UC Irvine tops Denver with balanced effort, defense

DENVER — Evan Leonard scored 19 points to lead a balanced effort as UC Irvine topped Denver University 83-69 on Sunday night at Magness Arena.
Eyassu Worku added 12 points, while John Edgar Jr., Tommy Rutherford (11 rebounds), and Justin Wertner all had 10 points apiece to give UCI (1-1) its first game with five double-digit scorers since January of 2016.
The win followed Friday’s strange, sloppy season-opening loss at South Dakota State, when the Anteaters h