IRVINE, Calif. --- Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos scored a career-high 20 points and freshman forward Tommy Rutherford added 11 to lead UC Irvine over Pacific, 72-65, in a non-conference game at the Bren Events Center Saturday night.

Dimakopoulos hit 9 of 13 from the field and added a pair of blocked shots as the Anteaters improved to 2-2 on the season.

Senior guard Jaron Martin posted career highs of eight rebounds and six assists to go along with nine points as he hit 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard also scored nine points and tied his career highs with six boards and three assists.

Sophomore guard Spencer Rivers scored a career-high eight points, all in the first half and including a three as time expired just before halftime.

Jack Williams led the Tigers (1-2) with 17 points and seven rebounds while David Taylor scored 16 and Jacob Lampkin 14.

UCI led by as many as seven points in the first half, but Pacific took a 32-31 lead on a layup by T.J. Wallace with 1:01 remaining before Rivers nailed the trey at the buzzer to put the Anteaters up 34-32 at the break.

The 'Eaters built their largest lead of the night at 46-35 on a basket by Eyassu Worku with 14:15 left in the game.

The Tigers battled back to tie the game twice midway through the second half, the last coming at 50-50 after two free throws by Ray Bowles with 8:49 remaining.

Back-to-back buckets by Dimakopoulos and one from Rutherford gave UCI a 56-50 lead and the margin grew to 60-53 on a three by Brandon Smith with 4:26 left.

Four straight free throws by Lampkin drew the Tigers within 60-57 at the 3:17 mark, but Dimakopoulos hit a three up top with 2:57 remaining for a six-point UCI lead and the Anteaters gained control from there, hitting 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1:13.

UCI shot a season-high 51 percent from the field and limited Pacific to 31 percent as the 'Eaters have won 58 of their last 62 games when holding the opposition to under 40 percent.

The Anteaters outrebounded the Tigers, 42-37, as Worku and freshman center Brad Greene added four boards on the evening.  Green also registered two blocked shots.

UCI outscored Pacific in the paint, 40-14.

Coach Russell Turner's Anteaters travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for the Sanford Pentagon Showcase next weekend.

UCI opens against South Dakota State Friday (Nov. 25) before facing Milwaukee Nov. 26 and East Tennessee State Nov. 27.

The 'Eaters play 10 of their next 11 games away from home with the next game at the Bren Center against Pomona-Pitzer Dec. 9 at 7:00 p.m.

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