Douglass gets 100th win in double OT

Barry Faulkner

UC Irvine men’s basketball coach Pat Douglass needed double overtime

to reach triple digits in victories at the school.

And, after 50 minutes of action and hundreds of plays that

affected the outcome, Douglass’ seventh-season milestone -- an 85-83

double-overtime triumph over nonconference visitor Pepperdine -- came

down to a wave of last-possession panic, followed by a rewarding sigh

of relief.

“The key was, they missed the dunk at the end,” Douglass said of

6-foot-9 Pepperdine junior Robert Turner’s acrobatic, one-handed

putback attempt that rattled off the rim as the buzzer sounded,

before 2,089 at the Bren Events Center.

Turner’s rebound, collected with his elbow above the rim, followed

a missed five-foot leaner by freshman point guard Shaun Davis. Turner

appeared to grab the rim with his free (left) hand, while trying to

pull the ball through the cylinder with his right.

It was, however, the Anteaters (5-3), who pulled this one out,

after losing leads in the final seconds of both regulation and the

first overtime.

The victory, the 31st in the last 40 games decided by five or

fewer points under Douglass, featured primary heroics from 7-0 senior

center Adam Parada (five of his team and season-high 21 points in the

first overtime, as well as a crucial blocked shot in the second

overtime, the last of his four rejections), senior forward Stanislav

Zuzak (20 points) and sophomore point guard Jeff Gloger (14 points

and a career-high 11 rebounds).

Sophomore guard Mike Efevberha’s 13 points also featured some

clutch buckets, including a three-pointer to open the first overtime,

as well as two free throws to start the final five-minute extra

session.

Efevberha sank the second of two foul shots with 13 seconds left

in regulation, before Pepperdine sophomore Alex Acker (a game-high 32

points) netted a 15-foot leaner with two seconds left to force the

first overtime.

Parada’s sweeping six-foot hook shot gave the hosts a 74-72 lead

with 2:04 left in the first overtime and his two free throws with 53

ticks remaining put the ‘Eaters up, 76-74.

But Keith Jarbo’s layup, which just averted Parada’s swinging

block attempt, knotted things once again with 34 seconds left in the

first OT.

Efevberha had the game in his hands seconds later, but was

stripped while entering the lane, and a second extra session was

necessary.

Efevberha opened the final period with two free throws and,

following a 19-footer by Acker, Gloger netted a pair from the line

with 2:49 left to up the lead to 80-78.

Parada swatted Jarbo’s follow shot inside to regain possession for

UCI and Zuzak cashed it in with a leaning turnaround jumper from six

feet to widen the lead.

Acker converted a three-point play with 2:01 left, then followed

two Zuzak free throws with two of his own with 45 seconds left to

keep the deficit at one.

After Terrance Johnson picked Efevberha off the dribble for a

steal, he missed an open three-point attempt, prompting a wild

scramble for the rebound.

Zuzak collected the ball, passing to Efevberha, who called timeout

with 17 seconds left after falling to the floor. Zuzak then sank a

free throw with 10 ticks left to prompt Pepperdine’s last-ditch

effort.

UCI overcame a 22-10 turnover deficit by shooting 58.3% from the

field (28 of 48) and netting 10 of 12 from the line in overtime.

Pepperdine (3-6) shot just 39.7%.

“I thought we played well,” Coach Paul Westphal said. “We’ve lost

five games we were tied or ahead in the last few minutes and three of

those have come down to the last five seconds. We’ve lost five close

games, each one more heartbreaking than the last.”

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Nonconference

UC Irvine 85, Pepperdine 83 (2 OT)

Pepperdine - McGowan 8, Pinegar 8, Acker 32, Johnson 14, Davis 2, Jarbo 10, Turner 9. 3-pt. goals - Johnson 4, Acker 2, Pinegar 2. Fouled out - McGowan, Pinegar. Technicals - None. UC Irvine - Zuzak 20, Okoro 6, Parada 21, Gloger 14, Efevberha 13,

Ethington 7, Campbell 2, Baskauskas 2. 3-pt. goals - Zuzak 3, Efevberha 2, Ethington 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. Halftime - 28-28. Regulation -- 68-68. First OT -- 76-76.

*--*