IRVINE, Calif. – UC San Diego senior Hugh Baxter scored a career-high 28 and senior Mikey Howell dished out eight assists, but it wasn't enough as host UC Irvine rallied for a 75-64 win inside Bren Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Tritons are 5-10 overall (2-8 vs. Big West schedule) while UC Irvine is 14-8.
 
The game got off to a fast start, with the score 8-8 at the 15:27 mark. UC San Diego went on a 7-0 run to pull ahead 13-8 with 11:50 left in the first.
 
The Anteaters hung around, but the Tritons remained on top. UC San Diego built its largest lead of the half, 26-18, when Howell found Baxter who knocked down a three with 3:10 left in the half.
 
Despite a three-pointer at the buzzer for UCI, the Tritons led 28-23 at the half.
 
Baxter led all scorers with nine first half points. Bryce Pope added five, and Toni Rocak grabbed seven rebounds in nine minutes off the bench.
 
The Tritons limited the Anteaters to just 36% shooting in the first half, and points in the paint were even at 12 apiece.
 
In the second half, the Tritons showed why they are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country. UC San Diego hit four of its first six tries from beyond the arc, building a 40-28 lead with 15:33 left.
 
The defending Big West champs answered with an 11-2 spurt, closing to within three, 42-39, with 11:50 remaining.
 

Bryce Pope and-one! ?? pic.twitter.com/T1F3tzcpQr

— UC San Diego Men's Hoops (@UCSDmbb) February 28, 2021

With a steal and layup, UC Irvine took its first lead (53-51, 5:06 left) since leading 8-7 less than five minutes into the contest.
 
Baxter knocked down a three to draw the Tritons to within one, 55-54, with 3:40 to go, but the Anteaters hung on for the win.
 
Baxter posted his career-high 28 points on a personal-best 10 field goals, including five three-pointers – which also matched his career high. Howell finished with eight points and eight assists, Pope scored 10, and Rocak grabbed nine boards.
 
QUOTABLE


TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego came into Saturday game leading the Big West and ranking fifth nationally in three-pointers with 10.7 per game. The Tritons hit 12 on Saturday.
• With eight helpers on Saturday, Mikey Howell moved into second place in career assists all-time at UC San Diego. He now has 475.
• 59 of UC San Diego's 64 points came from the starting lineup. Yesterday, the Tritons' bench scored 29.
• With the victory, the Anteaters improved to 10-1 at home this season.

UP NEXT
The Tritons return to RIMAC Arena to wrap up the season with a pair of games against Cal State Fullerton on March 5-6. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. PT each day and both games will air live on ESPN3.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDTritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
 
Return To Sport…Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.