UC Irvine rallies to beat North Texas, reach Anteaters’ first NIT title game

INDIANAPOLIS — UC Irvine trailed North Texas by 15 points midway through the first half, but the senior forward Devin Tillis and fellow veterans rallied to power the Anteaters to a 69-67 win over the Mean Green on Tuesday in the NIT semifinals.

It was UC Irvine’s record 32nd win and marks the first time in school history the Anteaters will play in the NIT championship game. UC Irvine (32-6) will face off with Chattanooga (28-9) on Thursday at 6 p.m. PDT in Indianapolis, Ind. The game will air on ESPN.

Tillis finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds, helping fuel the Anteaters’ rally. Bent Leuchten made two free throws with six seconds left to give UC Irvine a 69-64 lead before North Texas hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.

“We’ve done it before all year,” Tillis told the NCAA’s Andy Katz during a postgame interview. “We have a bunch of different guys who can make plays happen. ... Somebody’s going to make some shots, somebody’s going to make some plays.”

Leuchten added 14 points and nine rebounds and Justin Hohn shot four for nine, including three for six from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points for the Anteaters.

Atin Wright scored 25 points to lead the Mean Green, while Jasper Floyd added 16.

Tillis said UC Irvine has faced years of disappointment falling short of earning the Big West’s NCAA tournament bid and it would be special to end the season with a championship.

“It would mean everything to us, to our community,” he said. “... We’ve experienced the disappointment the last couple of years to be in the NIT almost every year. But be able to win it and not only put UC Irvine on the map, but have our seniors leave a legacy ... that would mean the world to everybody.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.