Anteaters faced with streakbusters

Steve Virgen

In regard to winning streaks, Cal State Northridge has been a nemesis

to the UC Irvine men’s basketball team. Last year, the Matadors ended

the Anteaters’ eight-game winning streak with a 73-72 overtime

victory at the Bren Events Center. This season, Northridge squashed

UCI’s four-game winning streak with a 69-63 win at the Matadome, Jan.

25.

The Matadors will assuredly enter with the same mentality tonight

at 7:05 when they come to the Bren to face UCI, which is on a

four-game winning streak and one game behind first-place UC Santa

Barbara in the Big West Conference.

The Anteaters (15-7, 9-4 in the Big West) matched their longest

winning streak of the season with a 65-52 win at Idaho, which

completed a two-game road-trip sweep. UCI also earned a 59-58 victory

at Utah State.

“We had a little bad spell with the (three-game losing streak),”

Douglass said of his team’s skid before its current winning skein.

“We came out of it more focused as a team and battled back. We have

to realize how hard we had to work to have a good road trip and not

get complacent and be ready for the two games at home. (The two road

wins) definitely lifts our season. If we can capitalize on this and

continue to grow and improve maybe we can make a run at the league

title or do something in the tournament.”

Douglass said Northridge (10-12, 4-8) is a team that presses well

defensively and the Matadors are also skilled at rebounding. They

lead the Big West in rebounding with 36.5 per game, while UCI is at

33.3 per game. Northridge is also the top scoring offensive team,

averaging 72.0 points per game, yet most of that is attributed to the

Matadors’ hot start in the pre-conference season. UCI averages 70.4

points per game.

The Matadors dropped a pair of home games last week to Cal Poly

(62-59) and Santa Barbara (67-58). Northridge is led by 6-foot-6

swingman Ian Boylan (15.8 points per game) and Curtis Slaughter (12.8

ppg.), who scored 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second half

when he led the Matadors to the win over UCI last month.

“We’re going to have to capitalize (on the press defense) and not

give them additional shots,” Douglass said. “We’ve been playing as a

team and we have to continue to keep playing with the same energy.”

Douglass also said, throughout the ‘Eaters’ four-game winning

streak they have been led by their seniors, guard Mike Hood and

forward Jordan Harris, the Big West Player of the Week honorees, the

past two weeks. Harris leads the Anteaters, scoring 12 points per

game. He averaged 15 points per game in the road wins last week. Hood

nailed two free throws with 1.3 seconds left to give UCI the win over

Utah State. He also scored 16 points in the win at Idaho.

UCI’s senior duo has also been providing the Anteaters with

motivation, Douglass said.

“(Harris) and Mike Hood have really stepped up,” Douglass said.

“They not only upped their performance but they tried to direct and

tell others they can do it, they can win. They just took the team on

their shoulders. They’ve been a big inspiration to the rest of the

team and have really rallied everyone.”