HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Guard
Max Hazzard hit a jumper with 10 seconds left in overtime to lift UC Irvine to a 75-74 win over Hawai'i in Honolulu Wednesday night.
UCI came back from a 14-point deficit with 8:36 left in the second half to send the game to overtime tied, 64-64.
The Anteaters improve to 16-5 on the season and 4-1 in Big West action. UH falls to 11-7 overall and 2-3 in conference.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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Evan Leonard finished with a team-best 17 points on 6-11 shooting while Hazzard and
Tommy Rutherford had 14 and 12 points, respectively
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Jonathan Galloway grabbed nine rebounds while
Elston Jones tallied three blocks
> UCI finished 30-60 (.500) shooting from the floor and 41.2 percent from long range. The 'Eaters struggled from the free-throw line going 8-19 (.421)
> The 'Eaters held to 'Bows to just 39 percent shooting overall and 11-29 (.380) from behind the arc
> UCI held advantages in rebounds (38-35), blocks (5-3) and points in the paint (38-16)
> UH's Jack Purchase had a game-high 18 points
First Half
> The 'Bows jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead (15:21) before a Jones layup sparked a 7-0 UCI run that put the 'Eaters up 8-6 (14:26)
> The teams exchanged back-and-forth points as neither team would gain more than a four-point advantage and the game remained tied, 16-16, with 7:42 left
> The game tied twice more until Jones made a layup that gave UCI a slight 22-20 lead with 4:36 to play
> UH scored nine-straight points to take a 29-22 advantage with just over a minute remaining (1:28)
> UCI wouldn't score for four minutes down the stretch until Hazzard made 1-2 free throws as the 'Eaters trailed, 29-23, at the half
Second Half
> UH continued to stretch the lead early in the frame using a 7-1 run to go up, 39-30, with 14:30 remaining
> The 'Bows led by as much as 14 points with 8:36 to play after hitting four straight three-pointers
> The teams exchanged back-and-forth points as UH held a 10-point lead, 56-46, with 5:35 remaining
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Jonathan Galloway made two free throw shots that shifted the momentum in the 'Eaters favor as they went on a 10-2 run to make it a one-point, 58-57, game with 2:39 left.
John Edgar Jr. hit a three while
Eyassu Worku made two jumpers in the frame
> A dunk by
Tommy Rutherford put UCI up, 60-59, (2:08) before UH made two free throws to re-take the lead, 62-59 (1:53)
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Evan Leonard hit a big three-pointer before
Max Hazzard made two free throws to make it 64-62 with 36 seconds left
> UH answered with two made free throws of its own (:26). Neither team would score in the final seconds as the game remained tied, 64-64, at the end of regulation
Overtime
> The teams exchanged back-and-forth points to open up the frame before a made free throw from UH's Drew Buggs gave the home team a 71-70 lead with under a minute left
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Eyassu Worku would hit a big three-pointer that put the 'Eaters ahead 73-71 (:27) but the Rainbow Warriors answered with a three to make it 74-73 with 16 seconds to play
> Hazzard's jumper ultimately sealed the win as UH missed a three at the buzzer
MAX HAZZARD ON HIS GAME-WINNING SHOT
"We drew up a play to put ourselves in a position to win the game and get a shot. It wasn't drawn up for anyone in particular but it just happened that I was open and able to take it."
NOTES
The Anteaters are 2-1 in overtimes this season … UCI is 8-3 when trailing at halftime … 23 points in the first half is the second fewest scored by UCI this season … Tonight was
Russell Turner's 300
th game as head coach of the Anteaters … UCI has won three-straight against Hawai'i
UP NEXT
> UCI returns home to host UC Riverside Saturday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m.
