The UC Irvine Anteaters (12-8, 8-4) took on the Cal State Fullerton Titans (6-7, 5-7) in Fullerton, California to conclude their two-game series against their Big West Conference rival on Feb. 20.
Unlike most of UCI’s conference games, the Anteaters showed signs of starting out stronger and quicker against the Titans.
UCI senior forward Collin Welp opened the scoring with a three-pointer just two minutes into the game. Welp scored another jumper and drew a foul to put him at the line for an opportunity to tack on another point. He drained the freethrow which marked his one thousandth career point and gave the Anteaters a 6-0 lead.
The Titans came back with good offensive possessions of their own. They moved the ball around the perimeter that led to an open senior forward, Johnny Wang, hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 13-13 with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half.
As the first half continued, Fullerton had the upper edge on the defensive side of the floor. The Titans closed in against Anteater senior center Brad Greene in the paint and prevented UCI’s guards from finding an open shot on the perimeter. UCI struggled to convert to the play and started to settle for deeper and contested jumpers.
Despite an explosive offensive start, both teams had scoring droughts in the first half’s closing minutes.
The score was within a two-point margin for over a 10 minute stretch, showcasing the back and forth nature of the game. UCI sophomore guard Isaiah Lee hit a corner three to put the Anteaters up by three — an extremely energizing shot. UCI took a five-point lead with two minutes remaining before Fullerton came screaming back, cutting the lead to one. UCI led the Titans 30-29 at the end of the first half.
The Anteaters came out strong to start the second half. Their offense flowed through the strong energy and movement across the floor. Greene controlled the paint and freshman guard Dawson Baker stretched the floor with his shooting. Welp continued to lead the Anteaters offensively and finished with 21 points, leading all scorers. UCI eventually stretched their lead up to 10 with just over 15 minutes remaining, 43-33.
Fullerton answered with an equal run of their own to take the lead 52-50 with just 10 minutes left. A scoring lull for both teams kept the game close as it approached the witching hour.
The Titans hit back-to-back three-pointers to put themselves up by six points with six minutes remaining. Fullerton managed to keep UCI from coming back until a minute remaining, when Greene hit both free throws, cutting the Titans’ lead to just one point. Fullerton hit two more free throws. Irvine’s Baker drove into the lane and missed a floater; however, Welp regained possession and missed his own five-footer. Greene was in a great position and grabbed another offensive rebound before converting down low, though the referees saw too much contact and called an offensive foul. This possession was a crucial deciding factor in the game, as it wiped out two Anteater points and turned the ball over.
In the final stretch, CSUF led by three points and UCI had one possession to tie it. With just under nine seconds remaining, Baker danced his way up the court to pull up from three-point range. The ball knocked off of the rim and found Lee, who saved it and quickly dealt it to Greene. Greene immediately found Welp, who put up a desperation three. The shot rimmed off as time expired. The Titans stole a victory, 67-64, defending their home court and splitting the season series.
UCI falls to 8-4 in conference play while CSU Fullerton improves to 5-7. The Anteaters still stand in a strong spot to make a push in the Big West tournament, sitting only behind the UCSB Gauchos at 9-2. The Anteaters look to regroup for their two-game stand against the UCSD Tritons at the Bren Events Center on Feb. 26-27.
Matthew Zeko is a Sports Intern for the 2021 Winter Quarter. He can be reached at mzeko@uci.edu.
