Recap: UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State
Irvine, CA (Sports Network) - Adam Folker scored 16 points and Michael Wilder pulled off a double-double as the UC Irvine Anteaters defeated the Long Beach State 49ers, 72-69, in a Big West Conference matchup at Bren Events Center.
Wilder had 10 points to match 10 rebounds for UC Irvine (17-13, 10-6 Big West) which has won five straight. Will Davis II had 12 points and eight blocks and Daman Starring added 10 points.
Mike Caffey nailed five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points for Long Beach State (17-11, 13-3) which was denied in its attempt to capture the Big West regular season crown. Keala King tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists, James Ennis put in 12 points to go with eight rebounds and Dan Jennings just missed out on a double-double (10 points, nine rebounds).
At the end of the first half UC Irvine led 33-22. The Anteaters shot 52 percent from the floor in the first period and limited Long Beach State to just eight field goals on 25.8 percent shooting.
The 49ers turned it around in the second half by shooting 62.5 percent from the floor while nailing five shots from 3-point range. Long Beach State clawed its way to a 63-63 tie with 2:33 left in the second half but the Anteaters scored the next five points to pull away for good.
UC Irvine hit 15-of-18 shots from the free-throw line including 11-of-12 in the final 20 minutes. The 49ers connected on just 6-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Game Notes
