The UC Irvine Men’s Basketball team (17-8, 10-3) defeated the UC Riverside Highlanders (16-10, 9-5) 83-64 to cap off a festive Homecoming night at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Junior guard Dawson Baker led the Anteaters with 23 points, while senior guard Pierre Crockrell II finished off the night with a career-high 11 assists.
Crockrell started off the night hot with two straight buckets in the paint, then he made his first assist with an excellent dish to redshirt sophomore forward Devin Tillis.
The lead man for UC Riverside was freshman forward Lachlan Olbrich, who led the Highlanders with 22 points. However, despite his efforts, the Anteaters got a lead with distance through buckets from Baker and junior guard DJ Davis.
Baker started to take over as he scored three straight buckets – a pull-up jumper, a layup in transition off a steal and a floater assisted once again by Crockrell. The main issue for the Anteaters was rebounding, as the Highlanders recorded 14 offensive rebounds, resulting in 11 second-chance points.
Olbrich kept UCR in punching distance with another offensive rebound, then drained a three-pointer at the top of the key, to cut the UCI lead to 25-16.
The Crockrell passing exhibit continued, pulling off an amazing behind-the-back pass for an easy two for redshirt freshman forward Akiva McBirney-Griffin. Crockrell then pulled another great pass out of his bag, this time for a Davis corner three.
Redshirt junior guard Justin Hohn made an instant impact off the bench, scoring three straight baskets to extend the ‘Eater lead to 33-21. Davis then showed off some dribbling skill with a spin to create separation, followed by a successful floater.
Sophomore center Bent Leuchten made his presence known with an offensive board and putback. UCI went into the half with a 38-27 lead.
UCI pulled away quickly in the second half, garnering a lead that UCR couldn’t contest. A Leuchten layup followed by a great defense led to a Davis three-pointer in transition.
The Anteaters were getting high-percentage shots due to great passing, mainly attributed to Crockrell.
UCR had no answer for Baker and Davis, as the duo combined for eight straight points, giving UCI a 56-36 lead. Crockrell then decided it was his time to score, as he crossed up sophomore forward Vladimer Salaridze for a quick layup. The loud crowd in the Bren Events Center played a big role, as the Highlanders shot a poor 14-23 from the free throw line.
UCI kept the pressure late into the game, getting to the line 10 times in the second half, sinking eight of those opportunities. The last five minutes were an easy street for the ‘Eaters, as they went on to win the game 83-64.
The win moves the ‘Eaters to 10-3 and second place in Big West conference play, and they will travel to face the top seeded UCSB Gauchos at the Thunderdome at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Miguel Rodriguez is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at miguer9@uci.edu.
