California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. -- After a 96-78 finish in the semifinals against seventh-seeded Cal Poly, UC Irvine advances to the title game for the tenth time in program history and first time since 2021.

The Anteaters will face the top-seed in UC San Diego in the championship, the first postseason meeting between the two programs, after finishing 1-1 against each other in the regular season. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.

[2] UC Irvine vs. [1] UC San Diego
Saturday, Mar. 15 | 6:40 p.m. PT
Lee's Family Forum | Henderson, Nev.
Live Stats | Watch (ESPN2) | Tickets | UC Irvine Game Notes

ABOUT UC SAN DIEGO
> UC San Diego enters the contest with an 29-4 overall record
> The Tritons are winners of their last 14 contests and have not suffered a loss since their 85-81 setback to UC Riverside on Jan. 18
> In conference play, UC San Diego has only lost to the Anteaters (L, 60-52) and at UC Riverside (L, 85-81)
> UCSD were defeated twice in the month of November, the last on Nov. 16 against Seattle, 84-71 to ignite a 12-game win streak
> The Tritons finished their non-conference schedule with a 10-2 record, 6-1 on their home court. Their only home loss of the out of conference portion of the season came against the Redhawkes
> UC San Diego nearly swept the major postseason awards as Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named the league's Player of the Year
> Tait-Jones is one of four Tritons who are averaging double figures
> The guard puts up 19.7 points per contest, connects 58.0 percent of his shots from the field (207-357), has taken and made the most free throws (220-288, 0.764), blocked 14 shots, dished out 119 assists, and leads in rebounds per game (5.4)
> Tyler McGhie, a First Team selection, is next up with 16.5 points per game while taking the most shots from the floor (186-441, 0.422) and from three-point range (113-289, 0.391)
> McGhie is also an 84.7 percent free throw shooter (37-43)
> Hayden Gray, the league's Best Defensive Player, pours in 10.9 points per game
> Gray shoots over 40 percent from both the floor (135-286, 0.472) and from long-range (56-138, 0.406)
> Additionally, Gray has stolen the ball a team-leading 106 times and has dished out 111 assists
> Nordin Kapic scores 10.6 points a game and is the top shot blocker (14) and second best rebounder (5.1 rpg) on the Triton squad
> The Big West's Best Hustle Player in Chris Howell converts 61-136 (0.449) of his shots while being second-best in steals (70), and third in assists (99)
> Rounding out the conference accolades, Justin Rochelin was named the Best Sixth Player, coming off the bench in all 33 games for 6.7 points
> Aidan Burke is sneaky off the bench with 43/38/57 shooting marks in 13.3 minutes

UC IRVINE POSTSEASON HISTORY IN THE BIG WEST
UC Irvine has become dominant in the postseason in the Big West. The Anteaters hold an overall record of 39-38 through multiple rounds of league tournament. In the championship round, UCI holds a 2-7 record. 

ALL BIG WEST SELECTIONS
UC Irvine's starting five of Jurian Dixon, Bent Leuchten, Devin Tillis, Justin Hohn, and Myles Che each received All-Big West honors, the conference announced on Tuesday afternoon. Dixon headlined the awards as he was named the Big West's Freshman of the Year, just the seventh player in program history to win the award and first since Dawson Baker in 2021. Leuchten followed with his first career postseason award as he was named to the six man All-Big West First Team. Tillis earned a spot on the  All-Big West Second Team for his first career postseason award. Hohn and Che were selected as All-Big West Honorable Mentions to round out the Anteater accolades.

LOU HENSON AWARD FINALIST
Center Bent Leuchten has been named a finalist for the Lou Hensen Award, and honor presented annually to the top player in mid-major in college basketball. Leuchten has been a dominant force in both the offensive and defensive paint all season for UC Irvine, placing top 35 nationally in free throws (8th, 179), double-doubles (9th, 16), defensive rebounds per game (19th, 6.63), free throw attempts (20th, 217), rebounds (23rd, 290), and rebounds per game (33rd, 9.1). The center's 16 double-doubles and 9.1 rebounds per game lead the league while he lands second in blocks (42) and ninth in points per game (15.4).

NOLAN RICHARDSON AWARD FINALIST
Forward Devin Tillis has been named a finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award, and honor presented annually to a Division I player who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court. Tillis threatened with his 13.1 points per game with 20 double figure scoring performances, six of those games ending with 20 or more tallies. On defense, the Los Angeles native finished second on the squad, third in the Big West, in rebounds per game (7.6, 235 total), and finished the regular season with five double-doubles. 

ROAD WARRIORS
UC Irvine has won 14 true road games this season, setting a new school standard for road wins. The Anteaters 14 wins away from Irvine is the top mark nationally this season. Similarly, UCI is also the nation's leader in most wins away from their home court with 18 (14 road and four neutral). 

VETERAN TALENT: CAREER GAMES PLAYED IN THE BIG WEST 
In his fifth season on the court and sixth overall with the UC Irvine squad, guard Justin Hohn has played 146 career games, tied with UCI alum Jonathan Galloway (2016-20) for third in the ladder. Hohn is looking to finish in second behind graduate student Ofure Ujadughele's top mark of 153 games.

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO (FEB. 8, 2025)
UC Irvine dropped an 85-67 loss to UC San Diego at the Bren Events Center. The Tritons hit 16-31 from three-point distance (51.6) and shot 53.7 percent (29-54) from the floor overall, while the Anteaters were just 6-20 from long range and 19-49 overall (0.388). UCSD took advantage of 18 UCI turnovers, scoring 20 points. Both teams moved to 20-4 overall and were tied for first in the Big West standings with a 10-2 record. Center Bent Leuchten led UCI with 23 points, going 6-9 from the floor and 11-12 from the free throw line. Forward Devin Tillis had a game-high nine rebounds to go with 13 points, four assists, and two steals.  Guard Myles Che added 13 points, hitting three three-pointers and 4-4 from the line.

SCORING DEFENSE
Saturday's contest between UC Irvine and UC San Diego will pit together the two best defensive teams in the league. The Tritons sit atop the Big West in opponent's points per game (61.6) which is eighth in the NCAA while the Anteaters are second in the conference with a 65.9 mark standing 28th in the nation.

DEFEND THE THREE
UC Irvine, the Big West's third-best three-point defending team at a 0.336 clip, will need to clamp down on beyond the arc defense as the Tritons enter the game on Saturday with the nation's sixth best three-point pointers per game mark standing at 10.9. UC San Diego also attempts 29.7 from long-range per game which is good for 10th in the NCAA. For UCSD, Tyler McGhie ranks fifth in total three-point field goals made (111), fourth in the NCAA in both three-pointers per game (3.47), 10th in three-point attempts (279), and 49th in three-point percentage (39.8). 

SLOW YOUR ROLL
UCI enters the contest in as the nation's ninth ranked team in field goal percentage defense as they hold their opponents to a 0.391 clip from the field. UC San Diego shoots over this mark over their 33 games played, as they hold a 0.558 effective field goal clip which ranks 27th in the nation which helps power their 80.3 scoring offense (38th nationally).

WATCH YOUR HANDLE
UC San Diego enters Saturday's game as the nation's best turnover margin team (1st, 7.5) while ranking within the top 10 in steals per game (2nd, 10.2), turnovers forced per game (5th, 16.28), and turnovers committed per game (2nd, 8.8). The Tritons' Hayden Gray is first in the NCAA in both steals per game (3.25) and total steals (104).

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
The Anteaters have been sharp at the free throw line this season with 564 makes in 703 attempts and leads the Big West in free throw percentage (0.802) which is also the nation's second best shooting clip at the line. UC Irvine went a perfect 13-13 at the charity stripe on Jan. 30, their second time doing so this season (14-14 vs. Pepperdine on Nov. 16).  UCI shot a season high 33-40 from the charity stripe on Dec. 5 in the win over Cal State Bakersfield. Additionally, UC Irvine has played 18 games where opponents to just single digit makes from the line, the last versus Cal Poly (Mar. 14). In the national standings, Bent Leuchten ranks ninth in made free throws (179) and 20th in free throw attempts (217) while Myles Che is 28th in free throw percentage (0.886). 

SHARING THE BALL WELL
UC Irvine dished out 26 assists on 34 made baskets in the win over Cal Poly (Mar. 14). It is just the sixth time this season where the Anteaters have dished out 20 or more assists in a game. The 'Eaters had their best assist rate game against CSUN on Feb. 20 with 86.4 percent of their baskets assisted (19-22). UCI is second in the Big West in both assists per game (15.94) and in conference games (16.00). Justin Hohn and Myles Che are the top distributors for the 'Eaters, combining to give UCI a 20-4 record when either one of them dishes out four or more assists a game (Hohn 11-4, Che 9-0). 

EFFICIENCY IN IRVINE
Bent Leuchten is one the Big West's most efficient player with a 29.7 grade, sitting second. Leuchten ranks first in offensive rating (132.3). The center also ranks second in defensive rating (89.1), offensive box plus/minus (6.6), and overall box plus/minus (9.7) while sitting fifth in defensive box/plus minus (3.1).

FIERY ANTEATERS
In three straight contests (Mar. 6-14), UC Irvine has shot over 50 percent from the field in those contests with the highest mark happening at UC Davis at a 0.588 clip to start the streak. To extend it further, the Anteaters have converted at or above a 50.0 rate in four of their last five outings.

SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDING HEIGHTS
Senior Bent Leuchten has added another milestone onto his season as an Anteater with his 12 rebounds at UC Davis. Entering Friday's semifinal contest, Leuchten has 300 season rebounds which jumps all the way to tied third in the all-time single season rebounding ladder with Mark Nelson (1965-66). The center is 37 boards away from matching Kevin Magee (337, 1980-81) for second.  It is the first time in 43 years that an Anteater had 300 or more rebounds in a season (last was 353 in 1981-82).

CHASING 1K
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis enters Saturday's contest with 982 career points, 18 tallies away from the achievement in his UCI career, would become the 35th Anteater to accomplish this feat in a UC Irvine uniform, the third of the season to join guard Justin Hohn and center Bent Leuchten on the list. On Feb. 22 at Cal State Bakersfield, Tillis reached the 1,000 career scorers milestone, recording 1,070 tallies between his time at UNLV and UCI.

UCI HEADS TO TITLE GAME; BIG SECOND HALF SENDS 'EATERS PAST CAL POLY
UC Irvine dominated the second half in a 96-78 victory over Cal Poly in a semifinal of the Big West Championship at the Lee's Family Forum Friday. After trailing 38-39 at the half, UC Irvine out-scored the Mustangs 58-39 to earn a place in the title game Saturday. UCI was fiery in the final 20 minutes, shooting 61.8 percent from the field (21-34) and 10-11 (0.909) from the line. Center Bent Leuchten dominated the paint, leading the Anteaters with 21 points and 10 rebounds. It is his 17th double-double of the year and eighth scoring 20 or more points and 10 or more boards. The Anteaters improve to 28-5 overall after shooting 55.7 percent from the floor (34-61), including 10-20 from long range. UCI went 18-22 (0.818) from the line and out-rebounded the Mustangs 41-23.

THIS JUST-IN!
Justin Hohn is a UC Irvine squad leader with 375 total points and 11.7 points per game scoring. The graduate student has 62 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the Anteater squad, Hohn reached 1,200 career points in his seven-point outing against UC San Diego on Feb. 8. The guard leads the Anteaters in both assists (121) and steals (46).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Devin Tillis is a threat both on offense and defense for the Anteaters. The forward coverts at a high rate from the floor (161-298, 0.540) and has 21 double digit scoring games on the season. Additionally, Tillis is second on the squad in rebounds with 243 total (7.6 rpg). Tillis is second on the team with 11 career double-doubles, posting his fifth of the season versus Hawai'i on Jan. 25 (11 pts, 13 rebs).

THE GERMAN PAINTER
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post or in the paint whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the ball off the glass. The center is the team's leader off the glass, averaging 9.1 rebounds a game in 33 contests played, and paces the scoring at 15.6 points per game. Leuchten has posted double-figure scoring games in 27 games this year, the latest versus Cal Poly (Mar. 14) where he put up 21 points. The German has scored at least 10 or more points or pulled down at least 10 or more rebounds in 28 of those contests. Additionally, Leuchten's career best 15 grabs off the glass against Pepperdine and reset against Belmont are an Anteater first in the 15-19 rebounds in a game category since Collin Welp pulled down 19 on the road at LMU on Dec. 17, 2020. The center is just one of seven players who have eight or more 20 point, 10 rebound efforts this season. 

CHE-SANITY
At the top of the formation for the Anteaters, Myles Che helps lead the distribution effort with his 89 total assists. Che adds to the scoring effort with his 12.5 points per game and recorded his first double digit scoring game in an Anteater uniform at Northern Iowa on Nov. 10 with his ten points. The guard had his 21st double figure scoring effort of the season, 10 points in the Big West semifinals against Cal Poly (Mar. 14), after seeing his 13-game double figure scoring streak ended on Feb. 15. 

FITTING RIGHT IN
Redshirt freshman guard Jurian Dixon entered the UC Irvine starting lineup on Dec. 14 at Oregon State and has proved himself on both the offensive and defensive ends. The guard averages 8.9 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game in 33 contests. Dixon continues to have career performances or break through nights, his latest at UC Santa Barbara (Mar. 8) with personal bests in points (23) and made free throws (9). 

SWAT TEAM
Junior transfer Kyle Evans registered multiple blocks in three straight contests (Nov. 29-Dec. 5) and saw his six-game block streak (Jan. 11-Jan. 30) come to an end, totaling 41 over 33 contests. His 41 swats at the rim rank third in the Big West. The forward had several career performances in a few games span with his latest on Jan. 25 versus Hawai'i where he matched his career high 12 points on perfect 6-6 shooting from the floor and tied his career best four blocks.

BRICK WALL
The big men down low of Bent Leuchten, Kyle Evans, and Elijah Chol pose a threat in the defensive paint for opponents. The three trio combine to average 9.7 defensive rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. All three big men have double figure blocks on the season: Leuchten (42), Evans (41), and Chol (17). In conference contests, the trio average 9.9 defensive rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.

OLD RELIABLE
With a veteran team that has won multiple championships in the last few seasons, three UC Irvine veteran starters are averaging double figures. Bent Leuchten leads the way with 15.6, Devin Tillis behind at 13.2, and Justin Hohn next at 11.7. While not a veteran who has played their whole career at UC Irvine, Myles Che is the fourth player on the team to average double digits with 12.5 points.

1,000-POINT CLUB
Graduate student Justin Hohn etched his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 33rd Anteater to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The guard reached this milestone in the victory over Towson (Nov. 30) and has 1,292 career tallies. Hohn begins his ascent in the ranks and is 17 points away from passing Michael Hunter (1,308--2006-10) for 13th and 29 to go ahead of Adam Parada (1,320--2000-04) for 12th. Additionally, senior Bent Leuchten etched his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 34th Anteater to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The center reached this milestone in the game against CSUN (Feb. 20) and has 1,096 career tallies. Leuchten begins his ascent in the ranks, sitting at 29th, and is 41 points away from surpassing Patrick Sanders (1,136--2004-08) for 28th.

500-REBOUND MACHINES 
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis put his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 28th Anteater to reach the 500-rebound achievement. The forward reached this milestone in the win at California Baptist (Dec. 30) and has 650 career boards. Tillis continues his ascent in the ranks and 14th in the all-time rebounding list, just 20 from meeting Ben McDonald (670, 1980-84) for 13th. Additionally, senior Bent Leuchten became the 29th Anteater to pull down 500 rebounds in their UCI career. The center accomplished this feat at UC Riverside (Jan. 23) and has 624 career rebounds. Leuchten lands 15th and is 26 boards away from chasing down Tillis for 14th.

STEALING THE LEAD
Guard Justin Hohn entered the top 10 in the program for steals with five takeaways at Cal Poly (Jan. 2). He ranks tied sixth Evan Leonard (2016-20) with 143 in his career and needs three more in order to move in front of Luke Nelson (145, 2013-17) for fifth.

THREE-POINT SNIPER
Justin Hohn placed his name in the record book for the third time this season, entering the top 10 in career made three-pointers made with his three triples against Hawai'i (Jan. 25). He is tied sixth with Evan Leonard (192, 2016-20) with 192. Hohn needs nine more three-pointers to reach Jeff Herdman (201, 1987-91) for fifth.

PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 246 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 1,112, Opp. 866). The Anteaters average 33.7 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in ten games so far (Chapman--42, at Northern Iowa--48, at Weber State--44, Kennesaw State--44, at Belmont--42, at California Baptist--46, at Cal Poly--42, Cal Poly--46, UC Santa Barbara--40, at UC Santa Barbara--50).

HIGHLY EFFICIENT SHOOTING
UCI has shot over a 0.500 clip in 11 contests this season (at Northern Iowa--0.550, at Weber State--0.508, versus Kennesaw State--0.516, versus Towson--0.522, at Belmont--0.525, at California Baptist--0.500, versus Cal Poly--0.531, at Cal State Fullerton--0.500, at UC Davis--0.588, at UC Santa Barbara--0.567, and against Cal Poly--0.557). 

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2308 eligible players, Bent Leuchten is seventh in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.3), ninth in free throw rate (79.3), 25th in defensive rebound percentage (26.2), and 28th in true shooting percentage (65.5). Out of 364 teams, UC Irvine ranks second in two-point percentage defense (43.0), fourth in free throw attempt/field goal attempt defense (21.8), fourth in free throw percentage offense (80.6), tenth in effective field goal percentage defense (45.8), 12th in block percentage offense (6.9), 17th in adjusted efficiency defense (94.9), 20th in assists per field goals made (60.9), 23rd in average possession length defense (16.8), 26th in offensive rebound percentage defense (26.0), and 37th in free throw offense (22.2). 

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: scoring (9th, 15.6--Leuchten), rebounding (2nd, 9.1--Leuchten and 3rd, 7.6--Tillis), field goal percentage (4th, 0.551--Leuchten and 5th, 0.540--Tillis), free throw percentage (2nd, 0.883--Che and 6th, 0.819--Leuchten), assists (5th, 3.8--Hohn), blocks (3rd, 1.3--Leuchten and 4th, 1.2--Evans), and steals (9th, 1.4--Hohn). 

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 03.14.25
UC Irvine is ranked top 50 nationally in free throw percentage (2nd, 80.2), defensive rebounds per game (5th, 29.03), field goal percentage defense (10th, 39.3), free throws made per game (19th, 17.1), scoring margin (26th, 10.4), scoring defense (34th, 65.9), rebounds per game (41st, 38.36), rebound margin (44th, 4.7), and assists per game (45th, 15.9).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 2. The 'Eaters are the second highest ranked team in the Big West. UC San Diego tops the league at a 36 rank with the Anteaters next at 61.