IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine capitalized on veteran leadership and a bevy of new faces to defeat Sonoma State, 81-63, in an exhibition game at the Bren Events Center Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard Jaron Martin led the way with 18 points, hitting 7 of 10 shots, and added four steals and three assists for the Anteaters, who led wire-to-wire.
Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos had 13 points and five rebounds while redshirt freshman guard Max Hazzard scored 10 points.
Freshman forward Tommy Rutherford scored eight points and recorded five boards and four blocked shots for the 'Eaters. Freshman guard Eyassu Worku had seven points and four assists, and sophomore forward Brandon Smith also scored seven points.
Sophomore forward Jonathan Galloway pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and freshman John Edgar Jr. added four boards and three assists.
UCI shot 64 percent from the field in the first half to build a 43-25 halftime lead as Dimakopoulos scored 11 of his points in the opening 20 minutes.
The Anteaters shot 51 percent from the floor in the game and hit 22 of 26 free throws. UCI scored 14 fast-break points to none for the Seawolves and the 'Eaters had a 28-7 margin in points off turnovers.
Luke Cochran led Sonoma State with 15 points, Jimmy Golden added 12 and Naaman Hightower snared a game-high nine boards.
The Seawolves shot 30 percent from the field for the contest and committed 18 turnovers to the Anteaters' 12.
UCI opens the regular season Friday night hosting Utah State at 7:00 in the Bren Events Center.
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