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The Giant Anteater, Mamadou Ndiaye, Leads UC Irvine Past Washington, 86-72

SEATTLE (CBSLA.com/AP) -- The tallest NCAA player came up big on Thursday night, when 7-foot-6 freshman Mamadou Ndiaye scored 18 points, added nine blocks and eight rebounds to lead UC Irvine to an 86-72 win over host Washington.

Ndiaye, 19, closed out the first half with a traditional three-point play to put UCI (1-2) ahead 38-36, then he had an emphatic dunk to spark a 19-3 run over the opening 5 1/2 minutes of the second half to hand the Anteaters their first win of the season.

Will Davis had a team-high 22 points for the Anteaters, while Luke Nelson added 11 points and six assists.

Washington's C.J. Wilcox had a game-high 24 points in the losing effort. The Huskies (1-1) were playing without 6-foot-10 post player Jernard Jarreau, who suffered a season-ending knee injury over the weekend, and Washington had no answer for Ndiaye.

UCI shot 59.6 percent (34 of 57) from the field and outrebounded Washington 42-36. The Huskies shot 37.5 percent.

Ndaye, of Senegal, attended high school at Brehren Christian High School in Huntington Beach, Calif., where he averaged 25.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and nearly five blocks per game.

Below is a highlight reel showing Ndiaye while in high school:

Tallest HS Player in the World 7'5" Mamadou Ndiaye by Dunkademics Official on YouTube
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