ANAHEIM, Calif. - The UC Irvine men's basketball team dropped a 71-55 decision to Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Tournament Championship Saturday evening at the Honda Center.

"It was a tough night for our team and I give credit to Cal State Fullerton for that," said head coach Russell Turner. "They were terrific and deserved to win for the performance that they had. They were good not just on the offensive end but their defense was also excellent. 

"Our team has character and I thought we hung with them and kept it around a 10-point game. There was no lack of belief on our part that we couldn't come back and win, but Cal State Fullerton was able to make some difficult shots against our defense."

Sophomore Evan Leonard led the Anteaters with 20 points and seven rebounds. He was 8-for-13 from the field. Classmate Eyassu Worku also had 10 points and seven boards as the duo earned all-tournament honors.

Sophomore Brad Greene registered eight points and six rebounds, while sophomore Tommy Rutherford added seven points. Junior Jonathan Galloway chipped in five rebounds and three blocks.

The 'Eaters shot 31.1 percent overall, 26.3 percent from beyond the arc and 85.7 percent at the free throw line. They out-rebounded the Titans, 41-37.

Cal State Fullerton finished the night shooting 42.1 percent, and was even better from long distance where it was 43.8 percent. Kyle Allman anchored the effort with 26 points (4-6 3FG), while Khalil Ahmad had 23 (3-7 3FG). 

UC Irvine (18-17) came out cold, trailing by as many as 10, 13-3, with 14:07 remaining in the first half, but an 18-point performance from Leonard closed the gap and put the Anteaters in the game. A three-pointer from Leonard followed by a layup from Greene gave UCI its first lead, 23-22, at the 5:04 mark. The Titans then used a 7-2 run down the stretch to take a 29-25 advantage into the locker rooms. Leonard knocked down three from behind the arc and went 7-of-9 from the field.

Cal State Fullerton started the scoring in the second half, but John Edgar Jr. drained a triple to quickly cut the deficit to three (31-28) with 19:11 remaining. The two teams went back-and-forth over the next couple minutes before the Titans used a 13-5 sprint to pull ahead, 49-38, at the 12:38 mark. UC Irvine started to mount a comeback with a 5-2 spurt, capped by a Worku trey, to make it 51-43, but Fullerton countered as it increased its cushion to 61-45 with 6:49 to go. The 'Eaters were unable to dig themselves out of that hole as they trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

"I could not be any prouder of the guys on my team and the way we have represented our university and the way that we've played and carried ourselves throughout the season," added Turner.

NOTES: The Anteaters were making their second-straight appearance in the Big West Tournament championship game, and fourth in the last six years ... UCI's 25 points at halftime were tied for the third lowest this season … UC Irvine was unable to notch its third comeback win of the tournament as it also trailed at the half in the first round and semifinals … The 'Eaters held their opponent to 30 points or less at the half for the 17th time this season … The Anteaters allowed their opponent to shoot over 40 percent for only the 15th time this season ... Evan Leonard led the team in scoring for the 15th time this season … It was his second 20-point effort of the tournament … Eyassu Worku had a career-high seven rebounds ... UCI will return 12 of its 13 letterwinners, and all five starters next year.