IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine could not overcome a big second half run by California Baptist in a 69-61 loss to the Lancers at the Bren Events Center Friday evening.

The Anteaters (1-1) would not score for almost eight minutes, watching CBU go on an 18-0 run to take a 59-40 lead with 5:12 to play. The Anteaters would battle back within five (61-66) with 20 seconds left before the Lancers would close out the game with three free throws.

Guards Jovan Jester Jr. and Jurian Dixon led UCI with 16 points each, which was a career-high for Jester Jr. All of Jester Jr.'s baskets came from beyond the arc and led the squad from the line (4-6). Dixon went 7-15 from the floor with a three-pointer. He added five rebounds, an assist and a steal.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
>Guard Derin Saran totaled nine points on 5-10 from the line with a team-high eight rebounds and four assists
>Post players Akiva McBirney-Griffin and Harrison Carrington totaled seven and six points, respectively. Carrington had four rebounds, while McBirney-Griffin two blocks
>Freshman Tama Isaac recorded five rebounds, three points and four assists
>Forward Kyle Evans had four points and four rebounds
>The Anteaters shot 33.9 percent (21-62) from the floor and just 56.5 percent (13-23) from the line
>The Anteaters swatted 10 blocks, led by Evans and Elijah Chol with four each
>CBU was led by Martel Williams with a game-high 17 points and Thomas Ndong's 12 rebounds
>The Lancers (2-0) shot 39.4 percent from the field (26-66) and 10-15 (66.7) from the line
>CBU out-rebounded UCI 55-32

HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER SAID:
"I think we can acknowledge we just got outplayed, outworked, and physically dominated. I give Cal Baptist credit for their ability to come into our house and do that to us. I was a little surprised that we weren't more able to hold ourselves together competitively. Some of that is on me, as the leader of the group. I thought we fell apart. We had some things that didn't go our way, missed free throws, missed some shots, but to get beat that badly on the boards. It was embarrassing to me."

FIRST HALF
>It was a slow start for both teams until Jurian Dixon had a fall-away jumper in the paint at 18:13 then another on the left baseline at 17:10, 4-0
>Elijah Chol dished the ball out to Tama Isaac for a three at 16:38, 7-0
>Dixon continued to fill it up with a jumper at 15:25, then Harrison Carrington added a pair of free throws, 11-0
>The Anteaters drew five personal fouls in the span, blocking two CBU field goal attempts and forcing the Lancers to shoot 0-7 from the field on defense before California Baptist wouldn go on a 9-2 run with three three-pointers to bring the score to 9-13 (11:40)
>Cal Baptist held UC Irvine to just one point over a 4:12 span, going on an 8-1 run to tie the game at 17 (6:55)
>The Anteaters broke out of the offensive slump with a pull-up jumper by Jurian Dixon to retake a 19-17 lead (6:33)
>A CBU transition dunk gave the Lancers their first lead of the night, 25-24 (2:58)
> The first half closed with CBU leading 29-26 on a putback layup with 15 seconds left
> After going scoreless for the first 5:50 of the half, CBU outscored UCI 29-15 over the remainder of the period

SECOND HALF
>CBU started quickly with the first four points, 33-26 (19:27)
>Dixon drained a catch-and-shoot right corner three-pointer then Akiva McBirney-Griffin spun to the basket and knocked if off the glass for two, 32-34 (15:55)
>McBirney-Griffin drove baseline and powered to the basket for a layup then Derin Saran drove down the paint for another layup to knot the score at 38-38 (14:05) forcing a California Baptist timeout (14:05)
>California Baptist would then break open the game on a 18-0 run, which included two three-pointers to move back out to a 59-40 lead (7:23)
>Jovan Jester Jr. would snap the 7:33 scoreless streak at 4:48 with a three-pointer, 43-59
>Jester Jr. would knock down another three (3:42)  before Kyle Evans slipped to the basket for a layup to keep UCI close 51-61 (2:59)
>UCI kept fighting, out-scoring the Lancers 9-2, the last a Jester Jr. three-pointer with 20 seconds left, 61-66
>California Baptist would close out the game with three free throws, 69-61

NOTES
>UC's 10 blocks are the most since the Anteaters had 11 at Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 27, 2025

UP NEXT
UCI will host Lincoln Monday (Nov. 10) with a 7:00 p.m. tip at the Bren Events Center.