IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine went 30-35 from the free throw line on the way to a 77-71 victory over Cal State Bakersfield at the Bren Events Center on Saturday evening.

The Anteaters had a season-best 30 made and 35 attempted from the line led by center Bent Leuchten and forward Ofure Ujadughele each going 6-6. Three other UCI players had a perfect mark from the charity stripe: Dean Keeler (4-4), Devin Tillis (3-3), and Derin Saran (2-2).

UCI improves to 19-7 overall on the year and sits on top of the Big West standings with a 12-2 mark.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Leuchten led the way with 14 points, a career best four steals, and tied his season high three blocks
> Guard Andre Henry followed with 13 points including a game best two three-pointers
> Guard Justin Hohn and forward Devin Tillis each had 11 points in the game
> Tillis was one rebound shy of a double double (9) and assisted on four baskets
> Guard Pierre Crockrell II distributed seven dimes, a game best
> Freshman Derin Saran tied his career best in assists, 4
> UCI held the 38-28 advantage in the paint and 20-10 in second chance opportunities
> Cal State Bakersfield was led by Kaleb Higgins who recorded 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor, five rebounds, and five assists

FIRST HALF
> A block on one end from Bent Leuchten led into a dish from Pierre Crockell II for the Justin Hohn score at 18:50. Devin Tillis continued the Anteater scoring with a three-point play (17:30) before assisting on Hohn's pull-up triple (16:23), 12-3
> Carter Welling absorbed contact on two consecutive offensive possessions to find himself at the line for two makes. Derin Saran pushed the ball back into the hoop as it was spinning out to increase the lead by 12. Then, Saran found Dean Keeler underneath the basket, 18-8 (12:26)
> Tillis grabbed the offensive board, dribbled out of the paint, and turned around for the bank shot Henry ran past the defense to continue the Anteater scoring
> Cal State Bakersfield scored six unanswered to close to 18-14 (10:32)
> Tillis grabbed the offensive board, dribbled out of the paint, and turned around for the bank shot (10:22) which was followed by Henry running past the defense for the easy lay-up, 24-19 at 8:00
> Bent Leuchten and Henry each cashed in a pair at the free throw line (8:00 and 6:22) to keep UCI up by seven. C. Welling forced his way through the CSUB defense to get to the rim to keep the same margin at 4:56, 30-23
>The Roadrunners out-scored UCI 10-5 over a span of 3:55 to stay close, 33-37 (0:38)
>Leuchten put a rebound back up and in as time expired to give UCI the 39-33 halftime lead

SECOND HALF
> Two Leuchten free throws gave UCI a 47-39 lead at 16:22
> The Roadrunners responded with the next eight to tie the game at 47-47 (13:44)
> Tied at 49-49, UCI used six consecutive free throws, four by Dean Keeler and two by Ofure Ujadughele as well as a layup by Tillis to regain control 57-49 (9:22)
> Crockrell II no look passed to Dylan Thoerner who was slashing the baseline for a reverse layup at 7:50, 60-51
> UCI led by 10, 68-58, before Cal State Bakersfield rallied again on the next four points, 68-62 at 2:29
> Henry drained a clutch three-pointer from the left corner on a pass from Tillis with 1:29 left. Following, the Roadrunners hit back-to-back jumpers with 38 seconds remaining to keep it close, 73-68
> After a pair of Ujadughele free throws, CSUB's Kaleb Higgins knocked down a three-pointer, 75-71
> Hohn was fouled and hit the first before missing the second, but the Anteaters grabbed the offensive rebound where Henry drew the contact. The senior made one with 15 seconds left to close out the scoring, 77-71   

NOTES
> With the win, UC Irvine clinched their spot in the 2024 Big West Championship, seeds are still to be determined
> UCI sweeps the season series with the Roadrunners and improves to 12-3 all-time against Cal State Bakersfield
> The Anteaters improve to 10-0 at home this season
> Crockrell II is eighth in program history with 331 career assists. The fifth year is now four assists away from tying Aaron Fitzgerald (2004-06) for seventh
> The three-headed beast in center of Carter Welling, Bent Leuchten, and Dean Keeler combined for all six Anteater blocks tonight. The trio rank fifth (1.2), sixth (1.2), and seventh (1.1) respectively in the Big West in blocks per game

UP NEXT
UC Irvine stays at home, hosting UC Santa Barbara on Thursday Feb. 22 for a nationally televised broadcast (ESPNU). Tip-off is at 8 p.m.