Rally by UC Irvine falls short
Benny Valentine made two free throws with 19.7 seconds left, sending Eastern Washington past UC Irvine, 74-69, on Wednesday night at the Bren Center.
Eastern Washington (1-1) held off a late rally by the Anteaters (0-2) in the final two minutes of the game. The Eagles converted eight of 10 free-throw opportunities to hold the lead.
Michael Hunter scored seven consecutive points and freshman Eric Wise made a jumper with 21.9 seconds left to get Irvine to within two points. Valentine made his free throws to put the game out of reach and Gary Gibson added a free throw with 2.1 seconds left.
Andy Genao scored 12 points with 17 rebounds and Valentine added 17 points to lead the Eagles.
Wise scored 19 points with six rebounds, and Hunter and Darren Moore each scored 13 for the Anteaters.
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