ESTERO, Fla. – Robert Cartwright had a career-best 17 points as the UC Irvine men's basketball team defeated UTSA, 65-56, in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase, Monday at the Hertz Arena.

UCI remains undefeated with a 5-0 record for the first time since the 1981-82 season. UTSA falls to 0-4 overall.

The Anteaters will face Tulane in the semifinals tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Cartwright led the Anteaters with 17 points on 3-4 shooting from behind the three-point line
> Cartwright also finished 6-7 from the free throw line and had two assists and two steals
> Elston Jones and John Edgar Jr. tallied nine and seven points, respectively
> Jones finished with a team-high nine rebounds while Jonathan Galloway and Collin Welp had two blocks each
> UCI shot 39.7 percent (23-58) from the floor and 31.3 percent (5-16) from three-point range. The 'Eaters held UTSA to 30 percent (18-60) overall
> UCI held advantages in rebounds (46-37), points in the paint (32-18) and points off the bench (40-21)
> 11 different Anteaters scored at least two points
> The Roadrunners' Keaton Wallace finished with a game-high 23 points while Jhivvan Jackson had 10

TURNING POINTS
First Half
> The Roadrunners got out to a quick 5-0 start before a layup from Eyassu Worku kicked started a 13-0 run that gave UCI the lead, 13-5, with 12:29 remaining
> Back-to-back three-pointers from Robert Cartwright stretched UCI's lead to double-digits, 12-9, with 10:00 minutes to play
> Cartwright made two free throws to start off an 8-0 run that gave UCI an 18-point, 30-12, advantage at 6:59
> Darrian Traylor made a three-pointer followed by Worku going 2-2 on the free throw line to make it 43-21 at the half
> Cartwright had 10 points in the first half as UCI shot 48.5% (16-33) from the field

Second Half
> The 'Eaters continued to stretch the lead as Edgar Jr. scored on a jumper followed by  a made free throw by Jones to give UCI a 25-point advantage, its largest of the game, 46-21 (17:34)
> UTSA went on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 46-32 with 13:08 left to play
> The Roadrunners out-scored UCI 7-2 in a three-minute stretch to bring the game within 11, 50-39, at 10:15
> Jones made two-straight layups and Robert Cartwright hit a 3-pointer down the stretch as the Anteaters were able to hold on the double-digit lead
> UTSA used a 7-4 run in the final three minutes to make it a nine-point game, 65-56, at the final buzzer
> Cartwright had seven points in the frame while Jones finished with five

ROBERT CARTWRIGHT ON TODAY'S WIN
"It was nice to have a solid shooting performance but everyone on this team is so talented all around the board. Today I had some open shots and the guys gave me the ball and it was my job to knock those down."

NOTES
> UCI is one of 74 Division I men's basketball teams that are still undefeated
> Cartwright's three made 3-pointers is a career-high
> It was UCI's first win over UTSA in program history, the all-time series is now tied, 1-1
> Two blocks for Collin Welp is a career-high

UP NEXT
UCI plays Tulane in the semifinals Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. PT