The UC Irvine Men’s Basketball team (16-8, 9-3) held on late to beat the Cal Poly Mustangs (7-18, 1-12), 55-54, at the Bren Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 9.
Neither team was able to find their rhythm offensively as the game opened, leading to a frustrating grind-it-out environment.
UCI senior guard Pierre Crockrell II got the Anteaters started offensively as he dropped two dimes early to junior guard Dawson Baker and redshirt sophomore forward and UNLV transfer Devin Tillis, giving UCI a quick 4-0 lead.
Cal Poly answered immediately as junior guard Brantly Stevenson got open behind the arc and drained a three-point shot. The Mustangs were sent to the line twice going 3-4 and took the lead at 6-4.
UCI was plagued by foul trouble, putting Cal Poly in the bonus with a whopping 13:23 left in the half. The Mustangs used the bonus to seize the momentum at the line, cashing in three more free throws. This 9-0 run catapulted the Mustangs to a 9-4 lead.
Though Cal Poly took advantage of Irvine’s foul trouble, their arrogance and take fouls eventually put the Anteaters in the bonus. Both teams accumulated an astonishing 15 combined fouls in the first nine and a half minutes of the game.
Sophomore center Bent Leuchten did his best to keep UCI in the hunt as he was sent to the line twice in the first half converting all four of his free throw attempts into points.
In this particular game, the Anteaters proved that basketball is a game of runs, going on a 17-2 run led by Baker and junior guard DJ Davis to put the score at 23-15. During that stretch, Baker had eight of his 12 points hitting two three-pointers back-to-back to get the run started. Davis then picked up where Baker left off, hitting a nice floater in the lane and getting in on the three-point action with one of his own off a Crockrell II assist.
However, Cal Poly cut the lead down by halftime. Successful three-point field goals from junior combo guard Kobe Sanders and Stevenson brought the Mustangs within three points. To end the half, Cal Poly graduate point guard Nick Fleming banked in a three-point bomb at the buzzer to send the teams into break, tied at 28.
Coming out of the half, the game remained a slugfest. In a breakthrough, UCI scored the first bucket on a Tillis play. This Tillis bucket led to him ending the night scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds. Davis proceeded to score five points in rapid succession with two free throws and another Crockrell II assisted three-pointer, leaving the score at 38-30 in favor of UCI.
Crockrell II finished the night with a game high eight assists.
As they had done all night, the Mustangs cut into this lead. After a media timeout at 15:55, the Mustangs went on a 10-0 run led by graduate small forward Chance Hunter, who scored seven points on two difficult layups and a three-pointer.
Hunter finished the night as the Mustangs’ leading scorer with 13 points along with his six rebounds.
When the dust settled, UCI trailed 40-38.
In a season-long trend, Baker and Davis pulled UCI back into the game. Baker connected on two big free throws while Davis hit an incredible step back mid-range shot from the corner and again was the beneficiary of a Crockrell II assisted three putting the score in favor of UCI. However, the biggest shot of the night came from the hands of Leuchten as the big man stepped behind the arc, drilling a three that proved to be the dagger putting UCI up by five, 55-50.
Despite Leuchten’s heroics, a Stevenson fastbreak layup pulled Cal Poly to within one. Stevenson finished the night with 12 points and a game high eight rebounds.
The game came down to the final possession. UCI needed a huge stop to come away with a win on their home court. The Mustangs inbounded the ball with 26 seconds remaining in the game. UCI held their ground and were able to force not one, but two errant shots, sneaking away with a 55-54 victory.
UCI was spearheaded by a three-pronged attack consisting of regular scoring leaders Davis and Baker, as well as a surprise performance by Leuchten. Davis finished the night as UCI’s leading scorer with 16 points, though Baker was not far behind with a dozen points of his own. Additionally, freshly-cleared Leuchten made his return from injury for the first time in eight games and wasn’t expected to produce much. However, he defied expectations and put in a gritty performance, playing big down the stretch for the ‘Eaters. He notched nine points and pulled down a game high of eight rebounds, including a game-clinching three-pointer with just over a minute left.
With the win, UCI remains in second place in the Big West Standings.
Zeke Bellino is a Sports Intern for the winter 2023 quarter. He can be reached at zbellino@uci.edu.