UCI upset bid comes up just shy

Barry Faulkner

On the 18th anniversary of the first men’s basketball game ever

played at the Bren Events Center, host UC Irvine came within a single

ill-fated possession of achieving one of the venue’s most remarkable

upsets Saturday night.

But, when UCI junior Aaron Fitzgerald’s 30-foot desperation

three-pointer wedged off the heel as the buzzer sounded, the

Anteaters instead had to settle for a disheartening loss in what

Coach Pat Douglass called their most complete game of the season.

The University of the Pacific, which won the 2004 Big West

Conference crown and was picked to repeat this season, came in with

19 straight victories against Big West foes and escaped with a 67-65

triumph in a battle that featured eight lead changes in the final

4:05.

Fitzgerald, who scored nine of the hosts’ final 15 points, of

which five more were set up by his passes, netted a 12-foot,

fall-away jumper with 59 seconds remaining to give UCI a 64-62 lead.

The Tigers (10-2, 5-0 in conference), ranked No. 4 in the

CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll, answered with a reverse layin by

6-foot-9 junior returning first-team all-conference standout

Christian Maraker to knot the score with 44 seconds left.

Nic Campbell, who scored six of his nine points down the stretch,

including a three-pointer that cut the UOP lead to 50-49 with 9:38

left, missed an open three-pointer on the ensuing possession.

Maraker was fouled while grabbing the rebound and converted the

front end of the one-and-one free throws to put the visitors up,

65-64.

UCI freshman Darren Fells, who had a game-high 10 rebounds and

finished the two-game weekend with 23 boards, was fouled while

rebounding Maraker’s miss on his second foul shot with 24.8 seconds

left.

Fells, who was 3 of 5 at the line to that point, sank the first of

the one-and-one opportunity, but missed the second, giving Pacific a

chance to break the 65-65 deadlock.

Senior guard David Doubley controlled the visitors’ final

possession, triggering a play that Coach Bob Thomason called “Pick

it,” because it creates an opportunity for Doubley to go either right

or left around a pick near the free-throw line.

Doubley veered left around a screen by 6-8 senior Guillaume Yango

and dribbled beyond the three-point line on the left wing, where he

encountered two UCI defenders.

So, Doubley passed back to Yango, who settled into a vacancy

inside the top left corner of the key. Yango squared up and took the

open 15-footer that fell through the net with 3.9 seconds on the

clock.

UCI inbounded immediately to Fitzgerald, who raced across the

half-court line and launched a would-be game-winning three-pointer

that just missed.

Fitzgerald, who finished with a game-high 19 points and added six

assists and four steals while committing just two turnovers, fell

dejectedly to the ground as Tigers sprang toward their bench in

celebration.

“I’m proud of my guys,” said Douglass, whose team fell to 6-5,

1-3, but may have taken a big step toward the potential initiated by

the five-game winning streak that has now turned into three straight

losses. “That’s the best we’ve played for 40 minutes, in terms of

staying in our offense. It’s a tough loss, but that’s the way league

play is. We took another step in the development of our club and how

we have to play in this conference.”

Thomason was also impressed by the Anteaters’ effort.

“[UC Irvine] played great,” Thomason said. “Yango is a great

shooter from 15-16 feet and he made it. We had three possessions in

the end when we had to score twice and get a stop and we did it.

That’s as hard as we’ve played on the road all year.”

UCI junior guard Ross Schraeder scored 13 first-half points,

including three three-pointers. But he was held scoreless after

intermission and took just one shot, a three-pointer, in the second

half.

Maraker had 14 points for the winners, who received a career-high

14 points from junior reserve guard Johnny Gray. Gray, a junior

college transfer, had scored just 22 points in 10 previous

appearances, but was 5 of 7 from the field, including 4 of 5 from

beyond the arc.

“[Pacific] had some easy buckets and shot [53.1%] for the game [26

of 49, including 7 of 15 from threedom],” Douglass said.

“We missed some nice shots [down the stretch]. If one of those

goes in, we’re not talking about what ifs.”

Big West Conference

Pacific 67, UC Irvine 65

Pacific -- Maraker 14, Newton 0, Yango 9, Doubley 9, Mihailovic 4,

Gray 14, Webb 7, Korajkic 6, Kemper 4.

3-pt. goals -- Gray 4, Mihailovic 1, Doubley 1, Webb 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

UC Irvine -- Fells 8, Ethington 8, Fitzgerald 19, Schraeder 13,

Gloger 4, Campbell 9, Metelski 4.

3-pt. goals -- Schraeder 3, Fitzgerald 3, Campbell 2.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- Pacific, 35-32.