UC Irvine relies on big men to hold off Cal State Northridge
Senior Dean Keeler has 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds and freshman Carter Welling adds 11 points as the first-place Anteaters see their 14-point lead whittled to two before holding on for a 77-72 win
UC Irvine forward Carter Welling, right, looks to get around Cal State Northridge forward Mahmoud Fofana during the first half of their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Dean Keeler, left, and Cal State Northridge forward Keonte Jones go after a rebound during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Pierre Crockrell II, right, takes a shot over Cal State Northridge forward Mahmoud Fofana during the first half of their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge’s Keonte Jones grabs a rebound during the first half of their Big West Conference game against UC Irvine on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge forward De’Sean Allen-Eikens, left, and UC Irvine guard Pierre Crockrell II scramble for a loose ball during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine players point out of bounds as Cal State Northridge forward Kyle Frelow falls in the corner of the court during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Carter Welling, right, grabs a rebound in front of Cal State Northridge forward Mahmoud Fofana during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge forward De’Sean Allen-Eikens finds an opening to score during their Big West Conference game against UC Irvine on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Carter Welling, right, looks to get around Cal State Northridge forward Mahmoud Fofana during the first half of their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge’s Keonte Jones, left, battles to control a rebound in front of UC Irvine center Bent Leuchten during the first half of their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine center Bent Leuchten, right, shoots as Cal State Northridge center Dearon Tucker defends during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge guard Gianni Hunt, right, scores around UC Irvine forward Dean Keeler during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge forward Kyle Frelow, forward Bryan Ndjonga, and forward Jasman Sangha react as the Matadors keep the score close late in the second half of their Big West Conference game against UC Irvine on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Carter Welling takes a jumper during their Big West Conference game against Cal State Northridge on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Cal State Northridge forward Keonte Jones, right, tries to get around UC Irvine guard Langston Redfield during their Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine forward Carter Welling, center, and his teammates react as time runs out and the Anteaters defeat Cal State Northridge in a Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
UC Irvine guard Pierre Crockrell II celebrates with teammates as they close out a win against Cal State Northridge in a Big West Conference game on Saturday night at UCI’s Bren Events Center. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
IRVINE — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team keeps finding new ways to win.
The Anteaters asked a lot of their post players on Saturday night against Cal State Northridge and they came through with key contributions in the 77-72 victory in a Big West Conference game at the Bren Events Center.
Dean Keeler, a 6-foot-11 senior, had 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds off the bench for UCI (15-6 overall, 8-1 Big West), which remains tied atop the conference standings with UC San Diego (14-7, 8-1).
CSUN came into the game leading the Big West in rebounding at 41.7 per game and rebounding margin at 8.6, but Keeler helped UCI to a 43-36 edge on the boards.
“Special game for him,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “Not surprised, he played four minutes in the last one, but was ready.”
Carter Welling, a 6-11 freshman, also made his presence known in the middle, contributing 11 points off the bench.
Keeler and Welling’s activity helped open up the perimeter for Justin Hohn and Andre Henry, who combined to shoot 7 for 14 from 3-point range.
Hohn finished with a team-high 22 points and Henry scored 12.
Dionte Bostick scored 18 points to lead Northridge (13-8, 4-5), which has lost four in a row. De’Sean Allen-Eikens contributed 15 points and Jasman Sangha made all six of his field goal attempts and scored 12 points off the bench before fouling out with 9:16 left.
“Great fight, really proud of them,” CSUN coach Andy Newman said. “If we play like this, we’re going to have a great finish to the season.”
UCI took its biggest lead of the game at 66-52 with 7:31 left, but the Matadors didn’t fold, cutting the deficit to 72-70 on a three-point play by Bostick with 1:23 left.
The Anteaters were still clinging to a two-point lead when Keeler grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled with 20.3 seconds left. He made both free throws and then stole a pass on the other end before making another free throw with 4.1 seconds remaining for a 77-72 lead.
“They weren’t really defending us, they were just sort of daring us to play-make and Justin stepped up and made big plays, Dean made big free throws,” Turner said. “Really pleased with our ability to find a way to win. That’s what we’ve been doing.”
The Matadors, who upset UCLA during nonconference play, fell to 2-5 since starting point guard Jordan Brinson went down with a season-ending knee injury against Long Beach State on Dec. 30.
“I think that was a great first step for us,” Newman said. “Obviously, you want to come out on top, but it’s a really good team and you fought them to the last possession and we’re still not playing our best basketball, so those are good things.”
The Matadors used an 11-0 run to take their biggest lead of the first half at 24-17, but UCI used a 7-0 run of its own to move back ahead 29-26.
Bostick’s three-point play capped another 7-0 burst that put CSUN back in front 33-29.
Hohn’s 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the half tied the score at 34-all and that score remained at the half.
Northridge shot 3 for 4 from 3-point range in the opening half, but only 3 for 7 from the free-throw line before finishing 14 for 21.
Sangha came off the bench and made all three of his field-goal attempts in the first half for CSUN, but picked up his third foul with 4:03 left in the half and went to the bench.
Keeler so impressed Turner that he started the second half.
“I started him in the second half because I was confident in the level that he showed me in the first half, more than a couple of the other big guys, and he answered the call. His free-throw shooting has never been a strength, but tonight it was. That’s a testament to the work that he’s put in to improve that part of the game for him.”
