THIS WEEK IN ANTEATER BASKETBALL

UC Irvine Anteaters (1-0) vs. California Baptist Lancers (1-0)
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Friday, Nov. 7 - 7:30 PM | ESPN+ | KLAA AM830 | KUCI 88.9 FM | Live Stats |

UP NEXT
UC Irvine Anteaters (1-0) vs Lincoln Oaklanders (0-1)
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Monday, Nov. 10 - 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | KLAA AM830 | KUCI 88.9 FM | Live Stats | 

STORYLINES
The Anteaters will face soon-to-be Big West member California Baptist on Friday (Nov. 7) at 7:30 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. NOTE THE 7:30 tip time.

In a quick turnaround, the team will host Lincoln on Monday (Nov. 10) at 7:00 p.m. at the Bren.

Both UCI (Big West) and CBU (WAC) were projected to finish first in their respective preseason coaches polls.

UCI won the program's 29^th season-opening game with a 125-49 victory over Bethesda on Monday.

The Anteaters recorded a school record 34 assists, bettering the old mark of 31 against Bethesda in 2020.

Eight different players recorded at least one assist, led by freshman Tama Isaac's 10. His 10 assists were the most since Pierre Crockrell II had 11 versus Cal Poly on March 7, 2024.

Forward Kyle Evans had a team and career-best 22 points in just 13 minutes of action. He went 7-11 from the floor and 8-10 from the free throw line, while pulling down five rebounds.

Five players recorded double-figure points.

The Anteaters are 27-2 at the Bren Events Center over the last two plus seasons and have made a run of 80-12 over the last seven plus seasons.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
The Anteaters and California Baptist meet up for the second straight season as they prepare for becoming Big West mates starting in 2026-27.

UCI holds a 3-1 series advantage over the Lancers, winning the last outing 71-63 in Riverside.

In last year's game at the Fowler Events Center, CBU held a four-point halftime lead that UCI quickly erased in the first five minutes of the second half. UCI used a 9-0 run with 4:54 left in the game to help solidify the victory.

Jurian Dixon contributed four points in 26 minutes while adding four rebounds and Kyle Evans grabbed three boards as well.

Earlier in the week, California Baptist started the season with an 87-75 victory against South Carolina-Upstate. Guard Dominique Daniels Jr. led all players with 23 points, 15 of those coming in the second half. Guard Jayden Jackson made his CBU debut on Monday, contributing 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Last season, the Lancers went 17-15 overall, including a six-point loss to No. 23 San Diego State. CBU was 9-7 in conference play finishing second in the standings as their season ended in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.

Daniels Jr. was the team's leader a year ago, averaging 19.6 points per game in 35.1 minutes of action per game. The graduate student guard claimed WAC Preseason Player of the Year honors, the first in program history.

This will be the first meeting against Lincoln.

The Oaklanders opened the season against Loyola Marymount last Monday, dropping a 137-54 decision to the Lions.

Joshua Russ led scoring efforts for Lincoln in the loss, putting up 21 points and going 6-9 from the field in a start, while  Laolu Kalejaiye hoisted 26 field goal attempts, including 21 three-point attempts, scoring 12 points. 

MORE ON LAST MONDAY
The Anteaters 76-point margin of defeat against Bethesda was the largest since UCI beat Bethesda 135-55 on Nov. 28, 2020.

Evans scored 10 of his career-high night in the first four minutes of the game.

UCI opened an early lead and never looked back. The Anteaters would go on a 14-3 run to close the first half, closing the first 20 mins with a 67-20 advantage. The 67 points in the first half were just three points shy of a program record for points scored in a half.

Guard Jurian Dixon recorded 21 points and a career-best six assists. The sophomore was 8-12 from the floor, including three three-pointers.

Guard Tama Isaac made an impact in his Anteater debut with a double-double – 18 points and 10 assists. The freshman went 6-7 from the floor, including 3-4 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds and a steal.

Derin Saran had a career-high 10 rebounds, seven on the defensive end to go with a career-high seven assists. The redshirt sophomore added nine points on 4-6 shooting.

Redshirt freshman Jovan Jester Jr. was a perfect 5-5 from the field, including a three-pointer and 4-5 from the free throw line for 15 points. He totaled four rebounds and two assists in his first game as an Anteater.

Harrison Carrington came off the bench to record 15 points, making 6 of 7 attempts from the floor, including a three and 2-2 from the line. The forward pulled down seven boards, all on the defensive end.

Redshirt junior Elijah Chol had a career-high 11 rebounds to lead all players. He also had a career-best seven points and two assists.