IRVINE, Calif. (Interstat) — UC San Diego held off a late UC Irvine rally to earn a 71-69 men’s basketball victory Saturday at Bren Events Center.

The Tritons built a 36-29 halftime lead behind efficient shooting, connecting on 10 of 25 three-pointers for the game. The Anteaters stormed back in the second half, outscoring UC San Diego 40-35, but fell just short. Jurian Dixon led all scorers with 22 points for UC Irvine. Hudson Mayes paced UC San Diego with 17 points.

UC San Diego improved to 19-9 overall. UC Irvine fell to 18-10. An announced crowd of 3,750 attended the Big West Conference game.