IRVINE, Calif. – The UC Irvine men's basketball team erased an 18-point deficit to come from behind and beat CSUN, 74-68, in Big West action Saturday afternoon at the Matadome.

UCI improves to 15-5 on the season and 3-1 in Big West play while CSUN falls to 8-12 overall and 2-2 in the conference.

The Anteaters outscored the Matadors 43-21 in the second half, closing on a 14-3 run.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Guard Eyassu Worku finished with 17 points going 4-4 from the free throw line and knocking down three 3-pointers
> Collin Welp, Evan Leonard and Max Hazzard all scored in double-digits with 14, 13 and 13 points, respectively. Welp and Hazzard scored all of their points in the second half
> Elston Jones grabbed a team-best eight rebounds while Jonathan Galloway and Evan Leonard each had a block
> UCI shot just 35.8 percent (24-67) from the floor but went 11-25 (.44) from long range. CSUN finished 28-60 (.467) shooting overall
> As a team, the 'Eaters grabbed a season-high 51 rebounds and held advantages in second chance points (36-5) and points off the bench (43-4)
> Lamine Diane and Terrell Gomez each finished with 21 points for CSUN while Darius Brown II had 10 rebounds and six assists

First half
> CSUN jumped out to a 5-0 lead before UCI went on a 7-2 run to knot the game, 7-7, at the first media timeout (15:57)
> Three-straight three's from Leonard, Worku and Edgar Jr., respectively, gave the Anteaters a 16-12 lead over the Matadors with 13:08 remaining
> A Jones layup made it 20-15 in favor of UCI with just over 12 minutes to play
> CSUN used a 14-4 run to take a 29-24 lead with just under five minutes left
> Worku hit a three-pointer to make it a two-point, 29-27, game (4:20) but the Matadors went on a 15-2 run to take a double-digit lead, 44-29, with under a minute left
> JC Butler made two free throws before a CSUN three-pointer ended the half, 47-31

Second half
> A layup from Diane to start frame gave the Matadors their largest lead of the game, 49-31 (19:51)
> Galloway made a layup to cap a 19-8 Anteater run that brought UCI within three, 55-52, with 10:16 remaining. Hazzard and Welp had five points apiece in that stretch
> CSUN would go up by as much as nine, 61-52, at 8:41
> Hazzard hit a three and a jumper to knot the game, 65-65, with 4:54 to play
> Leonard made two free throws followed by a three-pointer to give UCI a 70-65 lead with 1:34 remaining
> Welp and Worku both went 2-2 at the free throw line in the final minute to seal the 74-68 win
 
EYASSU WORKU ON TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE
"I think we are a tough-minded team and we know what we can do. We came back in the second half and played with energy and defended on every possession. As a team we came together and it showed in the second half."

NOTES: An 18-point deficit is the most the 'Eaters have overcome in a win this season … 47 first half points is the most given up by UCI this season … UCI's top two scorers came off the bench … UCI is 14-1 when out-rebounding its opponent this season … The Anteaters have won nine straight against the Matadors

UP NEXT
> UCI travels to Hawaii for a Big West Conference showdown Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 9 p.m. PT