UC Irvine forward Naomi Hunt (42) goes up for a rebound around Hawaii guard Daejah Phillips, left, and Olivia Davies (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Cal State Fullerton guard Kayla Williams (4) drives around Hawaii guard Olivia Davies (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
UC Irvine guard Chloe Webb, right, moves the ball around Hawaii defense during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii guard Ashley Thoms (2) goes for a pass near UC Irvine guard Hunter Hernandez (20) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
From left to right, UC Irvine guard Chloe Webb (2), Hawaii forward Amy Atwell (25) and UC Irvine guard Deja Lee (13) go after a downed ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii players celebrate after playing in an NCAA college basketball game against UC Irvine in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
UC Irvine forward Naomi Hunt (42) goes up for a rebound around Hawaii guard Daejah Phillips, left, and Olivia Davies (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii forward Amy Atwell (25) is congratulated by coach Alex Delanian as she leaves the court at the end of an NCAA college basketball game against UC Irvine in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
UC Irvine guard Chloe Webb, right, moves the ball around Hawaii defense during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Cal State Fullerton guard Kayla Williams (4) drives around Hawaii guard Olivia Davies (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii guard Ashley Thoms (2) goes for a pass near UC Irvine guard Hunter Hernandez (20) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
UC Irvine guards Chloe Webb, front, and Nikki Tom, left, walk toward Hawaii’s free-throw line during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
From left to right, UC Irvine guard Chloe Webb (2), Hawaii forward Amy Atwell (25) and UC Irvine guard Deja Lee (13) go after a downed ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii forward and MVP Amy Atwell (25) speaks to the news media after playing in an NCAA college basketball game against UC Irvine in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii guard Daejah Phillips (15) drives the ball around UC Irvine forward Naomi Hunt (42) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii guard Nae Nae Calhoun (24) drives the ball near UC Irvine guard Kayla Williams (4) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii forward Amy Atwell (25) looks to pass near UC Irvine guard Hunter Hernandez (20) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
Hawaii guard Nae Nae Calhoun, right, calls a play near UC Irvine guard Kayla Williams in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Big West Conference tournament, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
HENDERSON, Nev. — UC Irvine guard Kayla Williams held her hands up and gave the official a confused look after she blew the whistle for a foul.
It didn’t make sense to Williams that Hawaii forward Amy Atwell was headed to the free-throw line for three shots with a double-digit lead in the final quarter.
Everything was going so well for the Anteaters. They were on the verge of going dancing for the first time in 27 years, but then a 3-pointer from Atwell quickly changed the outcome of the Big West women’s basketball championship game on Saturday at the Dollar Loan Center Arena.
Second-seeded UC Irvine fell short in the title game for the second consecutive year after losing 59-48 to top-seeded Hawaii, which captured its first conference tournament championship since 2016. UCI will have to wait another season to end its tournament title drought that extends to 1995.
“Runner-up is not something I plan to do,” UC Irvine coach Tamara Inoue said. “I came here to win. It hurts because you want to win it for them (players and the university’s administration). You just want to win it for people that really care about your program.”
Atwell, the Big West Conference Player of the Year, had a rough start, but her first basket was a 3-pointer that tied the game 29-29 with 5:39 in the third quarter. That game-changing shot came in the midst of a 14-0 run for Hawaii (20-9).
Inoue was forced to call a timeout after Nae Nae Calhoun’s layup extended Hawaii’s advantage to 38-29 with 2:24 in the third quarter. The 14-0 run received a standing ovation from the pro-Hawaii crowd in Henderson. The Anteaters (21-11) entered the final quarter with a 41-36 deficit.
Inoue said the disparity in free throws was why Hawaii was able to pull away in the second half. Hawaii went 27-of-32 at the line and UCI finished 7-of-14.
“They got to the line,” Inoue said. “I thought we did a good job on Atwell. … It’s just fouling, that’s really what it was. I thought overall our defense was really good, but that line doesn’t help us.”
Atwell, a grad student, finished with 13 points with six coming from the free-throw line, including the three she made after being fouled by Williams, a redshirt freshman and member of the All-Big West First Team. Williams and sophomore guard Jayde Cadee had 11 points apiece for the Anteaters.
“She’s relentless,” Inoue said of Williams. “She’s got dreams and dreams that can become reality. She plays on both sides of the floor. You don’t get a lot of players who can do that.”
After Atwell’s memorable 3-pointer, forward Olivia Davies had a three-point play to give Hawaii its first lead since early in the second quarter. Atwell didn’t score her first points until 1:43 left before halftime. UCI held Atwell to two points in the opening half and she was 0-for-2 from the field. Davis had a game-high 14 points with five rebounds.
Cadee and Williams had eight points apiece to give UCI a 26-21 lead heading into the locker room. The Anteaters held a 10-9 advantage after the first quarter, with Cadee contributing five points. UC Irvine’s biggest lead of the first half was seven points.
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UC Irvine’s road to the championship game included an overtime win against sixth-seeded UC Davis in the semifinal and a quarterfinal victory over seventh-seeded Cal State Fullerton. A bid into the Women’s NIT is still a possibility for the Anteaters, according to Inoue.
Inoue changed the program’s fortunes when she was hired as UCI’s head coach six seasons ago. The Anteaters had won a total of 12 games combined the two seasons prior to Inoue’s arrival.
UC Irvine has plenty to be proud of as the Big West runner-up for back-to-back seasons, but that won’t ease the pain of falling short again.
“This one hurts,” Inoue said. “It hurts a lot. We had a lot of opportunities today. It just didn’t fall for us.”
