Celebrating The Historic 2014-15 Season

The 2014-15 season marked the 50th season of the UC Irvine men's basketball program and it was celebrated in a big way with the team’s first Big West Tournament title and NCAA appearance. 

UC Irvine will honor the 10-year anniversary of the historic team at the men’s basketball game Saturday versus UC San Diego at the Bren Events Center starting at 7:00 p.m.

The Anteaters would end the year 21-13 overall and would be ranked No. 23 in the season's final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

UCI started the year as the consensus preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference after returning four starters off the 2013-14 team that finished 23-12 overall and 13-3 in the Big West, winning the program's first conference regular-season title in 12 years.

While success should not have been surprising, the season was filled with a slew of injuries and last-minute losses that made the victories even sweeter in the end. 

UCI used nine different starting lineups during season, allowing several players to gain valuable experience and step up when teammates were sidelined. 

Here is a look back at how the memorable season unfolded. 

November 14, 2014  
A crowd of 2,854 watched sophomore guard Luke Nelson score 18 points, while senior post player John Ryan added 14 in the season opening 87-36 victory over Chapman at the Bren Events Center. 

Nelson was 7 of 9 from the field and had three assists in 23 minutes of action. Ryan was 6 of 7 from the floor and recorded four blocked shots, three rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes.

November 16, 2014
Junior guard Alex Young recorded 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead UC Irvine to a 68-50 victory over Pacific at the Bren Events Center.

Young, who tied his career high with the eight boards, was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added a pair of steals as the Anteaters prepared to face No. 2 Arizona in Tuscon.

November 19, 2014
The ESPN ticker flashed “upset alert” as UC Irvine was in position for over 30 minutes to pull the upset over No. 2 Arizona before a late scoring spree carried the Wildcats to a 71-54 victory before a crowd of 14,655 at the McKale Center. 

UCI, which led 29-26 at halftime, took a 46-41 lead with 10:30 left in the game lead on a layup by Mike Best before Arizona went on a 30-8 run to close the game. The Wildcats went on a 15-0 spurt over a period of just over five minutes to gain a 56-46 lead with 4:51 remaining then after UCI closed to 58-50 with 3:59 left, Arizona closed the door with a 7-0 spurt. 

Luke Nelson and Travis Souza led UCI with 11 points each.  

November 23, 2014 
UC Irvine and Saint Mary's matched seemingly point-for-point in the second half before the Gaels pulled out a 72-69 win at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga.

After Mamadou Ndiaye's dunk gave UCI a 69-68 lead with 1:16 left, the Gaels would hit a pair of free throws with 17.1 seconds remaining and again with 2.3 second left for the final margin.

Luke Nelson led UCI with 19 points and six assists, while Ndiaye scored 14 points, all in the second half, and added a team-high seven rebounds. 

November 29, 2014
Center Mamadou Ndiaye scored a career-high 21 points to lead UC Irvine past Loyola Marymount, 80-72 on the road, snapping a two-game losing skid. 

The 7-6 Ndiaye was impressive hitting 10 of 11 shots and adding five blocked shots.

Senior forward Will Davis II scored 17 points and added 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, while Travis Souza added a career-high 16 points, hitting 4 of 5 threes, and also snared a career-high seven rebounds. 

Following this game, Ndiaye would miss the next nine contests after suffering a foot injury.

December 3, 2014
Will Davis II scored 12 points to pass the 1,000 career point mark, but UC Irvine would fall to Fresno State, 72-63 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.

Davis also had 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Sophomore guard Jaron Martin also scored 12 points, hitting 3 of 4 threes in the loss.

In another close one, the Bulldogs built a 63-48 lead on a pair of free throws by Marvelle Harris with 1:19 remaining, but the 'Eaters closed the gap to 66-60 on three free throws from Travis Souza  with 33 seconds left. FSU then made four free throws over the next 19 seconds to seal the win. 

December 6, 2014
With the absence of Ndiaye, senior post John Ryan stepped up, scoring 14 points to lead UC Irvine past Sacramento State, 74-62, at the Bren Events Center.

Ryan hit 7 of 9 shots in tying his career high for points and he added seven rebounds as the Anteaters improved to 4-3 overall.

December 13, 2014
UT Arlington would hand UC Irvine its first home loss of the season as the Mavericks topped the Anteaters, 70-62.

The teams were tied 14 times in the game, the last at 60-60 with 2:14 remaining before UTA went on a 10-2 run to close out the contest.

Luke Nelson tied his season-high with 19 points for UCI, followed by Will Davis II scoring 13 points and John Ryan adding eight points and eight rebounds.

December 16, 2014
In a game that saw 10 lead changes in the final five minutes ultimately turned Morgan State's way as Donte Pretlow's driving layup on the right side with four seconds led to the Bears edging UC Irvine, 63-62, at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md.

With Luke Nelson out with the flu, Jaron Martin made his first collegiate start and nailed a deep three from the right perimeter with 13 seconds remaining to give UCI a 62-61 lead only to watch the heartbreaking layup on the next possession.

Alex Young led UCI with 16 points then Martin 11 and Dominique Dunning 10. 

December 21 & 22, 2014
UC Irvine would compete in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic at the South Point Hotel Arena bringing home the title with wins over Bradley, 55-47, and Green Bay, 72-70, in the championship.

Alex Young was named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 18 points against Green Bay, including the game-winning jumper with 1.7 seconds left.  Jaron Martin was selected to the All-Classic team. Young would also be named Big West Player of the Week for his efforts.

Against Bradley, UC Irvine limited the Braves to 10.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half, holding them to 3 of 29 from the floor in the final 20 minutes. 

Travis Souza led the 'Eaters with 12 points, hitting 4 of 7 threes. 

In the championship game between two preseason league favorites, Young was the hero knocking down a 10-foot fallaway jumper from the right side with 1.7 seconds left to give the Anteaters the two-point victory over Green Bay. 

He scored 11 of his points in the second half and UCI's last six points in the final 46 seconds.

December 29, 2014
Oregon drained a three-pointer with 23.4 seconds left in overtime that proved to be the difference as the Ducks outlasted UC Irvine, 69-67, in Eugene.

UCI shot 53.8 percent from the field in the first half and led 33-26 at halftime. 

Oregon, who rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit, watched Travis Souza hit a three-pointer to give UCI a three-point lead before they would hit a three of their own with 7.6 in regulation, tying the game and sending it to an extra five minutes.

In overtime, Souza would hit another trey with six seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 68-67 before the Ducks' would secure the win hitting 1 of 2 free throws with 5.4 seconds left for the final margin. A 30-foot attempt by Alex Young hit the back of the rim as time expired.

Young paced the Anteaters with 12 points and six assists, followed by Jaron Martin and Souza with 11 points apiece.

The Anteaters played without the services of Mamadou Ndigye (foot) and Luke Nelson (facial injury).

December 31, 2014
UC Irvine would close out the year with an afternoon New Year’s Eve game against head coach Russell Turner’s alma mater Hampden-Sydney College,

Dominique Dunning would record his first career double-double as UC Irvine topped Hampden-Sydney College, 82-53 at the Bren Events Center.

Dunning had 11 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench, and he also registered a career-high three assists.

UCI built a 35-18 halftime lead, shooting 61.5 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, and led by at least 14 points throughout the second half. The 'Eaters shot even better in the second half at 70 percent and hit 66.1 percent of their shots in the game to Hampden-Sydney's 37.5 percent.

January 3, 2015
In the final non-conference regular season contest, another last second shot, this time with 4.6 seconds left on the clock lifted New Mexico State over UC Irvine, 70-67 in Las Cruces, N.M.

Travis Souza tied the game at 67-67 on a three-pointer from deep in the left corner with 18.6 seconds remaining only to watch the Aggies hit the game-winner on the final possession. 

Will Davis II led the Anteaters with a season-high 20 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

January 8, 2015
The Big West season didn’t get off to the start UCI was hoping as Long Beach State would go on a 23-10 run to end the game and beat UCI, 88-82, at the Bren Events Center.

Alex Young would hit a jumper with 57 seconds to cut the Anteater deficit to two, 81-79, but LBSU would hit 3 of 4 free throws to extend their lead to 84-79 with 35 ticks left. Young wasn't done, canning a trey with 23 seconds remaining to pull the 'Eaters within 84-82. LBSU would hit a pair of foul shots with 12 seconds left and then added two more with three seconds remaining for the final score.

Young scored a career-high 24 points in the loss.

January 10, 2015
Jaron Martin poured in a career-high 16 points and Alex Young added 14 as UC Irvine defeated UC Riverside, 69-55, at the Bren Events Center to even the season record at 8-8 and the league record at 1-1.

Martin tied his career high, going 4-6 from three-point distance, while Young was 6 of 8 from the field and recorded six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Will Davis II had a game-high eight rebounds.

January 15, 2015
The 100th meeting between UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton was a good one as the Anteaters withstood a second-half rally by the Titans and prevailed 63-58 at Titan Gym.

The Titans pulled within 61-58, at 1:34 but two free throws from Alex Young with 12 seconds remaining would be the only scoring from either team in the final 90 seconds.

Will Davis II led UCI with a season-high 21 points, hitting 7 of 10 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, plus he added seven rebounds to become just the sixth player in the history of the program to record 1,000 points and 700 rebounds. 

January 22, 2015
Travis Souza ignited the UC Irvine offense early and the defense was stellar throughout as the Anteaters downed CSUN, 80-49, in Northridge.

Souza scored all 15 of his points in the first half, hitting 5 of 7 threes, to lead UCI to a 39-18 halftime score.  

Luke Nelson made his first start since Dec. 13 due to illness and injury, and led the 'Eaters with 16 points, hitting 5 of 8 shots, and he added four assists.

The win over CSUN was UCI's largest margin of victory over an NCAA Division I school since a 33-point win over Harvard (81-48) Dec. 28, 2006, and the largest margin of victory in a Big West game for the Anteaters since a 92-54 win at Idaho Jan. 12, 2002.

January 24, 2015
Clutch play by UC Irvine down the stretch carried the Anteaters past Hawai'i, 78-72, before 8,761 fans at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.

Alex Young’s three from the right side with 1:22 remaining proved to be the dagger and the eventual game-winning points as his trey gave UCI a 74-70 lead.

Will Davis II led UCI with 17 points, hitting 8 of 12 shots, and he added eight rebounds.  Young had 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals while Jaron Martin scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3 of 3 on treys.

With the win, UCI moved into a first-place tie in the conference with UC Davis and Long Beach State (4-1).  

The Anteaters ranked 13th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at .406, 25th in field-goal percentage (.483) and 35th in blocked shots per game (4.9).

January 29, 2015
UC Irvine continued to roll, picking up its fifth consecutive win as Travis Souza’s career-high 17 points lifted the Anteaters over Cal Poly, 67-57, at the Bren Events Center.

Souza, who tied his career high with the five treys, moved past Jerry Green and Mike Hood into 12th place all-time at UCI with 119 threes. Davis II added 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals and Luke Nelson tied his career high with eight assists.

January 31, 2015
Eleven of UC Irvine's 13 players who saw action scored in the Anteaters' 77-55 win over UC Santa Barbara in the Homecoming game at the Bren Events Center.

Alex Young and Luke Nelson led the balanced attack with 11 points, while Travis Souza, Martin and Ionnis Dimakopoulos added nine apiece.

UCI went on an 18-3 run, sparked by a pair of threes each from Aaron Wright and Souza, to go up 60-39 with 7:49 left and the 'Eaters maintained control from there.

The Anteaters hit a season-high 11 threes in 22 attempts and shot 50.9 percent overall for the game while UCSB shot 36.5 percent.

February, 5, 2015
In a battle of two of the first-place teams in the Big West Conference, UC Irvine shot a season-low 30.4 percent from the field in a 75-56 loss to UC Davis at the Bren Events Center.

Will Davis II was the lone Anteater player in double figures, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds. John Ryan had a game-high nine rebounds and added seven points and five blocked shots for UCI, which had its six-game winning streak snapped.

A basket by Ryan with 6:06 left in the first half gave UCI its last lead of the game at 19-18 as the Aggies closed out the half on a 17-6 run to go up 35-25 at intermission.

A pair of free throws from Davis with 16:45 remaining in the game pulled the 'Eaters within 39-32, but UC Davis reeled off a 17-6 run to extend its lead to 18 at 56-38 with 11:38 left and the Aggies maintained control from there.

UCI played its sixth straight game without the 7-6 Ndiaye, who was out with a foot injury. Young sustained a foot injury midway through the first half and did not return. UC Davis also played without the services of their senior guard Corey Hawkins, the team's leading scorer at 21.3 points per game.

February 7, 2015
Jaron Martin's basket with 1.4 seconds remaining lifted UC Irvine over Long Beach State, 56-55, in a thrilling "Black & Blue" game at the Walter Pyramid.

The 49ers then went on an 11-2 run, capped by a three with 9.6 left, to take a 55-54 lead before Martin drove the left side and lofted a shot high off the glass that rolled around the rim and dropped through to snare the victory for the 'Eaters.

Will Davis II led UCI with a season-high 22 points, hitting 8 of 10 shots, and adding seven rebounds. 

February 14, 2015
An 11-0 run early in the second half energized UC Riverside as the Highlanders knocked off UC Irvine, 70-63, at SRC Arena in Riverside. 

The Anteaters had taken a 34-32 halftime lead on a three by Aaron Wright at the buzzer and he hit another trey to open the second half for a 37-32 lead before UCR went on an 11-0 run to go up 43-37 on a basket with 14:36 left.

UCI would battle back to regain the lead, the team's last, at 46-45 on a three from Jaron Martin with 12:34 remaining.  The Highlanders then went on a 9-1 spree to take a 54-47 lead with 8:57 left. The 'Eaters closed to within four on several occasions but UCR hung on to give UCI its first Big West road loss of the season.

February 19, 2015
Will Davis II continued to get better, recording season-highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds in a 75-60 win over Hawaii at the Bren Events Center.

It was the third double-double of the season for Davis.  He went 9 of 15 from the field and 5 of 6 from the foul line, pulling down five offensive boards and adding three blocked shots to raise his school-record career total to 205.

Davis had 13 points and 12 boards in the second half as the 'Eaters broke away from a 29-29 halftime tie, outscoring the Rainbow Warriors, 46-31, in the final 20 minutes. UCI shot 54.8 percent in the second half and limited Hawai'i to just 27.3 percent.

Travis Souza knocked down 5 of 7 threes on his way to 15 points, scored 12 of his points in the second half. 

February 21, 2015
Jaron Martin scored a career-high 19 points in UC Irvine’s 67-58 victory over CSUN at the Bren Events Center.

UCI has won its last 45 games when holding the opposition to 60 points or less.

Martin hit 7 of 11 shots, including 3 of 7 threes, while Luke Nelson scored 14 points and Will Davis II registered 10 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

After holding a 41-34 advantage at halftime, UCI limited CSUN to just four points in the first 8 ½ minutes of the second half and the 'Eaters built their largest lead of the night at 61-43 on a free throw by Wright with 6:11 remaining.

UCI committed just seven turnovers for the second consecutive game.  

UCI would move up the statistical ranking, coming in at sixth in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage at .408. The team was also 28th in blocked shots per game (5.1

February 26, 2015
In San Luis Obispo, Will Davis II posted a season-high 24 points and added nine rebounds to lead UC Irvine over Cal Poly, 63-56. 

Davis was dominant going 12 of 15 from the field. Davis moved into third all-time at UCI with 788 career rebounds and he is 10th in scoring with 1,288 points.    With the victory, UCI closed to within one game of first-place UC Davis.

Mamadou Ndiaye returned to action after missing the previous 10 games with a foot injury and had 11 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench. Alex Young also returned to the starting lineup after missing four games due to a foot injury.

The Anteaters, who led 40-30 at halftime, shot 65 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes and 58 percent for the game, while limiting the Mustangs to 34 percent.

UCI led by as many as 15 points on two occasions in the second half, the last being at 63-48 on a dunk by Ndiaye off a Jaron Martin feed with 2:07 remaining.

February, 28, 2015
Missed opportunities down the stretch by UC Irvine helped UC Santa Barbara defeat the Anteaters 54-51in Santa Barbara.

Will Davis II once again led UCI with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Davis converted a traditional three-point play with 5.8 seconds left to close the gap to 52-51, but UCI was forced to foul on the inbounds pass and UCSB converted both foul shots with 4.5 ticks for the win.

The Anteaters hit just 5 of 15 free throws (4 of 10 in the second half) and were 2 of 10 from three-point range.

March 5, 2015
Luke Nelson scored 15 points and Mamdou Ndiaye had 12 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots to lead UC Irvine over Cal State Fullerton, 68-62, in the final home game at Bren Events Center.

After honoring senior Will Davis II, Travis Souza, and John Ryan before the game, the Anteaters would go on to out-score Fullerton, 15-7, in the first 8 ½ minutes of the second half to take a 40-29 lead on a three by Souza with 11:21 left. UCI, who would shoot 52 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, led by as many as 14 points at 60-46 on a basket by Davis with 2:12 remaining.

UCI would ended the regular season tied for second in the Big West Conference this season with an 11-5 mark and head into the Big West Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

March 12, 2015
UC Irvine opened the Big West Tournament run with a 63-54 quarterfinal victory over UC Riverside behind Will Davis II’s 17 points and 10 rebounds at the Honda Center. 

Davis was 8 of 10 from the field, recording his fifth double-double of the season and 14th in his career.

Luke Nelson added 14 points and four assists for UCI, which closed the game with an 18-6 run over the last seven minutes. A three by Martin just before the horn gave UCI a 24-23 halftime lead.  It was Martin's fourth first-half buzzer-beater of the season.

A free throws would pull the Highlanders within 51-49 with 4:53 remaining before the 'Eaters would score six consecutive points, capped by three by Davis, to go up 57-49 with 1:58 left. The Highlands would hang around and creep within 57-54 with 50 to play, before Alex Young hit four straight free throws and Martin added two in the final 30 seconds to seal the win for UCI.

March 13, 2015
Another stellar performance by Will Davis II, who had 18 points and 15 rebounds, to lead UC Irvine over UC Santa Barbara, 72-63, in overtime in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal.

Mamdou Ndiaye also scored 18 points and had four blocked shots for the Anteaters who out-scored UCSB 13-4 in the extra five minutes. 

UCI held the Gauchos scoreless for the final 3:07 of regulation and the first 2:40 of overtime.

The teams battled back-and-forth until the Gauchos went on a late 7-1 run to go up 59-53 with 3:07 remaining. Back-to-back baskets by Ndiaye drew UCI within 59-57, then Aaron Wright hit one free throw with 1:43 left and Ndiaye hit a foul shot with 49 seconds remaining to tie the game at 59-59.  The Anteaters then survived a last-second miss by UCSB to send the game to overtime.

UCI opened overtime with a 7-0 run on baskets from Davis, Ndiaye and Luke Nelson (a three) to go up 66-59.

UCSB hit a jumper with 48 seconds left to draw the Gauchos within 69-63, but Alex Young hit two free throws and Wright one in the final 37 seconds to propel UCI to championship game.

UCI would improve to 20-12 overall, posting its third consecutive 20-win season.

UCI, who had previously played in four title games (1988, 1994, 2008, 2013), would meet fifth-seed Hawaii in the title game. 

March 14, 2015

Luke Nelson scored 17 points and Will Davis II had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead UC Irvine over Hawai'i, 67-58, in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament before 5,463 at the Honda Center.

Davis was named the tournament's MVP after recording double-doubles each of the three tourney nights while averaging 15.0 points and 11.7 rebounds, and shooting 66.7 percent from the field.  He is the first player in history to record three double-doubles in a Big West Tournament.

Nelson was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 15.0 points and recording 13 assists, five steals and hitting seven threes.

Baskets by Davis and Nelson to open the second half pulled UCI even at 33-all and the teams played a see-saw game for the next 16 ½ minutes before a jumper by Alex Young gave the Anteaters the lead for good at 48-47 with 6:21 remaining.

UCI built the lead to 52-47 after two free throws by Nelson with 4:09 left, but Hawai'i stayed close and pulled within three at 61-58 on a three-point play by Roderick Bobbitt with 45 seconds left. Aaron Wright hit three free throws and Young one in a span of 25 seconds, and Davis punctuated the championship victory on a dunk with six ticks left.

UCI students stormed onto the court at the Honda Center relishing the historical achievement as each Anteater player cut a piece of the net.

March 15, 2015 – Selection Sunday

Surrounded by family, fans and community members at the Newkirk Alumni Center, the Anteaters would see UC Irvine on the bracket playing Louisville at KeyArena in Seattle, Wash.

Conan O'Brien would film a segment with Peter the Anteater, and Peter would go on to be crowned champion in Mashable's March Madness mascot bracket.

March 20, 2015 

UC Irvine was playing in its first NCAA game, but you wouldn’t know it as the Anteaters played tough until the very end.  

The game featured nine lead changes and the 13th-seeded Eaters led by two points with under a minute left before two free throws by the Cardinals with 8.9 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a 57-55 loss to No. 4 seed Louisville, a three-time national champion, in the NCAA Second Round.

Davis II and Ndiaye combined for 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the 'Eaters, who played with poise and out-scored Louisville 34-28 in the paint and edged the Cardinals on the boards, 29-25.

Thirty-eight years and 1,122 games after the university gained NCAA Division I status (July 1, 1977), UCI went to the Big Dance and immediately generated pride from the alumni and other fans in a nationally-televised game.  The 2014-15 UC Irvine team will go down in history as the one that broke through and earned the Anteater program its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

“Winning changes people, it can change schools and that's what we hope to do and have a positive impact through what we have been able to accomplish," Turner said.  "What I hope we can do is get over the idea that we can't do it here.  We obviously can."

MORE ON 2014-15

UCI's defensive average of 62.1 set a school record for lowest allowed.

The 'Eaters were 15-1 when the opponents shot under 40 percent from the field.

UCI was 15-2 when holding the opposition to 60 points or less.

Of 351 NCAA Division I teams, UCI ranked No. 26 in blocked shots per game (4.9), 27th in three-point field goal percentage (.389) and field-goal percentage defense (.394), and 28th in total blocked shots (168).

Will Davis II, who was named to the All-Big West Conference First Team, finished 37th in the nation this season with a field-goal percentage of .543.

In the last four games of the season, Davis averaged 14.8 points and 11.0 rebounds while shooting 64.3 percent from the field.  He led the 'Eaters in scoring (12.9) and rebounding (7.1). Davis ended his UCI career as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots (208), second in rebounds (852) and eighth in points (1,384).  He had a career field-goal percentage of .548.  Davis was one of just three players in the 50-year history of UCI Basketball to record 1,000 points and 800 rebounds in his career.

Senior guard Travis Souza ended his Anteater career with 142 threes to tie Scott Brooks for No. 8 in UCI history.  Souza led UCI with 67 treys in 2014-15.

Senior post John Ryan, who missed most of the latter part of the season with a foot injury, ended his UCI career with 338 points and 294 rebounds.  He shot 55.7 percent from the field in his three seasons with the 'Eaters.

Guards Alex Young and Luke Nelson were members of the 2015 All-Big West Honorable Mention team. 

7-6 sophomore center Mamdou Ndiaye averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15 games this season. He shot 63.4 percent from the field.