IRVINE — In a matchup between the Big West Conference’s top offense and its top defense on Thursday night, UC Irvine’s inside scoring was enough to prevail over Hawaii and its stingy perimeter defense in a 76-68 victory at the Bren Events Center.

The Anteaters (13-6 overall, 6-1 Big West) claimed their sixth win in seven games to remain tied for second place, a half-game behind UC Riverside (14-6, 7-1).

The duo of Dawson Baker and DJ Davis again paced UCI, while Akiva McBirney-Griffin had his best collegiate game – with 11 points in his third start filling in for injured center Bent Leuchten.

Davis had a team-high 18 points, while Baker had a well-rounded game with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Davis knocked down a 3-pointer after an offensive rebound to put UCI back ahead by double-digits at 62-49 with five minutes left. It was just Irvine’s third 3-pointer of the game as Hawaii (14-5, 5-2) – the Big West’s best scoring defense – limited the Anteaters from behind the arc.

UCI shot just 16% from long range, well below its season average of 40%. But the Anteaters made a concerted effort to find inside looks, outscoring the Rainbow Warriors 44-24 in the paint.

That helped UCI still shoot nearly 50% from the field overall.

“I give them credit for making us have an off-night from behind the line, but I thought our guys were really focused well,” UCI coach Russell Turner said.

Turner said his players picked the right matchups, creating advantages and finishing at the rim.

“Good night for us,” he said.

Baker was aggressive in the paint in the second half, pump-faking, stepping through and maneuvering to find close looks.

Davis put the game away with two minutes left. Baker grabbed the offensive rebound off a missed free throw, then passed it to Davis for a basket plus the foul to give UCI a 70-56 lead.

Turner was as impressed by Baker’s scoring as his season-high 10-rebound performance.

“I thought Dawson was physical in his block-outs that took him in many cases right to where the ball was – and he finished those plays,” Turner said.

UCI and Hawaii came into the game in a three-way tie with UC Santa Barbara (15-3, 6-1). Irvine came into the game averaging 77.3 points per game, while Hawaii was allowing just 60.3 ppg.

Hawaii also came in having won nine of its last 10 games.

UCI gets nearly a week off after a stretch of four games in nine days before a road game at Cal State Fullerton next Wednesday.

UCI took an early 10-2 lead and built a 21-7 advantage on a Baker layup as part of another run of 9-0. The Anteaters led 35-27 at halftime after holding Hawaii to 35% shooting in the first half. Even with injuries to the 7-foot Leuchten and 6-foot-9 Chazz Hutchinson, Irvine outscored Hawaii 24-4 in the paint in the first half.

McBirney-Griffin, who played sparingly until Leuchten tore his meniscus last week, said it was unfortunate that his playing time was coming after two of his teammates sustained injuries. Hutchinson (foot) could be back next week.

“We emphasize the idea of being ready, and just our depth in general,” McBirney-Griffin said. “I think my input entering the starting lineup and what I’ve been doing so far has exemplified that.”

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McBirney-Griffin, who is from New Zealand and redshirted last year, said going from playing a few minutes a game to starting has been a “massive job,” but he’s received helpful advice from coaches and teammates.

The tips have included: “Hold your head high,” “play like a starter,” and “play like you’ve earned that starting role, not because you’ve been thrown in it.”

Turner said McBirney-Griffin did what he asks of everyone in the program: Be ready when their name is called upon. UCI, known for making use of its depth with frequent substitutions, had 11 players see the court on Thursday – each playing at least five minutes.

“That’s what we try to have as an identity of our program – that young guys get better, and when they get their opportunity, they step forward,” Turner said.