LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC Irvine had to grind out a 56-50 victory over UC San Diego at RIMAC Arena to extend their winning streak to six.

Guard DJ Davis led the Anteaters with 14 points, hitting 3-7 from the floor, including two three-pointers. He went 6-6 from the line, knocking down four important free throws in the final two minutes. The sophomore had two assists and two rebounds, including the final defensive one of the night with six seconds remaining to solidify the victory.

UCI made 14-16 free throws (87.5%), making all eight they attempted in the final 3:06. The .875 mark from the line is tied for second best this season.

Both teams struggled from the floor with UCI shooting 34 percent (18-53) and UCSD going 18-59 (30.5).

UCI improves to 12-7, while UCSD is 11-13 on the season.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Guard Dawson Baker had 11 points. He was 4-4 from the line and added a three-pointer
>Senior Collin Welp totaled nine points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal in 24 minutes of action
>Forward Austin Johnson had a team-high nine rebounds and scored all six of his points in the second half. He swatted four blocks
Guard Justin Hohn added seven points and four rebounds, while JC Butler totaled five points and Emmanuel Tshimanga had four points
>UC Irvine, who leads the nation in three-point defense, held UCSD to 6-25 from three-point distance (24%)
>Both teams pulled down 37 rebounds
>UC San Diego was led by Toni Rocak's game-high 20 points

FIRST HALF
>On the first trip down the court Collin Welp hit a three-pointer at the top of the arc then the second trip saw JC Butler knock down a trey in the right corner for a quick 6-0 Anteater lead (19:07)
>UCSD would score the next six points until Welp would pull up once again just inside the arc (15:58), 10-6
>Emmanuel Tshimanga would be found down low twice (15:34, 14:51), before DJ Davis would hit a jumper at 14:11 to give UCI a 14-9 advantage
>The Tritons would come alive, recording three consecutive threes to take their first lead of the game, 18-14 (10:43)
>After not scoring for five and half minutes, UCI would score nine unanswered on two Justin Hohn free throws (8:46), a Welp driving layup (7:30), a three-pointer by Davis (6:28) and a Hohn layup to move in front 23-18 at 4:08
>UC San Diego would answer on a 7-0 run to move in front 25-23 until Dawson Baker drove in for a layup with 1:03 left in the half (25-25)
>Tshimanga set a solid screen to allow Davis to hit a three-pointer from the left corner as time expired to send UCI into the locker room with a 28-25 lead

SECOND HALF
>The Triton would score the first five points of the half, the last at 18:53
>Austin Johnson would have a block at one end of the court then have a rebound putback underneath the basket for UCI's first points of the half coming at 16:23 (30-30)
>Johnson would throw down a dunk with a authority followed by two free throws by Baker and Davis to put the Anteaters up 36-32 at 12:18
>Welp would throw a cross court pass and find Hohn for a three-pointer, 39-32 (10:09)
>UCSD would finally score after a 6:28 drought with two free throws by Toni Rocak with 9:00 to play (39-34)
>A Baker pull up jumper at 6:57 stopped a four point streak by the Tritons, 41-36
>Rocak would have nine in a row for UCSD to help close within 46-41 at 3:28
>UCI would get into the bonus and Welp (3:05) and Davis (2:00) would make two free throws apiece, 50-41
>Back-to-back three-pointers by the Tritons, in a matter of 30 seconds, cut the UCI lead to 50-47 with 1:22 left on the clock
>Baker was fouled with a minute to go and buried two from the charity stripe, 52-47
>UCSD was fouled behind the arc and made three free throws with 41.3, 52-50
>The Anteaters were called for an offense foul, giving UCSD the ball with 23.7 remaining
>A Triton three bounced long and Davis tied up the ball on the rebound with the arrow giving UCI the possession with 15.9 on the clock
>Davis was fouled and stepped to the line, draining both to increase the Anteater lead to 54-50 (14.8)
>A UCSD three off the rim was collected by Davis who then launched the ball up the court where Butler softly laid it in with three ticks left, 56-50

HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER SAID
"We came on the road and found a way to get a win. Defensively we were good tonight. We were able to frustrate them and wear them down enough to come away with the win. It's hard to win here. This team makes themselves hard to play against."

NOTES
>UCI win its fifth in a row against the Tritons
>UCSD loses for just the third time at home this season (8-3)
>Baker has hit 12 consecutive free throws
>Opponents are just 24- 106 over the last six games from three
>The 'Eaters are 10-0 when keeping opponents under 60 points
>It is the fourth time this season, UCI has held a team to 50 or less

UP NEXT
UCI will take on Hawaii Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. The game will be broadcast on Spectrum Sportsnet.