The UC Irvine Men’s Basketball team (19-7, 12-2) defeated the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (10-16, 5-10) 77-71 in a rematch at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 17. The two teams faced off prior on Dec. 30, in which the Anteaters routed the Roadrunners 75-56.
The Anteaters were looking to respond after a disappointing outing last Saturday against UC Riverside, where they fell 78-88. Head coach Russell Turner’s ‘Eaters came out the gate aggressive, looking to apply full-court pressure and make the ‘Runners work to get into their sets. This pressure succeeded early on, with the ‘Eaters taking a quick 6-0 lead.
Senior guard Andre Henry got UCI on the board, capitalizing off a backdoor pass from fifth year guard Pierre Crockrell II and getting to the line. He sank both free throws and the Anteaters immediately sprung into their patented full-court press.
On the defensive side, junior center Bent Leuchten controlled the paint, sending a shot away which led to a Crockrell II full-court dime to redshirt senior guard Justin Hohn. CSU Bakersfield had a tough time adjusting to the pressure Irvine applied, struggling to work the ball into the post area.
An unexpected source of buckets benefited the visitors early on, as redshirt freshman guard Kareem Watson came off the bench and immediately hit two mid-range jumpers. The two outstanding freshmen for UCI, guard Derin Saran and forward Carter Welling, shifted the energy in favor of the ‘Eaters. Welling attacked the basket hard, drawing a foul off a Crockrell II entry pass. After missing the first free throw and making the second, Welling showcased his tremendous ability as a rim protector, sending away a Bakersfield basket at the cup.
On the next possession down, the Crockrell II and Welling pick-and-roll game went to work once more, with the freshman drawing another pair of free throws after capitalizing on the defensive breakdown that Crockrell II created.
With UCI looking like they were about to pull away, the Roadrunners responded. Senior guard Kaleb Higgins kept them in the game with a spin move into a mid-range pull-up jumper. Watson continued his hot start, converting another mid-range to put him at six points for the half. Bakersfield’s 10-2 run cut the Irvine lead to 18-14.
The scoring prowess of Higgins was on full display as he leveraged his shooting ability into a beautiful floater. Redshirt freshman guard/forward Jaden Alexander continued the Roadrunner run, as his explosive transition layup forced a timeout from the ‘Eaters.
CSU Bakersfield made it an emphasis to feed junior forward Fidelis Okereke throughout the game. Leuchten defended these actions well, deflecting the ball off an Okereke post up which led to a Henry transition basket. Leuchten was active on the defensive end throughout the game, finishing the contest with four steals and three blocks.
The visitors elected to go into a 2-3 zone, leading to a couple tough possessions for the home team. Redshirt junior forward Modestas Kancleris provided a scoring punch off the bench for head coach Rod Barnes’ ‘Runners, converting five quick points to end the half. With both teams struggling to score, the half ended with the Anteaters clinging onto a 39-33 lead.
To start the second half, the ‘Eaters went into their bread and butter, the Crockrell II and Leuchten two-man game. Crockrell II delivered a no-look to Leuchten, who finished through contact. Leuchten finished the contest as the Anteaters’ leading scorer, supplying 14 points to help his team.
CSUB sophomore guard/forward Corey Stephenson responded, taking what the defense gave him and hitting the open mid-range jumpshot. The baseline out-of-bounds action worked once more for the Roadrunners, with redshirt senior guard Cameron Wilbon connecting on a basket off the glass.
Some chirping from both sides later resulted in a double technical foul for Stephenson and UCI redshirt junior forward Devin Tillis, who quickly stood up for his teammate.
With both teams fired up, Higgins decided to join in with a two-dribble pull-up jumper over the outstretched hands of Crockrell II quieted the crowd. After a defensive rebound, the ball found itself in the hands of Higgins once again, who pulled back with a behind-the-back dribble and sank it over the Crockrell II contest.
The back-to-back Higgins baskets cut the UCI lead to 47-43. An ‘Eaters miss resulted in a Kancleris floater. Wilbon drew a foul on a shot attempt and hit both free throws, tying the game for the first time since the opening tip.
The ever-resilient Anteaters responded, much like in the first half. Welling generated a basket on a floater of his own, to which Bakersfield responded with another Kancleris counter in the key.
It was then the momentum of the game shifted, as fifth-year forward Dean Keeler and redshirt senior guard Ofure Ujadughele provided a huge boost off the bench for a team desperate for a spark. Keeler capitalized off his own miss for two offensive rebounds which ended in him getting sent to the charity stripe. He connected on both free throws, ending the second half going 4-4 from the line.
The game became a tale of free throws and rebounding with both teams in the bonus and the game tightly contested. UC Irvine finished the night 30-35 from the charity stripe, with CSU Bakersfield shooting 17-21 from the free-throw line respectively. Irvine edged out the visitors on the glass 29-28, responding in the second half after CSUB outrebounded them 16-11 in the first half.
Just as the Anteaters appeared to have the game in the bag, CSU Bakersfield clawed their way back again. Stephenson hit another mid-range jumper to chip into the ‘Eater lead. Tillis continued the theme of offensive rebounds, grabbing one and resetting the offense. The inevitable Crockrell II and Leuchten two-man game struck again, with the Crockrell II pocket pass resulting in an easy layup.
With the Anteaters struggling to hold on to their six-point lead, it was up to Henry to deliver in the clutch. The ‘Eaters worked the ball around until Tillis dished it out to Henry, who strung in the huge corner three to push the lead to nine and force a timeout from Bakersfield.
After that dagger three, the game was all but decided. UC Irvine fended off the feisty Roadrunners, winning the game 77-71.
Henry emphasized the importance of team basketball after the game in an interview with the New University.
“No conference game is going to be easy,” Henry said in an interview with the New University. “We have a target on our back, so we are gonna get everyone’s best shot.”
Henry went on to reflect on the three that sealed the game.
“Everyone loves being in those moments,” Henry said. “It felt good to see the ball go through the net and know that that was the dagger.”
Adding the dub to the win column, UC Irvine still sits on top of the Big West conference at 12-2 and remains undefeated (10-0) on their home floor. Up next, the Anteaters will play the first of two nationally televised games this season, facing off against UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
Jaden Hunter is a Sports Intern for the winter 2024 quarter. He can be reached at jadenh2@uci.edu.
Edited by James Huston, Jeannette Wallis and Laiyla Santillan