by SEOUL, South Korea – The UC Irvine men’s basketball team hit the century mark with a 104-58 win over a university selected team from Japan in its second game of the 2018 Asia-Pacific University Challenge.
With the win, UCI improves to 2-0 in the tournament.
The ‘Eaters had five different players score in double-digits as sophomore Collin Welp led the way with 18 points. John Edgar Jr., Eyassu Worku, Tommy Rutherford and Brad Greene had 17, 15, 15 and 14 points, respectively. Worku also dished out a game-high seven assists.
On defense, Welp tallied a double-double finishing with 12 rebounds while Greene also had a double-double, pulling down 18 rebounds in just 19 minutes of action. Solomon Ruddell notched a game-high five blocks.
UCI held advantages in rebounds (61-29), blocks (7-4) and assists (19-13).
“This game went well,” said head coach Russell Turner. “I am really proud of my big guys and how they set the tone. It was a good win, we showed our balance and our strengths and had great enthusiasm throughout the whole game.”
The Anteaters led from the start, jumping out to a 13-3 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter. Edgar Jr. hit a three-pointer that gave UCI a 26-10 advantage after the first quarter.
The ‘Eaters extended their lead in the second quarter going up 40-12 with 4:26 left to play. Japan went on a hot streak in the final two minutes of the frame to make it a 47-28 game at halftime.
“It was a great game,” said Collin Welp. “My teammates fed me some great passes and I had the confidence to score. Tonight showed the strength and depth of our team and how balanced our scoring can be.”
UCI continued to dominate taking a 76-48 lead after the third quarter. The Anteaters had four players score in double figures after three quarters of action. UCI out-scored Japan 28-10 in the fourth quarter to seal the 104-58 win.
“Tonight we were really firm with our defending and rebounding and dominated the way we can,” said Turner. “We have to turn it around and do it all again tomorrow against a good Philippines team that is also 2-0 in this tournament.”
The Anteaters face De La Salle University Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 1:00 p.m. local time (Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. PT).
