Martin scores 26, UC Irvine moves alone into 1st in Big West (Feb 18, 2017)
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) Jaron Martin made 6 of 9 from 3-point range and scored 26 points to help UC Irvine beat UC Riverside 79-60 and take sole possession first place in the Big West on Saturday night.
The Anteaters (16-12, 9-3) fell behind by 10 early and trailed for the first 18 minutes but had a 28-5 run that spanned both halves and ended at 48-29 with 13:46 to go.
Eyassu Worku added 20 points and Luke Nelson scored 14 for UC Irvine which moved ahead of UC Davis (8-4) which lost 79-72 to Cal State Fullerton.
None of the Highlanders (7-17, 5-8) reached double-digit scoring, though Brandon Rosser, Alex Larsson, Dikymbe Martin and Koh Flippin had nine points each and Menno Dijkstra and Secean Johnson each had eight.
After UC Irvine pulled away, UC Riverside was unable to get back within single digits and lost its fourth in a row.
