The UC Irvine Men’s Basketball team defeated Vanguard University 81-58 in an exhibition game at the Bren Events Center on Oct. 30.
Vanguard — a program still working toward full NCAA Division II status — started strong, sprinting out to an early lead against UCI. After UCI redshirt senior forward Devin Tillis started the night with a tip-in layup off his own miss, Vanguard outscored UCI 14-5 over the first seven minutes. Propelled mostly by senior guard Anthony Tello, who scored six of Vanguard’s first eight points and recorded two steals that led to transition scores, the Lions built a 14-7 lead midway through the first half.
However, after the Lions built a seven-point lead, their offense went cold, allowing UCI to take control.
After some early offensive struggles — due in large part to Vanguard’s aggressive approach to fighting over the top of ball screens — UCI settled in and went on a 14-0 run. Buckets from sophomore guard Myles Che, redshirt sophomore center Elijah Chol, redshirt freshman Jurian Dixon, graduate guard Justin Hohn and senior center Bent Leuchten resulted in a 21-14 Anteater lead.
Vanguard eventually stopped the bleeding with a jumper from senior forward Jadyn Johnson, bringing the score to 21-16 with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
After an extended scoring drought from both teams, UCI freshman guard Torian Lee grabbed a rebound, went coast to coast and drew a shooting foul on Vanguard sophomore guard Carson Frawley. Lee would hit both free throws, sparking an 8-2 Anteater run.
UCI closed the first half with a Tillis dump-off pass to Leuchten in the dunker’s spot for a slam, extending the Anteaters’ lead to 38-25.
The ‘Eaters controlled the second half as well, fighting off another strong start from Vanguard with back-to-back layups from Leuchten and Hohn, respectively. UCI continued to extend their lead, with Dixon making another three on an assist from Hohn.
UCI continued to string stops together in the second half and got out on the break as a result, outscoring Vanguard 13-3 in transition overall.
The ‘Eaters maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, with a couple of highlight plays made by Che — including a no-look pass to Hohn for a layup and a couple of three-pointers that extended UCI’s lead.
Keeping Vanguard at bay in the final minutes, UCI capped off the night with a fast-break layup from Dixon and a three from freshman guard Tishan Ahir — marking the first points of the California native’s collegiate career.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with UCI shooting 26.1% from deep and Vanguard shooting 21.7%. Hohn and Dixon led all scorers with 14 points each.
Dixon, who redshirted during the 2023-2024 season to preserve a year of NCAA eligibility, shared his growth in an interview with UCI Athletics.
“During the offseason, I worked on my body a lot, mindset and my visual game were the main things I did to try and adapt more at this level,” the San Diego native said.
Both defenses went into full-court presses intermittently, but it was the Anteaters who got the best of Vanguard when converting off of turnovers, outscoring the Lions 15-6.
After the game, UCI head coach Russell Turner spoke about the identity of the Anteaters for this upcoming season.
“We know we’re going to be a good defensive team,” Turner said in an interview with New University. “[Vanguard] gave us a lot of open rhythm three-point shots, and we didn’t make a great percentage of those, but I think we will [eventually]. The strength of this team is going to be our balance.”
UCI opens non-conference play against Division III Chapman University at the Bren Events Center on Nov. 4.
Jacob Ramos is a 2024-2025 Managing Editor. He can be reached at jacobtr@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor and Jaheem Conley.