The UC Irvine women’s basketball team gobbled up a lot of honors on Tuesday, but the hardware the Anteaters want won’t be doled out until this weekend.
Junior Déja Lee headlined UCI’s end-of-season awards haul when she was named the 2023-24 Big West Conference Player of the Year, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Graduate transfer Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba was recognized as the Big West Newcomer of the Year and fifth-year senior Diaba Konate was named the Big West Best Defensive Player, while Shirel Nahum was named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team.
That quartet will be front and center as the second-seeded Anteaters (21-8 overall, 16-4 Big West) pursue the Big West Tournament title and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament that comes with it. The Anteaters received one of the coveted double-byes into the semifinals and await an opponent to be determined on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Henderson, Nevada.
If UCI can win its semifinal, the possibility of a third showdown with top-seeded Hawaii in Saturday’s 3 p.m. championship game could await. The Rainbow Wahine (20-9) were the only team to sweep UCI during conference play.
Lee – the first UCI women’s player ever to be named Big West POY – will almost certainly need to play a significant role if UCI is to win the tournament title.
Lee ranked second in the conference in scoring (14.8 ppg), second in steals (3.1 spg), fourth in field goal percentage (46.1%), fifth in 3-point shooting percentage (37.4%) and fifth in 3-point baskets made (2.0 per game). The 5-foot-9 guard scored in double figures in 14 of the 19 league games she played in, including a career-high 29 points in a win at Long Beach State earlier this month.
Johnson Sidi Baba, a second-team all-conference selection from Sweden, averaged 11 ppg and 6.9 rpg while shooting 42% from the field in Big West games. She had a team-best four double-doubles this season.
Konate, from Paris, is the fourth Anteaters to be named Big West Best Defensive Player of the Year but the first since Angie Ned won it two seasons in a row in 2006 and 2007. Konate anchored a UCI defense that was the 14th-best scoring defense in the nation at 55.5 points allowed per game. She averaged 2.1 steals per game during conference play and had a career-high six against Long Beach State on Jan. 25. The 5-7 point guard also ranked first in the Big West in assists (3.7 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.65).
Nahum, from Israel, averaged 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and nearly one steal per game in 20.4 minutes per game. She reached double figures in scoring six times with a season-best 16 points at New Mexico State. Nahum also had 14 points and a season-high tying seven rebounds at Cal Poly on March 7.
Third-seeded UC Riverside (18-12) could end up as UCI’s semifinal opponent, and the Highlanders boast a formidable duo in first-team All-Big West guard Jordan Webster (16.9 ppg) and Matehya Bryant. Bryant became the first UCR player to receive an individual Big West award since the 2015-16 season when she received the Big West Best Hustle Player honor. A redshirt senior who earned second-team all-conference honors, Bryant averaged 12 points, a team-best 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.9 assists per game for a UCR squad that vastly outplayed its preseason prediction of a 10-place finish.
The eight-team tournament begins with first-round games on Wednesday afternoon, as No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton (10-20) takes on No. 5 seed UC Davis (17-13) at noon. Seventh-seeded Long Beach State (13-17) squares off with No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara (16-14) at 2:30 p.m.
—– 2024 BIG WEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT —–
All games at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev., all times are PT
First Round – Wednesday, March 13
Noon – No. 5 seed UC Davis (17-13) vs. No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton (10-20)
2:30 p.m. – No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara (16-14) vs. No. 7 seed Long Beach State (13-17)
Second Round – Thursday, March 14
Noon – No. 3 seed UC Riverside (18-12) vs. UCSB-LBSU winner
2:30 p.m. – No. 4 seed Cal Poly (17-12) vs. UCD-CSF winner
Semifinals – Friday, March 15
Noon – No. 1 seed Hawaii (20-9) vs. Cal Poly-TBD winner
2:30 p.m. – No. 2 seed UC Irvine (21-8) vs. UCR-TBD winner
Final – Saturday, March 16
3 p.m. – Championship game