‘Eaters win in OT

Steve Virgen

There’s something to be said about a squad that shoots a season-low

48.5% from the free-throw line and improvises while its senior leader

Jordan Harris is dealing with foul trouble. What’s to be said is, in

a word: Team.

UCI, the Big West Tournament’s No. 2 seed, had four players score

in double figures and then as a team, the Anteaters outscored

seventh-seeded Cal State Northridge 9-0 throughout 4:40 of overtime.

That effort led to a 70-64 overtime victory Thursday night in a

quarterfinal at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The ‘Eaters (20-8) will face Utah State in a semifinal tonight at

approximately 8:30.

“We knew it would be a tough game, because all the games we’ve had

with Northridge have never been easy,” said Coach Pat Douglass, who

has now guided UCI to three straight 20-win seasons, a school record.

“It cramped our substitution pattern with Harris in foul trouble. I

think the big decision we had to make was that we had to put him in

with a little over nine minutes left.”

Harris, who celebrated his 23rd birthday, played the final 10:13

of regulation with four fouls and kept going through overtime. When

he came in a little over 10 minutes left, the Anteaters were down,

53-44.

Harris, UCI’s one first-team All-Big West honoree, nailed two free

throws to tie the game, 59-59, with 37 seconds left in regulation,

and the score remained, as Northridge’s potential game-winner didn’t

draw iron.

UCI senior guard Mike Hood (16 -points) led four starters who

scored in double digits, including junior center Adam Parada (14),

freshman point guard Jeff Gloger (12) and Harris (11).

“This shows that we’re a real team,” Harris said. “We stick

together and we fight through things if one of us goes down.

“If this was last year and I was Jerry (Green), and I picked up

fouls like that I think we would really be lost. But this year, we

stayed together and the guys played really hard.”

The game’s turning point came with 2:21 left in overtime when

Gloger nailed a three-pointer in front of his bench. Those were the

first points of the overtime and turned the momentum to UCI.

“You could see the difference at that point,” Northridge Coach

Bobby Braswell said. “I think that’s what carried them to the win.”

Hood knocked down his fourth three-pointer of the game 23 seconds

after Gloger’s trey, as UCI went up, 65-59, with 1:58 left.

Northridge missed four consecutive three-pointers over the next 1:27,

then Hood hit four straight free throws to close it out.

UCI shot 10 of 22 from beyond the three-point line. Hood was 4 of

9, while Gloger was 2 of 3.

The Matadors scored their first points in overtime when Curtis

Slaughter scored on a layup with 20 seconds left. Slaughter had a

game-high 17 points, but was defended by Gloger and shot 6 of 19.

“He’s big-time,” Slaughter said of Gloger. “Even though he’s a

freshman, he plays really solid. He knocked down some big shots. He

just looked like he really wanted to win. On defense he was trying to

wear me down, and that he did.”

Gloger, UCI’s single-season record holder in steals (72), also

grabbed eight rebounds to share team-high honors with Matt Okoro and

Parada. Gloger dished out six assists, recorded three steals and,

just as Hood, played all but two minutes of the entire game.

Gloger led UCI’s defensive effort that held Northridge to just one

field-goal made in the final 8:20 of regulation, and then the

Matadors went scoreless through the 4:40 of the overtime.

“There’s so much at stake here; one loss and you’re out,” Gloger

said. “You have to come out and give it your all and leave everything

on the floor.”

Said Douglass, “Being a freshman and playing in his first

tournament game, I thought he played with a lot of poise and

confidence. He was all over the court. He has an extreme amount of

endurance and stamina.”

Douglass also said UCI’s starters were the key to the victory, and

that freshman Mike Efevberha’s eight points off the bench were also

important.

Douglass’ “big decision” to put Harris in the game with 10:13 also

proved to be crucial, as UCI outscored Northridge, 12-2, over the

next five minutes.

Hood capped the run with a three-pointer near the top of the key

that gave the ‘Eaters their first lead of the second half, 56-55.

Douglass said he was impressed with the fan support and also

delivered a message to the UCI supporters.

“The involvement we had from our fans tonight was instrumental to

our comeback,” Douglass said. “If we can double our attendance

tomorrow, that could be the difference.”

ZOTS - UCI has not shot so poorly from the foul line since Jan.

26, 2002, when the Anteaters shot 31.2% and lost at Cal Poly, 50-47

... This was UCI’s first overtime game in history in the Big West

Tournament.