BAKERSFIELD — Jurian Dixon’s hot hand helped UC Irvine avoid an upset as Big West Conference play resumed.
Dixon poured in a career-high 26 points, shooting 6 for 7 from 3-point range, but UCI squandered most of an 18-point lead in the final three minutes before escaping with an 81-77 road win against Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday afternoon.
UCI extended its lead to 75-57 on an Andre Henry 3-pointer with 3:15 remaining, but Bakersfield put together a 12-1 run and eventually got within three points with one second left before Dixon made a free throw to secure the win.
“Great road win for our team,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “We made a ton of mistakes (late) as we’ve done a couple times with this crew, so we have a long way to go to get better, but I’m pleased to go on the road and get a win in the Big West.”
Dixon, a redshirt sophomore guard, shot 8 for 13 from the floor overall as the Anteaters (10-5 overall, 3-0 Big West) shot 53.8% (28 for 52) as a team, their third consecutive game above 50%.
Kyle Evans had 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with four more blocked shots, while Harrison Carrington and Henry each added 11 points off the bench. Tama Isaac added eight points and a team-best six assists.
“Jurian was outstanding,” Turner said. “I thought all of his shots were rhythm shots created by his teammates and he was ready every time so he has shown improvement. As the top guy on the scoresheet, it’s not easy to get the shots and he worked really hard to get them.
“It was encouraging to have four guys in double figures. It’s what this team needs, because it will be different guys on different nights. I thought Eli Chol was big defensively coming down the stretch. We had a lot of guys contribute to a good team win.”
UCI led from the outset but the margin was just 39-34 at halftime and the hosts kept things close to begin the second half as the Anteaters fought through some offensive lulls.
Bakersfield (6-9, 0-3) got within 54-52 with 11:16 left before Dixon got the Anteaters back on track with his fourth 3-pointer of the game. UCI held the Roadrunners scoreless for more than four minutes during an 11-0 run (five more points from Dixon) that extended the lead to 68-54 with just under six minutes to play.
The lead swelled to 18 a few minutes later before the Anteaters had to white-knuckle their way across the finish line.
“I’m happy I had a career night, but I’m happier that we came away with the win,” Dixon said. “It’s on the veterans for letting the game get close at the end. I’m happy I was able to make an impact, but I know I have to rebound better.”
UCI held Bakersfield to 40% shooting overall but was outrebounded 39-32, with the Roadrunners grabbing 20 offensive boards. The hosts also scored 21 points off of 15 Anteater turnovers.
Ron Jessamy finished with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 12 rebounds to pace the Roadrunners. CJ Hardy added 14 points, including the 3-pointer that made it a one-possession game with three seconds left.
UP NEXT
UCI plays at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 4 p.m.