely hard all game long.”
Epps added how she took pride in guarding one of the Big West’s best players, “I think everyone on our team is capable of having a good night of scoring, and so my role is supposed to be defense [in] this game. I have no problem with that. So I’m really proud of Avery and Ryan for coming out and setting the tone offensively for us.”
UCR would briefly take the lead in the third quarter, courtesy of a pair of Wickstrom free-throws. However, if the first half was about Ryann Bennett for UCD, the second half would be all about Avery Sussex. After only scoring two points in the first half, Sussex went nuclear in the second half to propel the Aggies to an eventual 70-59 win.
Sussex finished with 23 points, but gave all the credit to her teammates. “I think it was all just fueled [by] my teammates. Nya has been very positive [and] she’s a great leader for us. [On offense], Ryann did a great job with bringing other defenders in.”
Despite the loss, the Highlanders had a lot to hang their hat on from their playoff run. Gross even applauded the Highlanders during her opening statement after the game, “I want to start by congratulating UC Riverside. We knew we were going to be in a battle for today. [It] wasn’t easy. We got out to a little bit of a lead. And then, as we weren’t surprised, Riverside came back, but I felt like our team just kept finding a way with the adversity that we faced.”
After the game, Langston displayed his admiration for the resilience and growth his team showed throughout the season. He smiled when talking about the special group of players he got to work with this year, “The players we have, they’re fighters, strong willed. They step in every day, ready to fight, ready to compete, get better. You want players that are willing to fight and compete and learn and grow.”
For Langston, coaching his players is more than about basketball. He loves seeing his players grow as humans. When talking about Wickstrom he noted, “It’s been a pleasure [coaching Hannah]. I think the growth that she made as a human first is even more remarkable, which is part of the reason [that she] had the on the court success. It’s been a pleasure watching her grow.”
Langston couldn’t hide the excitement he has for the future of UCR’s women’s basketball program. He stated, “I’m just proud of the growth this program has made. We’re excited about where this program is headed and thankful for the seniors and what they brought to us this year. We can hope that we can impact their lives over the next 20 to 40 years, not just today.”
