IRVINE — Jurian Dixon starred at both ends of the court on Saturday night as UC Irvine earned its first Division I win of the season.
Dixon tied his career-high with 23 points and played lockdown defense to lead UCI to a 79-70 victory over Weber State at the Bren Events Center. The Wildcats used an 8-0 run to get within 70-62 with 1:55 left, but Derin Saran scored UCI’s last eight points, going 6 for 6 from the free-throw line, to secure the win.
“It feels like we needed a win against a Division I team after having only the non-DI wins (routs of Bethesda and Lincoln) at this point and having a really disappointing performance against Cal Baptist,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “We showed signs of improvement tonight, especially on the boards. We know we have to give ourselves a chance every night with our ability to defend and rebound. I was pleased that we rebounded well against a team that has been a good rebounding team itself.”
Dixon, a sophomore, shot 7 for 13 from the field (2 for 4 from 3-point range) and 7 for 8 from the free-throw line to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“I just was trying to play through my teammates, play together, and I felt like that’s what opened up the lead,” Dixon said. “I tried to start out aggressive. I feel like a couple of us did that and that’s what helped us. So it was a team effort.”
Turner praised Dixon’s focus on a night when UCI held Weber State to 35.2% shooting from the field and 3 for 17 from 3-point range while blocking nine shots.
“I thought [Dixon] was controlled. He was smart. He looked like a veteran out there on offense, but I thought he was dominant defensively in a matchup that was really the most important one for us in this game,” Turner said. “We know that he can be a shutdown defender. I think we’ve got multiple guys who can do some version of that when they’re locked in and focused, but I thought his focus was consistent tonight.”
Saran finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Tama Isaac added 14 points and nine rebounds for the Anteaters (3-1). Akiva McBirney-Griffin contributed eight points, five rebounds and four assists, while Harrison Carrington scored seven points and Kyle Evans had six points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
Edwin Suarez paced Weber State (1-3) with 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Trevor Henning added 11 points and six rebounds, while Viljami Vartiainen finished with 10 points and two steals.
UCI shot 44.6% from the field (25 for 56) and 68.4% from the free-throw line (26 for 38) and outrebounded Weber State 44-41 in a battle of two of the nation’s best rebounding teams.
Dixon scored 18 points in the first half, helping UCI open a 41-32 lead by the break. He picked up where he left off in the second, hitting a pull-up jumper to start the scoring then following an Evans block with a 3-pointer in transition to cap a 7-1 UCI run.
A Carrington dunk off a pass from Jovan Jester Jr. extended the Anteaters’ lead to 58-41 with 11:57 left. A Saran pull-up jumper gave UCI a 64-50 lead with 7:25 left, before Weber State hit a 3-pointer, a layup and three free consecutive free throws to get within 70-62 before Saran closed out the win.
UP NEXT
UCI hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Utah Valley on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT, before returning to the Bren Center to face Northern Iowa next Saturday (Nov. 22) at 7:30 p.m.
