HENDERSON, Nev. -- Hayden Gray knocked down six of his seven 3-point attempts and UC San Diego pulled away late to beat UC Irvine 75-61 to earn its first Big West Conference tournament championship and its first NCAA tournament berth Saturday night.
The Tritons moved up from Division II to join the conference in 2020 and won the regular season championship with 18 wins in 20 conference games. They have now won 15 straight and take a 30-4 record into the Big Dance in their first full year of Division I eligibility.
UC Irvine took a 33-31 lead at intermission, but the Tritons took the lead in the third minute of the second half on a jumper by Tyler McGhie to start an 8-0 run for a seven-point advantage, 43-36. The Anteaters got within four, 58-54, with 4:26 left but Nordin Kapic and McGhie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 9-0 run capped by Gray's driving layup for a 67-54 lead with 1:46 left.
Gray finished 8 of 10 from the field to lead the Tritons with 22 points. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. McGhie had 11 points and Kapic 10. UC San Diego was 12 of 29 from beyond the 3-point arc and was 27 of 55 from the field (49.1%).
Justin Hohn led UC Irvine (28-6) with 18 points. Devin Tillis added 12 points and eight assists, and Bent Leuchten contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. The Anteaters were 20 of 57 from the floor (35.1%) but went 13-for-13 shooting from the free throw line.