UCI men’s basketball team wins opener in Seoul

UC Irvine’s basketball players and coaches gathered in Seoul for  a picture before the tournament.

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team competed in its first game of the 2018 Asia Pacific University Challenge Sunday in Seoul. The Anteaters went the distance with Yonsei University, from South Korea, ultimately earning a 92-90 victory in overtime at Jamsil Students’ Gymnasium.

“I was really impressed with the team we played, Yonsei University from South Korea, they were terrific tonight,” said UCI Coach Russell Turner. “We faced a lot of adversity and I am really proud of my guys for pulling out the win.”

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo.

Junior John Edgar Jr. led UCI with 18 points while graduate transfer Robert Cartwright and junior Eyassu Worku added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Freshman JC Butler tallied 10 points including two three-pointers.

Elston Jones grabbed 10 rebounds while Butler, Edgar Jr. and Worku each had eight. As a team, UCI held a 59-43 advantage over Yonsei University in rebounds.

Yonei University’s Junghyun Lee had a game-high 28 points.

The Anteaters jumped out to an early 16-7 lead in the first quarter as John Edgar Jr. led the way with five points. South Korea surged back to take a 22-21 lead after the first frame.

South Korea held on to a 35-31 lead with 4:53 remaining in the second quarter before freshman JC Butler made a big three-pointer that gave UCI a 39-38 advantage with 3:14 remaining in the frame. The two teams went back-and-forth as South Korea held a slight 46-44 lead heading into the half.

“We struggled with defense and getting organized in the first half,” added Turner. “Some of that was getting adjusted to playing with the international rules but I am really impressed with the resilience and enthusiasm our team showed. We had a lot of guys step up and make big plays and that is really valuable to see this time of year.”

South Korea stretched its lead to six points, 60-54, with 3:09 left in the third quarter and entered the fourth quarter with a 52-57 advantage.

UCI stormed back to tie the game at 81 to send it to overtime. The Anteaters jumped out to an 87-81 lead with 3:13 remaining in overtime before South Korea used two quick three-pointers to knot the game at 87 with 2:16 left. UCI was able to pull ahead in the final minutes to seal the 92-90 victory.

“We fought hard to win this game,” said John Edgar Jr. “Our defense improved throughout the game and we really just kept fighting to get the win. Our young players stepped up today and that was really great to see.”

Next, UCI plays Japan Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 11 p.m.