UC Irvine cruises to 68-62 win over Cal State-Fullerton

IRVINE, Calif. (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.

Luke 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.