Nelson, Ndiaye Lead Irvine Past Fullerton, 68-62
IRVINE (AP) — Luke Nelson scored 15 points, hitting all but one of his 10 free throws, to lead UC Irvine to a 68-62 win over Cal State-Fullerton on Thursday night.
Mamadou Ndiaye added 12 points to go with eight rebounds and six blocks for UCI (18-11, 11-4 Big West), which shot 43.2 percent from the field on 44 attempts to get the season sweep. The Anteaters enjoyed a 23-10 advantage in made free throws.
Nelson's 3-pointer just ahead of the first-half buzzer gave UCI a 25-22 advantage at the break. Ndiaye hit a layup to open the second half and spark a 10-4 spurt to build a lead the Anteaters protected the rest of the way.
Lanerryl Johnson led Cal State-Fullerton (9-21, 1-14) with 21 points, Alex Harris added 15 and Kennedy Esume had 10.
The Anteaters close the regular season Saturday when they visit first-place UC Davis, which has already clinched the top seed in next week's Big West Conference tournament.
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