RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Irvine erased a nine-point deficit with five minutes remaining to earn a four-point, 63-59, win over UC Riverside, Wednesday night at SRC Arena.

With the win, UCI improves to 8-2 in conference play and 16-10 on the season. UCR falls to 14-12 overall and 4-6 in the Big West.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Eyassu Worku led the 'Eaters with a game-high 18 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 5-7 shooting from the free throw line
> Collin Welp finished in double-digits with 17 points, 10 of which occurred in the second half
> Evan Leonard tallied 13 points while Brad Greene grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds
> The 'Eaters shot 46.7 percent (21-45) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-15) from long range
> UCR was 6-19 (.316) from behind the arc and shot 45.5 percent (25-55) overall
> UCI's bench outscored UCR 28-8
> The Highlanders were led by Dominick Pickett with 17 points

First Half
> UCI got off to a sluggish start, allowing the Highlanders to go up, 8-3, with 16:53 remaining
> An Isaiah Lee three-pointer knotted the game, 10-10, at 14:24 before UCR went on a 7-2 run to take a 17-12 lead (10:50)
> Back-to-back three's from Lee started an 8-0 run and gave UCI its first lead, 20-17, with 9:05 to play
> The Highlanders clawed their way back to take a 29-27 lead with 4:36 remaining
> A Welp three-pointer at 4:15 started an 11-0 run for the 'Eaters that carried into the halftime break, 38-29
> UCI held UCR scoreless for the last 4:33

Second Half
> UCR opened the half with an 8-0 run to bring the game within in one, 38-37 (12:56)
> The Highlanders used an 11-0 run to go up by as much as nine, 53-44, with 5:14 remaining
> UCI answered with a 15-point run in the final five minutes to erase the deficit and seal the 63-59 win. The run got started with two made free throws from Worku, he had a total of six points in that stretch while Welp had four

Up Next
> UCI travels to Honolulu to play Hawai'i Saturday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. PT on ESPN2

Notes: Isaiah Lee's 9 points are a career-high … Nine points was the largest deficit UCI has overcome in Big West play … UCI wins 13-consecutive games against UCR ... UCI sweeps the home and away series with UCR