IRVINE — Freshman guard Tama Isaac had his second career double-double and senior forward Kyle Evans kept swatting away shots in UC Irvine’s 78-62 victory over Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night at the Bren Events Center.
Isaac had 14 points and a career-high 13 assists to go with six rebounds as the Anteaters (16-7 overall, 9-2 Big West) won their fourth straight game and remained alone atop the conference standings, a half-game ahead of Hawaii (16-5, 8-3). Evans had 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots, giving him a nation-leading 79 for the season.
“Anytime you win a conference game, you move forward and take that and get ready for the next one,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “We know we have a big game in the next one at Santa Barbara. I didn’t think our team was as spirited as I expected after a layoff, so there were some things that really concerned me with what I saw, but I know that happens from time to time throughout a long season. It’s good to win while not playing our best.”
Harrison Carrington finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, Andre Henry had 11 points and three steals, and Derin Saran added 10 points for UCI, which shot 41.4% from the field, just 2 for 15 from 3-point range and 18 for 31 from the free-throw line (58%).
The Anteaters made up for their own shooting woes by holding Bakersfield (8-16, 2-10) to 35.5% shooting overall and forcing 19 turnovers. They outscored the Roadrunners 44-24 in the paint and had an 18-8 advantage in fast-break points.
UCI trailed by six midway through the first half but forged a 27-27 tie, then used a 10-0 run to open a 39-29 lead by halftime. The Roadrunners’ Ronald Jessamy scored five straight points to cut the Anteaters’ lead to 45-40 early in the second half, but the UCI defense settled down, eventually holding Bakersfield scoreless for more than four minutes while opening a 57-46 lead with 8:40 left.
Isaac and UCI kept the Roadrunners at arm’s length from there and closed out the win, after which he credited his teammates for his big night.
“[My teammates] just make it so much easier for me when they run the lanes, so credit to them and thanks to them,” he said. “It was obviously a team effort. We all contributed in our own ways.”
Jessamy had 18 points and 12 rebounds and Dailin Smith also added 18 points to lead Bakersfield, which has lost seven straight.
Turner expects a better showing from his team when the Anteaters visit third-place UCSB (15-8, 8-4) on Saturday night for a nationally televised game at the Thunderdome.
“Now that the calendar’s switched to February, we need to raise our level to compete for a conference championship, but I didn’t feel like that showed up very well on the floor today,” Turner said. “There’s an emotional component to each matchup, and the emotions will be high in front of a big crowd on national TV on Saturday. I expect our team will be ready.”
UP NEXT
UC Irvine heads to UCSB on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
BIG WEST STANDINGS
Through Thursday, Feb. 5
Team – Overall, Big West
UC Irvine – 16-7, 9-2
Hawaii – 16-5, 8-3
UC Santa Barbara – 15-8, 8-4
UC Davis – 14-9, 7-5
Cal State Northridge – 14-10, 7-5
UC San Diego – 16-8, 6-6
Cal State Fullerton – 11-13, 6-6
Cal Poly (SLO) – 9-15, 5-7
Long Beach State – 8-16, 4-8
UC Riverside – 8-16, 3-9
Cal State Bakersfield – 8-16, 2-10
