UCI men’s basketball team tops UT Rio Grande Valley 85-74 and finishes non-conference schedule with 12-4 mark

Elston Jones had a double double Thursday night for UCI.

Four Anteaters scored in double figures as UC Irvine’s men’s basketball team defeated UT Rio Grande Valley 85-74 in its non-conference finale, Thursday night at the Bren Events Center

UCI completed its non-conference schedule with a 12-4 record which ties for the most regular season non-conference wins in program history. UTRGV fell to 8-8.

Elston Jones finished with his first career double-double scoring 10 points and collecting a game-high 11 rebounds. Jones also had  three blocks.

Max Hazzard went 6-of-7 (.857) from three-point range to finish with a game-high 23 points while Eyassu Worku had seven assists.

Evan Leonard (14 points) and Robert Cartwright (11 points) also contributed to the win.

UCI had its best shooting of the season from both the three-point  range, 57.9 percent percent (11-19), and from the field, 55.8 percent (29-52).

“I am pleased with the win, they are a difficult team to play, but I thought we were focused right from the start and set the tone in the beginning,” said UCI Coach Russell Turner.