By Annabella Ramirez
3/15/2025
Tournament Central | Box Score | UC San Diego Presser | UC Irvine Presser
HENDERSON, Nev. — Top-seeded UC San Diego Pulled away in the second half from No. 2 seed UC Irvine to win the 2025 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 by a final score of 75-61, Saturday at Lee’s Family Forum.
With the title, the Tritons improve to 30-4 on the year and receive the league’s automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Selection Sunday’s festivities will air on CBS at 3 p.m. PT on March 16. UC Irvine drops to 28-6, but hopes are still alive for the Anteaters as they are listed as “on the bubble” of the NCAA Tournament according to some media outlets, and may receive a bid into the NIT.
In their inaugural season of postseason eligibility after a four-year reclassification period from NCAA Division II, the Tritons’ name will be on the Division I brackets for the first time. A successful program during its Division II membership, UCSD won five CCAA tournament crowns, including four-straight from 2017-20, also under head coach Eric Olen‘s tenure.
The Tritons outscored the Anteaters 44-28 in the second half to overcome a two-point halftime deficit. In the first half, UCSD trailed 33-31 despite shooting better from the field at 42.9 percent compared to UC Irvine’s 37.9 percent. The Tritons made six 3-pointers, contributing to their overall scoring, while UC Irvine hit four from beyond the arc.
The Tritons outperformed UCI in the second half, scoring 44 points on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) shooting from the field, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from deep. The Tritons amassed 13 assists while committing seven turnovers in the latter 20 minutes of the game. They also dominated the paint with 16 points and generated nine points off turnovers.
Tournament MVP Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones recorded 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Fellow All-Tournament Team honoree Hayden Gray led the Tritons with 22 points, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-7 from beyond the arc. The senior guard also had three steals for a season total of 109, a single-season Big West record. Chris Howell played a supporting role, leading the team in assists with five and adding three steals to the defensive effort. Justin Rochelin added depth to the lineup with eight points, all coming from inside the paint, while also recording two steals. Lastly, Nordin Kapic provided a notable contribution from beyond the arc, hitting three 3-pointers for 10 points and securing seven rebounds.
The Anteaters featured several standout players based on their latest performances. Justin Hohn led the team in scoring with 18 points, showcasing his shooting ability by hitting 4-of-14 from beyond the arc and converting all his free throw attempts. All-Tournament honoree Devin Tillis contributed significantly with 12 points and also had eight assists and seven rebounds. Bent Leuchten, also on the All-Tournament Team, added 10 points with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Combined with the UCSD women’s team winning their respective championship, it is the fifth time in Big West Championship history that one school has swept both men’s and women’s titles (2016 Hawai’i, 2002 UC Santa Barbara, 1990 UNLV, 1985 UNLV, 1984 UNLV).
All-Tournament Team:
Hayden Gray, UC San Diego
Jarred Hyder, Cal Poly
Bent Leuchten, UC Irvine
Stephan Swenson, UC Santa Barbara
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UC San Diego (MVP)
Devin Tillis, UC Irvine
COURTESY BIG WEST CONFERENCE
