Anteaters knocked from top, 67-51

Steve Virgen

SANTA BARBARA -- If it’s revenge they want, the UC Irvine Anteaters

will have to wait. If it’s a chance to make a statement they want,

they’ll have to wait.

UC Santa Barbara, instead, seized the moment. The Gauchos rose to

another level in a big-game atmosphere and at times displayed

dominance, leading to a 67-51 Big West Conference victory over UCI in

front of 5,014 at the Thunderdome Saturday night.

UCSB, which led by 20 at the half, took sole possession of first

place in the Big West, snapping the Anteaters’ seven-game winning

streak. The ‘Eaters (18-8, 12-5 in the Big West) are a half-game back

in second place, where they are alone. Utah State (10-6 in the Big

West) was upset by visiting Idaho (8-8).

“We can’t say we played bad,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said.

“Tonight, a lot was at stake. They came out and played hard

basketball. Obviously, UCSB is a team to be reckoned with.”

The Gauchos can win their first Big West title outright if they

win out (at Cal State Fullerton Thursday and at UC Riverside

Saturday). UCI’s final regular-season game is March 8, when the

Anteaters host Long Beach State. A UCI win and one UCSB loss and the

teams share the title. If UCSB splits their games next week, it will

still receive the Big West Tournament’s No. 1 seed, which could

eventually set up another duel with the Anteaters, who will most

likely take the second seed.

“We’ll learn from this,” Douglass said. “We’ll go back and shuffle

the cards and see what will happen the next time.”

The Anteaters had the cards stacked up against them in the first

half, as UCSB controlled the tempo with a defense that clogged the

middle, and allowed UCI freshman point guard Jeff Gloger (13 points)

to take the outside shot. He missed his first four shots from the

outside, as UCSB opened with a 5-0 lead and stretched it to, 17-4.

The Gauchos (15-12, 12-4) held UCI to 26% shooting in the first

half, and the Eaters’ finished at 29.8%.

“Our play was dictated by their (defensive) effort,” Douglass

said. “They played excellent basketball. There were tough matchups

for us. They do a good job of packing the lane.”

UCSB Coach Bob Williams also thought his defense was the reason

the Gauchos were able to build a big lead.

“Our defense pretty much dictated the game in the first half,”

said Williams, who was thoroughly impressed with his team’s ability

to respond in a game with much at stake. “This is a group that

responds to challenges well. Every time a big came comes, they thrive

in that situation. Our guys stepped up.”

The Gauchos dominated the first half, building a 38-18 lead. The

Anteaters scored their first points five minutes into the game, when

Jordan Harris, who led UCI with 15 points, came off a pick and nailed

a 15-foot shot. The play came after a timeout.

UCSB grabbed a 17-4 lead with 7:57 left in the half. But, UCI

scored seven unanswered, which included a three-pointer by Ross

Schraeder after a timeout.

UCI came within, 24-16, after Stanislav Zuzak scored from the

baseline, 15 feet out, with four minutes left. However, the Gauchos

closed out the half with a 14-2 run. Nick Jones scored all 16 points

of his points in the first half, including a huge three-pointer with

1:31 left that gave UCSB a 36-18 lead.

Branduinn Fullove scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half,

while the other part of UCSB’s Big Three, Mark Hull, added 13 points.

Hull became just the second player in school history to score 1,500

points.

“They played well, tonight,” Harris said of the Gauchos. “We just

couldn’t hit any shots. We tried to get (the UCSB lead) down to 10,

but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Williams said the Anteaters were more aggressive in the second

half. UCI cut the lead to, 40-32, after Schraeder knocked down a

three-pointer with 16:40 left. And, then Adam Parada cut the deficit

to, 44-32, after his 15-footer with 14:52 left. But UCSB scored seven

straight, including a Hull three-pointer, to grab control, once

again, with a 51-32 lead.

UCI answered with a 10-2 run. Parada capped the scoring spurt,

scoring inside the paint with 6:29 left, cutting the lead to 54-32

with 6:29 left.

The basket that came off an assist from Zuzak prompted a UCSB

timeout.

The Anteaters had three possessions to cut the deficit to 10, but

Schraeder saw his three-point attempt lip out with 5:50 left, and

Gloger missed from the top of the key a minute later. Then UCI

committed a turnover and Hull scored on a layup for a 52-46 lead with

3:52 left.

“We’ve fought to get to this point and we’ll continue to fight,”

Douglass said.

Fullove hammered home a three-pointer with 3:06 left, that

virtually ended UCI’s comeback bid.

“We’re going to go home, get rest and come back and beat Long

Beach State,” Harris said. “It’s our senior night. All we can do is

win our next game.”

ZOTS -- UCI utilized its ninth different starting lineup, as Matt

Okoro started at forward ... UCI senior guard Mike Hood was

scoreless, and shot 0 for 6 from the field. “We wouldn’t be where we

are, if Mike Hood wasn’t burying shots,” Douglass said. “He has to

start burying his shots.” ... UCSB now has now won seven straight Big

West home games.