UC Irvine Dominates Cal State LA, 94-58, in Exhibition

Tuesday, October 27

Irvine, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

UC Irvine

0-0,0-0Big West

Cal State LA

0-0,0-0CCAA

Team	1	2	F
Cal State LA	29	29	58
UC Irvine	42	52	94

October 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Jester Jr. leads five Anteaters in double figures as UCI closes preseason with dominant home victory

IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine men's basketball closed out its exhibition slate with a commanding 94-58 victory over Cal State LA Tuesday evening at the Bren Events Center.

Jovan Jester Jr. led the Anteaters with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Olivier Rioux added 13 points and eight rebounds. Bryce Goldman contributed 11 points and seven rebounds, while Josiah Johnson and Mason Hodges chipped in 10 points apiece.

The Anteaters shot 50 percent (35-70) from the field and dominated inside, outscoring the Golden Eagles 52-22 in the paint. UCI also held a commanding 55-31 advantage on the glass and recorded eight blocks.

After a sluggish offensive start, UC Irvine found its rhythm midway through the opening half and never looked back, turning a four-point deficit into a 13-point halftime advantage before outscoring Cal State LA 52-29 in the second period.

Jester Jr. opened the scoring with a driving layup just 47 seconds into the contest, but the Anteaters struggled to find their offense early. Goldman knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing to even the score at 7-7 before Cal State LA built a 13-9 advantage with 14:30 remaining.

Johnson sparked the Anteaters with a driving layup in the paint before Rioux finished at the rim off a feed from Nils Cooper to give UCI a 14-13 lead. Torian Lee followed with a three-pointer from the left corner to cap an 8-0 run and push the advantage to 17-13.

The Golden Eagles pulled within one, 17-16, before Jester Jr. answered with a three-pointer from the left side. The guard continued to provide an offensive spark, adding a driving layup in transition as UCI began to pull away.

Nes Emeneke brought energy on both ends of the floor, throwing down a dunk before recording three first-half blocks. Hodges added a putback layup as the Anteaters stretched their advantage to double digits.
Jester Jr. finished the opening period with a team-high 13 points, while Emeneke anchored a defensive effort that limited Cal State LA to 29.7 percent shooting in the first half.

The Anteaters continued to build momentum down the stretch as Cooper converted a driving layup and Rioux finished a powerful dunk through contact, completing the three-point play to give UCI its largest lead of the half at 42-27.

Cal State LA added a late basket as the Anteaters entered the break with a 42-29 advantage.

UC Irvine wasted little time extending its lead after halftime. Jester Jr. opened the second period with a pull-up jumper before Rioux took over in the paint, scoring eight of the Anteaters' first 10 points of the half.
The 7-foot-9 center connected on a dunk and a pair of turnaround jumpers, reaching double figures as UCI extended its advantage to 52-34.

Johnson followed with a fast-break dunk that forced a Cal State LA timeout before knocking down a three-pointer from the left wing. Cooper added a dunk, and Lee connected from beyond the arc as the Anteaters continued to widen the margin.

With UCI firmly in control, Hodges provided another offensive spark, knocking down consecutive three-pointers in the second half. The forward finished a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and added five rebounds.

The Anteaters continued to attack the basket down the stretch, highlighted by dunks from Cooper and Emeneke, while Parker Spees added a second-chance jumper and Hodges capped his performance with another putback.

UCI finished the night with 40 points off the bench and 15 second-chance points, leading by as many as 36 before securing the 94-58 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Jovan Jester Jr. led all Anteaters with 17 points, shooting 70 percent (7-10) from the field, while adding three rebounds.
Olivier Rioux finished with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, eight rebounds and two blocks in just over 14 minutes.
Bryce Goldman recorded 11 points and seven rebounds in his Anteater debut.
Josiah Johnson scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting and dished out three assists.
Mason Hodges added 10 points, five rebounds and went 2-of-2 on three-pointers.
Tama Isaac distributed a game-high seven assists.
Nes Emeneke anchored the defensive effort with four blocks, six points and six rebounds.
UC Irvine outrebounded Cal State LA 55-31, including 18 offensive boards.
The Anteaters outscored the Golden Eagles 52-22 in the paint and 40-19 in bench production.
UCI shot 53.8 percent (21-39) in the second half while holding Cal State LA to 34.8 percent (8-23).
All 14 Anteaters who entered the contest saw action, with 11 players scoring.