IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine set a new Bren Center record for points in a 120-63 victory over Pacific Union at the Bren Events Center Saturday.

UCI shot 66.2 percent from the floor, hitting 45-68 shots and went 25-30 from the free throw line. The Anteaters dished a season-high 28 assists in the win.

Senior Eyassu Worku became the UCI 29^th player to eclipse the 1,000 point mark, joining teammate Evan Leonard who surpassed the plateau last week. The guard now has 1,003 in his career.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Freshman Austin Johnson posted a career-high 22 points, going 7-9 from the floor and 8-9 from the free throw line. He also had six rebounds
>Tommy Rutherford also had a career night with 21 points. The senior was 9-10 from the field with two steals and a block  
>Guard Aiden Krause led UCI with a career-best 10 rebounds
>John Edgar Jr. added a season-high 14 points, while Eyassu Worku and Collin Welp each added 10 points
>PUC was led by Isaiah McCullough with 11 points. The Pioneers shot 37.5 percent (21-56) overall
>UCI out-rebounded Pacific Union 49-16 and out-scored PUC 64-28 from the bench. The 'Eaters also held advantages in points in the paint (76-16) and points off turnovers (33-17)
 
TURNING POINTS
FIRST HALF
>After a sloppy start to the game, Pacific Union would hold a 10-5 lead at 16:35
>Rutherford had four points in a 12-0 UCI run to gain control 14-10
>UCI would out-score the Pioneers 20-2 to open a 40-22 advantage (7:09)
>That run was capped by a Worku three-pointer, his 1,002 career point
>Back-to-back baskets by Edgar Jr., the last an acrobatic baseline layup, put UCI up 56-33 at 1:59
>Johnson would score UCI's final five points of the half to give the Anteaters a 61-36 lead at the break

SECOND HALF
>Edgar Jr. scored six straight points to give UCI the 75-41 lead at 15:31
>A Johnson dunk with 58 seconds remaining tied the Bren mark then a Dean Keeler layup as time expired set the new mark of 120

NOTES
> The Anteaters' 61 points in the first half is the most this season in the first 20 minutes and was just two shy of the school record
> The 57-point margin of victory is a season-high
>It is the third time this season UCI has scored 80 or more points and the fourth time the 'Eaters have earned a 20+ margin of victory
>Tommy Rutherford recorded double-digit points for the seventh time this season. He is also on the 1,000-point club track with 944
>In case you were wondering – the school record for points is 125 set in Nov. 29, 1980 versus VMI (125-96)

UP NEXT
>UCI will hit the road for the next three games, starting at the Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, TX. The Anteaters face Kent State on Monday (Dec. 16) at 4 p.m. PT