Anteaters Overpower Lincoln, 90-40, Remain Unbeaten

Wednesday, November 11

Irvine, Calif.

7:00 p.m.

UC Irvine

3-0,0-0Big West

Lincoln University CA

0-4

Team	1	2	F
Lincoln (CA)	21	19	40
UC Irvine	49	41	90

November 11, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

UC Irvine opens with 19 unanswered points, grabs 71 rebounds in third straight victory

IRVINE, Calif. – UC Irvine scored the first 19 points and controlled the glass from start to finish, rolling to a 90-40 victory over Lincoln Wednesday night at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters improved to 3-0 behind a balanced offensive effort and a defense that limited the Oaklanders to 21.7 percent shooting. UCI finished with a 71-29 rebounding advantage, collecting 27 offensive boards and outscoring Lincoln, 22-0, in second-chance points.

Jovan Jester Jr. led four Anteaters in double figures with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding four rebounds in 14 minutes. Torian Lee contributed 13 points off the bench, while Tama Isaac and Josiah Johnson finished with 11 apiece.

Olivier Rioux anchored the rebounding effort with 13 boards in just over 11 minutes, including 5 on the offensive end. Parker Spees added 10 rebounds, eight offensive, as the Anteaters used their size and depth to build a lead that reached 50 points.

UCI received 49 points from its bench and played 15 Anteaters, with 13 scoring. No player logged more than 21 minutes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine established its presence inside on the opening possession. Rioux extended the trip with an offensive rebound before Nils Cooper scored on a driving layup. Langston Redfield followed with a three-pointer, and Jester took over from there, scoring eight points during the opening surge.

The Anteaters paired that offensive start with a defense that kept Lincoln scoreless for the first five minutes. Isaac capped the 19-0 run with a driving layup while Rioux collected six rebounds before the first round of substitutions.

Lincoln broke through with a three-pointer and eventually pulled within 25-11, but UCI answered with eight straight points. Lee knocked down a triple, Mason Hodges finished a layup and Johnson added a free throw and jumper to push the advantage to 33-11.

The Anteaters continued to generate offense throughout their rotation. Lee connected on his second three-pointer of the half, Johnson turned a steal into a dunk and Bryce Goldman finished inside before Joshua Palmer buried a late triple to send UCI into the break ahead, 49-21.

Jester scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the opening half, while the Anteaters shot 51.2 percent and held Lincoln to 6-of-30 from the field. UCI allowed just one basket inside the arc during the first 20 minutes.

After Lincoln scored the first five points of the second half, UC Irvine responded with an 11-0 run. Isaac started the stretch with a three-pointer, Rioux followed with a putback dunk and Jester converted another second-chance opportunity. Baskets from Rioux and Redfield extended the lead to 60-26 with 15 minutes left in the second half.

The Anteaters maintained their defensive pressure as the rotation expanded. Following a Lincoln triple, UCI held the Oaklanders scoreless for more than eight minutes and scored 15 unanswered points. Lee completed a three-point play, Palmer added two free throws and Luke Isaak and Cooper connected from beyond the arc before a Hodges putback made it 81-34.

Isaak added another triple down the stretch, and Spees continued to create extra possessions on the offensive glass. Johnson's dunk pushed the margin to 50 in the final minute before Tishan Ahir scored the Anteaters' final basket.

NOTES

UC Irvine outscored Lincoln, 50-10, in the paint.
The Anteaters shot 42.4 percent (36-of-85) from the field and 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from three-point range.
Lincoln finished 13-of-60 from the field and 7-of-33 from beyond the arc.
Isaac went 5-of-7 from the floor and added 2 assists and 1 block.
Lee shot 5-of-9, including 2-of-6 from three-point range, and collected three rebounds.
Johnson contributed three rebounds, two assists and one steal without a turnover.
Hodges grabbed seven rebounds, while Isaak finished with six points and six boards.
Nes Emeneke recorded five rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
Palmer contributed five points, five rebounds, two steals and one block.

UP NEXT
UC Irvine travels to Stanford Tuesday, Nov. 17, for its first road game of the regular season.