UC Irvine’s second unit sparks home victory
UC Irvine’s success in the Big West Conference since 2013 has been built on a solid foundation of depth to the degree that playing time has become a group tenet.
That facet was on display again Saturday in a 75-64 victory over an insistent UC San Diego team at the Bren Events Center. After a spiritless 25 minutes, the Anteaters (14-8 overall, 8-4 Big West) trailed the Tritons 40-28 and looked like they would extend their streak of weekend splits to five straight.
Coach Russ Turner inserted the second unit after a timeout and the Anteaters went on a 13-2 run to draw within a point, 42-41. Everyone contributed, with DJ Davis scoring on a steal, Austin Johnson scoring off a steal and an offensive rebound, Andre Henry scoring on a driving finger roll, Ofure Ojadughele stealing a pass leading to two Davis free throws and JC Butler pulling down two rebounds.
Junior forward Collin Welp and freshman guard Dawson Baker took over from there, scoring 21 of the Anteaters’ next 23 points to break the Tritons (5-10).
“It was the five guys on the second unit that changed it,” Turner said. “We didn’t look like we were at our competitive best for much of the game, but those five guys played at a consistent level during that run.”
The Anteaters only have two upperclassmen in Welp and senior center Brad Greene, and Turner has rotated his entire roster around them looking for wins, consistency and growth.
“I know how hard it is,” Turner continued. “We’re in a year where everyone gets a redshirt (season), and we’re trying to give everyone an opportunity.
“So we’re asking everyone to sacrifice more than ever. It’s not easy to catch a rhythm when you don’t know when you’ll play. Everything about this season has been hard, and everyone has contributed and bought in. That’s important for this season and our future.”
Welp and Baker led the scoresheet, Welp finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Baker scoring 18 on 7-for-12 shooting, with three steals and three assists. Baker scored all of his points in the second half.
Welp scored seven straight points after a timeout and Baker became a dervish, twice stealing UCSD passes and driving for a field goal and then dropping in a 3-pointer off a nice Welp pass to give UCI a 65-58 lead with two minutes left.
Baker started the season strong but plateaued after a two-week COVID-19 pause. He broke out last weekend with a 23-point game against Cal State Fullerton leading into Saturday’s game.
“He was terrific,” Turner said of Baker, who graduated from Capistrano Valley High in 2018, then embarked on a two-year Mormon mission to Guam. “I’m happy to see him reemerge as an offensive attacking guy after being tentative for a while. It’s hard for a freshman to fit into a team but he’s stepped forward when we needed it.”
Davis had nine points while Isaiah Lee and Johnson each finished with eight for UCI, which had a 42-30 advantage in rebounds, a 4222 advantage in points in the paint and outscored the Tritons 22-5 in bench points.
UCSD which went 30-1 in 2019-20 in its last season as a Division II program, adjusted nicely from Friday’s 80-55 loss, providing better interior defense while corralling Welp for the first half.
Four 3-pointers led to an early first-half lead, and the Tritons hit four more 3-pointers to start the second half, by Hugh Baxter, Gabe Hadley, Jake Killingworth and Bryce Pope, to stake the 40-28 lead. Senior Baxter made five of the Tritons’ 12 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 28 points. Pope added 10 points, and Mikey Howell had eight points and eight assists.
The Anteaters finish the regular season next weekend with two games at Long Beach State.