UC Irvine
0-1
Utah State
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State | 40 | 32 | 72 |
| UC Irvine | 24 | 32 | 56 |
UC Irvine Falls to Utah State, 72-56, in Season Opener
November 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine fell to Utah State, 72-56, in the season opener for both teams Friday night as Jalen Moore led four Aggie players in double figures at the Bren Events Center.
Utah State, which led 40-24 at halftime, shot 52 percent from the field in the second half and 47 percent for the game to UCI's 29.5 percent.
Freshman guard Eyassu Worku led the Anteaters with 11 points and senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos added 10.
Freshman guard Evan Leonard scored eight points, freshman John Edgar Jr. seven and freshman post Brad Greene added six points and four boards in seven minutes of action.
Redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard led UCI with six rebounds and registered five points and three assists. Sophomore forwards Jonathan Galloway and Brandon Smith, along with Worku, pulled down five rebounds each.
Senior guard Luke Nelson, UCI's leading scorer last season, did not play due to a hamstring injury. Anteater head coach Russell Turner said that he is hopeful Nelson can play soon, possibly as early as Monday night's home game against South Dakota State.
The Aggies led by as many as 23 points Friday, taking a 51-28 lead on a basket by Moore with 14:51 remaining in the game.
UCI closed to within 14 at 56-42 on a steal and layup by freshman guard Evan Leonard with 10:05 left, but Utah State scored the next six points to seal the victory.
Seven of the 11 Anteater players who saw action Friday were playing in their first collegiate game.
"I give Utah State credit for the way they were able to dictate the game," Turner said.
"I have to remind myself that the guys we started haven't started many games. I didn't feel our level of confidence on the floor was very good for much of the game, but I don't want to make excuses and we will make that better. I do like how our freshmen came in and competed."
The Anteaters outscored the Aggies, 34-13 in bench points, but Utah State had a 26-14 margin in the paint. UCI outrebounded the Aggies, 41-36.
UCI hosts South Dakota State Monday night at 7:00 in the Bren Center. The Jackrabbits have competed in three of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
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