IRVINE, Calif. --- Senior center Ioannis Dimakopoulos scored 18 points to lead three UC Irvine players in double figures as the Anteaters defeated Long Beach State, 82-67, in the Big West Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night at the Bren Events Center.

Dimakopoulos hit 7 of 8 shots, including a career-high 4 of 4 threes in the second half, as UCI won its third straight game in improving to 8-9 overall and 1-0 in the league.

Senior guard Luke Nelson added 16 points, three assists and two steals while senior backcourt mate Jaron Martin scored 12 points in the Black & Blue Rivalry victory.

Freshman forward Tommy Rutherford registered nine points and seven boards in 16 minutes off the bench, and sophomore forward Jonathan Galloway had eight points and seven rebounds.

Freshman guard Eyassu Worku added seven points and four rebounds, sophomore guard Spencer Rivers connected on a pair of threes for six points and freshman center Brad Greene had five rebounds along with four points.

Evan Payne led Long Beach State (5-12, 0-1) with 19 points and seven rebounds while Justin Bibbins and Noah Blackwell scored 13 points apiece.

The Anteaters shot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half in building a 41-27 halftime lead.

UCI took its largest lead of the night at 53-34 on a basket by Rutherford with 14:32 remaining, but the 49ers closed to within eight points midway through the second half. 

The 'Eaters gradually extended their lead back into double digits as Dimakopoulos nailed two threes in the span of 57 seconds to help enhance the margin.

UCI outrebounded LBSU, 36-27, and the Anteaters shot 52.7 percent from the field for the game, hitting 8 of 21 threes.  The 49ers hit just 1 of 14 treys and shot 42.6 percent overall from the floor.

UCI's bench outscored Long Beach State's, 26-10, and the 'Eaters had a 34-20 advantage in the paint.

"I'm proud of my guys, looking at the schedule, we knew this was an important game playing at home and that if we want to compete for a championship, we needed to hold serve and win," UCI head coach Russell Turner said.

"As the first half wore on, I thought our intensity was strong, our focus was good and we played well offensively.  We had a lot of guys with toughness tonight who played through injuries and I am proud of that.

"The next game is every bit as important as this one," Turner added.

The Anteaters host Hawai'i Saturday night at 7:30 in a Big West game at the Bren Center that will be carried on Prime Ticket.