IRVINE, Calif. – Three Tritons finished in double figures, but host UC Irvine rallied for a 76-65 victory in a battle of Big West unbeatens Thursday night in front of 3,108 at Bren Events Center.
 
Junior Francis Nwaokorie led the Tritons with 17 points and seven rebounds, but UC San Diego (11-7 overall, 5-1 Big West) shot just 32% after halftime as the team's season-best five-game win streak was snapped.
 
Andre Henry scored a career-high 18 for UC Irvine (13-5, 6-0) as the Anteaters moved into sole possession of first place atop The Big West standings. UC Irvine improved to 7-0 at home with the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego led for much of the first half, thanks to strong play inside. The Tritons scored 18 points in the paint and outrebounded the Anteaters, 20-12, over the first 20 minutes to take a slim 33-32 lead into halftime. Nwaokorie had a strong opening period, scoring 15 points and grabbing five boards.
 
The Tritons led for nearly 14 minutes in the first half, but never built a lead greater than seven (21-14) as the Anteaters hung around. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored seven for the Tritons. Both teams were limited to 12-of-28 shooting (42.9%), though UC Irvine hit six three-pointers to just three for the Tritons.
 
After being limited to two first half points, J'Raan Brooks knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to put the Tritons up 39-37. A short time later, UC Irvine used a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the night, 50-45, with 12:40 left. The Tritons went scoreless for better than three minutes but remained within striking distance down five.
 
A three-pointer from UCI's Henry and a pair of free throws gave the Anteaters a 65-56 lead – the largest lead of the game for either team – with less than four minutes left.
 
UC San Diego buckled down defensively, but the Tritons hit just two of their final 12 field goal attempts as UC Irvine earned the win.
 
QUOTABLE
"I thought we really competed well for stretches of the game, and, ultimately, I thought in the second half they made a few more plays," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "They hit some big shots down the stretch and that was the difference."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego fell to 9-3 when leading at halftime.
• The 65 points scored by the Tritons are the team's fewest in a Big West game this season.
• UC San Diego is 6-3 when outrebounding their opponents this season.
• Point guard Hayden Gray matched his season high with six rebounds.
• UC San Diego entered Thursday's game with an NCAA NET ranking of 114 – second highest in The Big West.
• UC San Diego's starting lineup consisted of Hayden Gray, Bryce Pope, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Francis Nwaokorie, and J'Raan Brooks for the 18th consecutive game.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to LionTree Arena Saturday to host Hawai'i Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. on UC San Diego Health Day. Tickets can be purchased through Triton Box Office and the game will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT Radio with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.