IRVINE — Bent Leuchten had 19 points and seven rebounds and UC Irvine dominated the second half to beat Chapman, 82-52, in the season opener for both teams on Monday night at the Bren Events Center.
Justin Hohn added 15 points and five steals, Devin Tillis had 13 points and seven rebounds and Jurian Dixon scored 13 points in his UCI debut as the Anteaters outscored the Panthers 50-22 in the second half. UCI held Chapman to 26.7% shooting (8 for 30) over the final 20 minutes and closed the game on a 25-0 run, holding the visitors scoreless for the final eight minutes.
The 7-foot-1 Leuchten scored 14 of his points in the second half and finished 6 for 8 from the field and 7 for 9 from the free-throw line.
“For Bent (Leuchten) to assert himself in the way that he did is what I expect him to do. Devin (Tillis) did the same,” UCI coach Russell Turner said. “I said that to the group when I addressed them after the game. It is what I would like from the beginning, because those guys know that’s what it takes. I believe this team can be good based off the veteran experience that we have, but we have to be better than we were and take the lessons from this game.”
UCI led just 32-30 at halftime and Chapman used timely 3-point shots to keep the pressure on into the second half. Back-to-back 3-pointers got the Panthers within 49-48 with 11:58 left, but Tillis took control from there.
He received a threaded pass down the lane from Hohn for a layup, then stole the ball on the defensive end and found Andre Henry streaking down the paint for a basket before adding two more points of his own for a 57-50 lead. Chapman scored just one more basket before UCI reeled off its game-ending run.
“It is on the veterans, like me, to instill toughness in the guys,” said Tillis, who shot 5 for 6 from the field. “If we are not playing hard, it isn’t good for the team. I take that as my thing to work on and take pride in being the toughest guy on the team. We regrouped at halftime, we played better as a team and I found my moments to score. For myself, I need to be a leader from the start, keeping the high energy and not let it slip.”
UCI was actually outrebounded by one (38-37) but predictably got the better of its Division III opponent in most other departments with a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint, a 26-12 margin in fast-break points and a 27-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
“First of all, credit to Chapman. Those guys came in here and competed at a level that was different than ours,” Turner said. “They have a new coach (Dan Krikorian) and belief over there that I admire. I have a lot of respect for them coming into our house and outrebounding us, which leads me to have a bit of concern about ourselves.”
Santa Margarita High product Jake Heberle had 14 points to pace Chapman. Cruz Billings (Foothill High) added 11 points, and Blakeley Stoughton added six points and three blocked shots.
UP NEXT
UCI next plays at Loyola Marymount on Friday at 7 p.m.
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