Sophomore guard Luke Nelson scored 17 points and senior forward Will Davis II had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead UC Irvine over Hawai'i, 67-58, in the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament before 5,463 at the Honda Center Saturday night.

With the victory, Coach Russell Turner's UCI squad (21-12) earns the program's first trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament since the University gained Division I status July 1, 1977.  The Anteaters broke through Saturday night after falling short four previous times (1988, 1994, 2008 and 2013).


STORY
BOX SCORE
QUOTES

Big West All-Tournament Team
Alan Williams, UC Santa Barbara
Corey Hawkins, UC Davis
Aaron Valdes, Hawai'i
Roderick Bobbitt, Hawai'i
Luke Nelson, UC Irvine
Will Davis II, UC Irvine (MVP)