UC Irvine Men’s Basketball (27-5, 17-3) wrapped up its regular season with a strong finish, defeating UC Santa Barbara at the Thunderdome on March 8.
With their 14th road win of the season, the Anteaters set a new record, finishing with 17 victories away from home, ranking them as the best in the nation for road wins. Their 27-win regular season is the most since their 31-6 campaign in 2018-19, when they had 27 victories before the postseason.
The game started with UC Santa Barbara taking an early 3-0 lead on a three-pointer from graduate guard Stephan Swenson. UC Irvine came up short on a few key opportunities, including a missed three-pointer and a blocked layup. UCSB capitalized on Irvine’s mistakes, extending its lead to 5-0 when senior forward Kenny Pohto hit two free throws.
Despite the slow start, the Anteaters began to claw their way back. Redshirt freshman guard Jurian Dixon knocked down two free throws to cut the lead to 5-2, and senior center Bent Leuchten followed with a layup, bringing Irvine to within one point. However, UCSB quickly widened the lead with a jumpshot and another layup, pushing the score to 9-4.
After a media timeout, Leuchten made two free throws thatUCSB countered with a quick layup. Two turnovers by UCI sophomore guard Myles Che and missed opportunities on both ends kept the game tense. Freshman guard Torian Lee’s jumpshot pulled Irvine closer at 11-8, but the Gauchos quickly stretched their lead to 16-8 with a layup and a three-pointer.
Irvine redshirt senior Devin Tillis sank a three-pointer to make it 18-13, followed by another layup from Leuchten that brought the score to 18-15. Despite the effort, UC Irvine’s offense struggled to find its rhythm, and UCSB took advantage, pushing its lead to 23-15 with six minutes remaining in the first half after a layup from graduate guard Deuce Turner. The Gauchos kept their momentum going, extending the lead to 28-15 after a three-pointer and another layup from Swenson.
Irvine briefly responded with a layup from Tillis to make it 31-17, but UCSB answered right back with a three-pointer, stretching their lead to 34-17. UC Irvine’s shooting struggles continued as the Gauchos’ defense limited their opportunities. However, as the half wound down, Irvine picked up the pace. Graduate guard Ofure Ujadughele made two free throws. Junior forward Kyle Evans made a layup and Che hit a jumper, bringing the score to 34-25.
Santa Barbara refused to back down, hitting two three-pointers in the final minutes of the half to lead 43-27. Tillis fired back with a three-pointer in the final seconds but UCSB still held a 43-30 lead at halftime.
The Gauchos opened the second half with a quick miss by Swenson but Irvine’s graduate guard Justin Hohn capitalized on the rebound, scoring a quick layup to make it 43-32. However, Dixon committed two quick fouls in the early minutes, disrupting Irvine’s rhythm.
Despite missing several shots, UC Irvine managed to keep pace with a layup by Tillis, slowly closing the gap to 45-34. The Anteaters seemed to be finding a better offensive flow but UC Santa Barbara remained a tough opponent. Hohn hit a clutch three-pointer at the 16-minute mark, bringing the score to 45-39 and cutting Irvine’s deficit to just six points.
The game picked up speed as both teams traded points. UC Irvine continued closing the gap and after a fast-break layup by Evans, the score was 48-41 in favor of UCSB. Moments later, Evans threw down a dunk to make it 48-44 and a three-pointer from Dixon pulled the Anteaters within four at 51-47.
The Gauchos responded quickly, maintaining their lead with sharp shooting from redshirt sophomore forward Colin Smith. However, Irvine’s defense stayed aggressive, forcing turnovers. Both teams matched each other’s energy with UCSB maintaining a short but firm lead. A layup from Leuchten and another from Tillis at the 10-minute mark helped mount Irvine’s comeback.
In the final minutes, UC Irvine pushed hard. Lee and Dixon made multiple free throws and layups, sparking a surge. A layup by Hohn cut UCSB’s lead to 77-76 with just over five minutes remaining. A foul led to a fast-break free throw by Dixon, giving UC Irvine an 83-77 lead with just three minutes on the clock. UC Santa Barbara’s late three-point shooting kept it in the game.
In the final stretch, the Anteaters managed to stay ahead. Dixon’s strong performance at the free-throw line secured the victory as UC Irvine overcame its halftime deficit to finish strong with a 97-88 win.
With their regular season wrapped up, UC Irvine is set to compete in the Big West Tournament and make a strong push for the championship. The Anteaters will face either Cal Poly or UC Riverside on March 14 in Henderson, Nevada in a nationally televised game on ESPN2.
Abigail Park is a Sports Staff Writer. She can be reached at appark@uci.edu.
Edited by Jack Fedor and Jaheem Conley.