IRVINE, Calif. – Freshman Torian Lee's career-night was not enough in UC Irvine's 84-72 loss to CSUN at the Bren Events Center Thursday evening.
 
Lee posted a career-high 20 points on 7-11 shooting from the field, including 4-8 from three-point distance in 29 minutes of action. He also had three steals and three rebounds.
 
Center Bent Leuchten had 18 points, becoming the 34th Anteater to record 1,000 points in a career with 1,009 and counting. The senior went 4-4 from the floor and 10-12 from the line. He tied his career-high in blocks for the second consecutive game, swatting four. He also tied for the team lead in rebounds with five.
 
The Matadors shot 55.6 percent (15-27) from the floor in the second half and out-score UCI, 50-35, in the second half, including 27-11 in the final 8:49 of the game. CSUN also took advantage at the free throw line, hitting 15-17 (88.2%) in the final 20 minutes.
 
UCI goes to 22-5 overall and 12-3 in the Big West. The Anteaters, who were without guard Myles Che, shot 40.7 percent (22-54) from the floor and 75.0 percent from the line (18-24).
 
FROM HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER
"I am really disappointed that we didn't have a better level of desire and competition in the second half. I am frustrated by that. We need to have a better sense of how it all fits together for us. I thought Torian Lee and Ben Egbo were ready. I don't think as a group we were as ready as we needed to be. The first half was strange in how in unfolded with Justin getting two fouls and having to play as long as we could without him. That bothered him and it bothered us. When we had a lead at halftime, we came out thinking we could assert ourselves, but CSUN asserted themselves on us. I thought Marcus Adams Jr. and their rebounding dominated in the second half. We have to now regroup quickly to go play a big game at Cal State Bakersfield. We are only one game ahead now of CSUN for a really important position that we need to try and earn in the last five games."
 
"I have belief in Torian and Ben. They did a lot of things really well tonight. That is what I expect them to do. They were ready when their roles were expanded. We have been that with other guys this year too. We also have to have our veterans and high performers play at a high level every night."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Redshirt freshman Jurian Dixon added 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists
> Guard Justin Hohn had eight points, including two triples and six assists
> Redshirt freshman Ben Egbo made his first career start totaling a career-best eight points and two assists
> Forward Devin Tillis led all Anteaters with six rebounds to go with four points and four assists
> UC Irvine assisted 19 of their 22 made baskets
> The Anteater bench outperformed their opponent 33-32, the seventh time they have done that this season, and first since Dec. 21, 2024
> The Matadors out-rebounded UCI, 39-32, only the eighth time this year the Anteaters have been bested on the glass
> CSUN was led by Marcus Adams Jr. with a game-high 24 points while Keonte Jones pulled down a game-best eight rebounds
 
FIRST HALF
> Jurian Dixon drained a three-pointer to get the scoring going at 19:15, 3-0
> Dixon found Bent Leuchten all alone for a layup at 17:21 then Ben Egbo knocked down a three-pointer to increase the lead to 9-4 (16:46)
> CSUN answered with nine unanswered to take the 13-9 lead at 14:14
> After trailing 15-11, Torian Lee lit up the UCI offense with a steal that turned into a reverse layup (11:44), back-to-back three-pointers (11:11, 10:06), before another steal for a wide-thrown layup (8:10), to go ahead 24-17 at 8:10
> The Matadors went on a 9-2 run to catch back up the Anteaters at 26-all (5:39)
> Both sides traded treys before consecutive layups by Egbo (2:39) and Lee (2:24) gave the Anteaters a 33-29 lead
> Leucthen recorded his 1,000th career point on a pair of free throws to give UCI a 37-34 lead with 37 seconds to go until the half, what would end up being the final points scored for either
 
SECOND HALF
> Justin Hohn drained a three-pointer to put UCI up 44-41 (17:53) then hit another falling away at the top of the arc to give the Anteaters a 49-46 lead at 16:38
> The see-saw battle continued, watching CSUN score the next five to jump ahead 51-49 (15:01)
> With the shot clock winding down Hohn found Ofure Ujadughele in the left corner for a triple at 13:05 to move the Anteaters back in front 53-51
> Dixon hit a triple to give UCI their largest lead of the half, 61-57, at 9:59 only to have CSUN hit back-to-back threes then record another three points with a made basket and free throw to take a 66-61 lead (7:21)
> Following a three-minute Anteater scoring drought, Hohn took it around the defense for a layup (6:56), 66-63
> The Matadors would extend the lead with a layup and three-pointer, 71-63 (5:17)
> Leuchten brought the game back within seven, 78-71, converting his layup at 1:29
> UCI was outscored 6-1 in the final 30 seconds of the contest (84-71)
 
NOTES
> It is UCI's first loss when leading at the half, 17-1
> UCI falls to 9-4 on the season when Justin Hohn dishes out four or more assists in a game
> The Anteaters have had at least one 20-point scorer in six straight games and in ten of the last 11 outings
> Justin Hohn sits seventh in the career steals leader board with 139, needing five more to pass Evan Leonard (143, 2016-20) for sixth
> Hohn is the 21st all-time scorer in the program (1,225 points) now 20 points away from passing Mike Heckman (1,244--1966-69) for 20th
> Devin Tillis sits tied 15th with Adam Folkner (612, 2008-13) in the all-time rebounding list with 612, just two away to tie Jeff Von Lutzow (614, 1989-93) and Jerry Maras (614, 1972-75) for 14th, and 58 from meeting Ben McDonald (670, 1980-84) for 13^th
> Bent Leuchten is 21st in the rebounding standings with 559, needing 27 to go ahead of Mark Nelson (585, 1965-67) for 20th
> Leuchten has scored in double figures 21 times this season

UP NEXT
UCI heads up to Cal State Bakersfield for a 6:30 p.m. start on Saturday Feb. 22.