IRVINE, Calif.- The UC Irvine men's basketball team parlayed a phenomenal first half of play into an 80-73 victory over Big West Conference rival Cal Poly Thursday at Bren Events Center.
With the win, UCI improves to 8-13 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. Cal Poly drops to 6-12 overall and 1-3 in the Big West.
Hot shooting and strong defense propelled the Anteaters their second-straight conference win. UCI shot 51.6 percent (17-32) from the floor, holding the Mustangs to just 43.3 percent (26-60) overall. On defense, UCI out-rebounded the visitors 42-29. The Anteaters held advantages in assists (17-6), points in the paint (44-16) and points off the bench (26-6).
"I'm pleased that we were able to control the game for most of the way," said head coach
Russell Turner. "I thought our defense was excellent, especially in the first half. I thought we set the tone early and our big guys played extremely well".
It was a back-and-forth affair to start the first half as neither team could gain more than a two point advantage until redshirt sophomore
Max Hazzard drained a three-pointer that put the 'Eaters on a 11-point run, breaking open the lead. Cal Poly answered with an 11-point run of their own to retake the lead, 19-18, with 9:07 left on the clock. UCI outscored the Mustangs 8-1 in the final three minutes to take a double-digit advantage in to the locker room.
UCI did not slow down, earning its largest lead of the game, 54-34, with 14:03 remaining in the second half. The Mustangs chipped away at the Anteater lead down the stretch bringing the game within seven, 78-71, with under a minute left in regulation. A pair of made free throws from
Evan Leonard in the final seconds kept the visitors from coming any closer.
Sophomore
Tommy Rutherford had a career night, netting a team-best 20 points. He also grabbed eight boards and had a steal. Three other Anteaters scored in double figures including
Eyassu Worku, Hazzard and Leonard with 14, 12 and 12 points respectively. Defensively,
Jonathan Galloway swatted two blocks and notched a team-high 10 boards.
The Mustangs' Josh Martin led all players with 24 points and 12 rebounds while Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph had 18 and 16 points, respectively.
NOTES: Rutherford led the team in scoring for the fourth time this year…UCI's .516 field goal percentage is the second highest of the year...It is the sixth time this season the Anteaters have scored 80 or more points...Galloway pulled down double-digit rebounds for the fifth time this season and is the ninth time he has led the team on the boards…Worku has recorded points in double-figures in seven consecutive games…UCI has won seven of the last eight meetings with Cal Poly…Fourth straight game UCI has led at the half…Second time this season UCI has won back-to-back games…UCI scored 44 points in the paint.
