IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine gave the seniors a nice send-off with a 70-60 Black & Blue victory over Long Beach State at the Bren Events Center Saturday evening.
 
Guard Myles Che led the Anteaters with 19 points, going 5-10 from the floor and 8-10 from the line.
 
Senior forward Bent Leuchten recorded his third consecutive double-double and 14th of the season with 13 points and game-high 12 rebounds.
 
Graduate student guard Justin Hohn had nine of his 14 points in the second half, hitting 4-9 from the field and 4-4 from the line.
 
With the win, UCI (25-5, 15-3) clinches a top two finish in the Big West standings, advancing to Friday's semifinal of the Big West Championship on Mar. 14 at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, NV.
 
The win also moves head coach Russell Turner into sole possession of third place in all-time Big West wins (314).
 
FROM HEAD COACH RUSSELL TURNER
"It is so hard to express how meaningful it is to have these guys committed to us the way they have been for how long they have been and to perform at the level they have. Sustaining success in athletics is virtually impossible, but credit to Justin [Hohn] and Ofure [Ujadughele] first for their six years. It has been special to have Bent [Leuchten] his whole time here from as far away as he has come and for the fans to see him develop into one of the top players in our league. Devin [Tillis] and Andre [Henry] are also great because of how involved here with their families. It is so exciting to see so many of their family member out in the crowd."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
> Guard Jurian Dixon went 4-8 from the field, including a three-pointer on his way to 10 points
> Forward Devn Tillis had a team-best five assists, which tied his career-high
> Tillis also had eight rebounds to go with seven points
> Torian Lee had a swat in his 15 minutes for the second straight game
> UC Irvine edged out LBSU on the glass, 34-26
> The Anteaters once again held their opponent to under 60 points (11-0)
> UCI shot 46.9 percent from the floor (23-49) and 19-24 (0.792) from the line
> Long Beach State's offense ran through Devin Askew, posting a game-high 25 points on 5-10 from beyond the arc, having nine of LBSU's 22 baskets
 
FIRST HALF
> After opening the game with a mid-range shot at 18:47, Myles Che caught the Long Beach State defense lagging, lobbing to Kyle Evans (14:29) who was left alone under the hoop to bring UCI within one, 5-4
> Torian Lee put the Anteaters ahead when threw the ball down the length of the court to a streaking Jurian Dixon for the layup at 11:27 (8-7)
> Devin Tillis dished to Justin Hohn for a three-pointer before backing down the defense for a basket to give the Anteaters a 13-9 advantage (9:29)
> Che got crafty on the reverse layup which drew a foul from the Beach and making the and-1 shot then drove baseline past his defender for another layup to build a 24-13 lead at 6:11
> Hohn tossed the ball over to Jurian Dixon (3:01) who buried a three-pointer from the left side, 28-18
> Bent Leuchten spun in the paint and then flicked up while being surrounded at 1:46 and ended the first half scoring with two free throws with eight seconds left, 32-23
 
SECOND HALF
> UC Irvine exploded for nine straight points which was kicked off by Dixon poking the ball away from LBSU to go coast-to-coast for a layup and ignited the crowd with the and-1 call. Following the under 16 media timeout, Leuchten knocked down a three-pointer and Ofure Ujadughele forced a Beach turnover that led to a Torian Lee driving layup and foul to give UCI some separation, 43-28 at 14:31
> Tillis went to work in the paint, pausing to throw off the defense, to go for the baby hook that preceded an Evans two-handed slam to make it 54-39 with 10:16 to play
> Hohn scored seven points over a span of two minutes with two free throws, a triple that beat the shot clock, and a layup, 65-47 (4:48)
> The Anteaters would manage just three free throws from Che until a Leuchten put up a layup with 47 seconds to play, 70-58
> A LBSU layup ended the scoring in UCI's 70-60 homecoming win
 
NOTES
> UC Irvine recognized graduating players Ofure Ujadughele, Devin Tillis, Justin Hohn, Andre Henry and Bent Leuchten before the game
> UCI has won five straight against The Beach at the Bren Center
> The Anteaters closed out the regular season 10-2 at home
> Justin Hohn sits seventh in the career steals leader board with 142, needing two more to pass Evan Leonard (143, 2016-20) for sixth
> Hohn is the 21st all-time scorer in the program (1,260 points) now 14 away from Eyassu Worku (1,273--2016-20) for 17th
> Devin Tillis sits 14th in the all-time rebounding list with 629, just 41 from meeting Ben McDonald (670, 1980-84) for 13^th
> Tillis recorded his 1,000th combined career point in the win, 71 from hitting the milestone in a UC Irvine uniform
> Bent Leuchten is 19th in the rebounding standings with 592, needing five to jump in front of assistant coach Michael Wilder (596, 2009-13) for 18th
> Leuchten leads the Big West and team in double-doubles (14)
> Jurian Dixon has scored in double figures in five straight games
> Myles Che knocked down a three-pointer in 14 consecutive games played
 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine closes out the regular season on the road traveling to UC Davis Thursday (Mar. 6) and UC Santa Barbara Saturday (Mar. 8).