RV UC Irvine Men’s Basketball (17-2, 7-0) dominated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (6-14, 0-8), 101-71, at the Bren Events Center on Jan. 18, extending their win streak to seven games and remaining undefeated in conference play. With the win, UCI set a program record with 20 consecutive home wins.
Despite the Anteaters narrowly winning in overtime in their Jan. 2 matchup, Irvine was heavily favored heading into the second matchup of the season. However, it was Cal Poly who struck first, scoring early from behind the arc. The Mustangs’ first 12 points came from threes, with two scored by graduate point guard Jarred Hyder.
Cal Poly’s offensive game plan clearly relied heavily on three-point shooting, but UC Irvine stayed composed and converted off the long-range misses from Slo. A concerted effort from the Anteaters shrunk the lead, helped by six points from senior center Bent Leuchten — the team’s first points.
After Irvine cut the lead to four points at 18-14, Cal Poly senior guard Isaac Jessup sank a three. UCI freshman guard Torian Lee immediately answered with a step-back three on the other end. While running back on defense, a hard collision between UCI redshirt freshman guard Jurian Dixon and Cal Poly graduate guard/forward Owen Koonce led to a large scuffle between the teams, delaying the game. Cal Poly head coach Mike DeGeorge crossed into the UC Irvine bench area, which upset UCI head coach Russell Turner. Both head coaches had to be separated after a verbal confrontation. A flagrant foul was called on Dixon, and both coaches received technical fouls.
After the delay, Irvine came out scorching hot. Junior forward Kyle Evans ignited the team with a huge block on a reverse layup attempt that got the home crowd roaring. The Anteaters went on a 19-5 run to take their first and only lead of the game, as Irvine never trailed again. UCI redshirt senior forward Devin Tillis was the difference maker, scoring 10 points during the run, including a deep three-pointer that gave Irvine the lead. The ‘Eaters led 45-35 at the end of the first half.
From there, it was smooth sailing for the Anteaters. The team opened the second half with a 10-0 run, including three-pointers from Tillis and sophomore guard Myles Che. Five minutes into the half, Che delivered a highlight play, snagging a rebound and dribbling coast-to-coast before firing a behind-the-back assist for a layup — just one of a few no-look assists from Che on the night.
UC Irvine stayed hot until the final buzzer, winning by a comfortable 30-point margin, 101-71. It was the Anteaters’ highest-scoring game of the season, in part due to their high percentage clip from the three-point line. UCI shot 43% from behind the arc, compared to Slo’s 36%. All five of UCI’s starters scored in double digits, led by Tillis with 21 points. Dixon and Leuchten added 15 each, graduate guard Justin Hohn contributed 11 and Che scored 10 while leading the team in assists with six.
Two days after Irvine’s victory against Cal Poly, it was announced that the Anteaters received votes in the AP Men’s Basketball Poll for the fourth time this season.
UC Irvine looks to continue its undefeated conference streak when it visits UC Riverside on Jan. 23.
Jordan Hum is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at jrhum@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Jaheem Conley.