UC Irvine Tops Long Beach State 80-75 in Overtime Thriller

In a thrilling overtime matchup, UC Irvine edged Long Beach State 80-75, solidifying their place at the top of the Big West Conference. Myles Che led the Anteaters with 20 points, while Devin Tillis contributed with crucial baskets in overtime. Long Beach State, under new coach Chris Acker, showed resilience by leading for significant portions of the game and ultimately pushing the top-ranked Anteaters to their limits, despite their recent four-game losing streak. Devin Askew was the standout for LBSU, scoring 18 points but struggled in the second half. UCI's victory improved their conference record to 9-1, while Long Beach State fell to 3-7. The game highlighted the competitive spirit of both teams as they vie for championship contention in the conference.