NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -- Dawson Baker took over late in the second half to lead UC Irvine to a 75-70 victory over CSUN at the Matadome Saturday evening.

With just over three minutes left in the game, the guard had 11 of UCI's final 14 points and an important steal with 1:25 remaining to help the Anteaters seal their fourth consecutive win.

Baker had a career-high 24 points, going 6-9 from the floor, including three three-pointers. He was 9-10 from the line. He also added a steal in 29 minutes of action.

The Anteaters shot 51 percent from the floor (25-49) and 87.5 percent (21-24) from the line. It's the second-best shooting performance from the field and line. The teams' 21 free throws made were the most this season. CSUN had a good night shooting 47.4 percent (27-57), but were just 12-19 from the line.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Senior Collin Welp totaled 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds
>Guard DJ Davis totaled nine points and  center Emmanuel Tshimanga went 2-2 from the floor and 3-4 from the line before fouling out
>JC Butler and Austin Johnson each pitched in six points
>Dean Keeler made his return to the court recording in four points, three rebounds and an assist in eight minutes of action
>CSUN was led by Elijah Hardy's 17 points, Atin Wright's 14 and Onyi Eyisi's 13
>UCI out-rebounds CSUN 35-27

FIRST HALF
>Two free throws by Dawson Baker, a 12-foot jumper by Collin Welp and a layup by JC Butler moved UCI out to a quick 6-0 lead (16:48)
>CSUN missed their first nine shots before Onyi Eyisi had a basket down low at 15:43 and the Matadors added a free throw and layup to get back in the game, 6-5 (13:36)
>With the score tied at 12-12, Dean Keeler entered a game for the first time since Nov. 27 and immediately scored at 8:14 and had an assist on a Justin Hohn basket at 7:57. A Welp layup followed at 7:17 to increase the lead to 18-12
>Eysi scored seven in a row to get the Matadors within, 18-17 at 5:30
>A layin by Hohn stopped the momentum, 20-17 (5:04)
>CSUN would get as close as 24-23 at 2:04 before UCI had a jumper by Welp and two free throws and a wide open three by Baker with 19 seconds on the clock 31-23
>A Matador free throw with two seconds left ended the half, 31-24
>The Matadors scored 10 points off nine UCI turnovers

SECOND HALF
 >Hohn placed the ball just above the rim for Johnson to lay it in (19:23) then had two free throws to start the half, 35-24 (18:40)
>A two handed dump-in by Emmanuel Tshimanga (13:49) and a Davis driving layup (13:17) forced a Matador timeout, 46-34
>After leading by 14, CSUN went on a 6-0 run until Ofure Ujadughele brought some energy, driving down the lane thru traffic for a layup at 11:06 (50-40)   
>CSUN scored six in a row to get within 52-49 at 8:13 then UCI hit back-to-back threes by Davis (7:54) and Baker (7:21) to stay in control, 58-49
>With 3:26 remaining, Baker would be UCI's only offense, scoring nine in a row for the Anteaters to keep UCI up six with 28 seconds to play (70-64)
>After Welp knocked down two free throws, the Matadors would knock down a three and sent Isaiah Lee to the line where he hit one with seven seconds remaining (73-67)
>Another Matador three with just over a second to play forced CSUN to foul Baker, who fittingly had the final two points of the game.

HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER SAID
"I'm pleased to win. Winning two times on the road is a good week for teams in this league. Didn't feel like a clean game from us again. Our second half intensity, especially on the defensive end is far less than I expect for us to be in February."

"It was great to have Dean (Keeler) back. He was a difference maker. I thought Langston Redfield after not playing in the last game, came tonight and made a positive difference. I thought Ofure with his energy was really important and obviously Dawson had a great game."

GUARD DAWSON BAKER
"It's been a crazy season for me so far with injuries and illness being obstacles. I knew one of these games was going to come eventually and I'm glad it happened tonight and capped off a win."

NOTES
>UCI has not trailed over the last 117.50 minutes
>Baker has recorded points in double figures five times this season. His 24 points are second most this season behind Collin Welp's 30 and tied with Welp's 24 at USC
>Baker's 9-10 from the line are the most from the stripe by an Anteater this season
>UCI's 75 points are the fourth most this season

UP NEXT
>UCI returns home to host UC Riverside Thursday (Feb. 10) for a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Bren Events Center.