Anteaters suffer big setback

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The UC Irvine men’s basketball team is at full strength, but that doesn’t mean the Anteaters are not still going through some pain.

Call them, growing pains.

UCI dropped its sixth straight road loss of the season, falling, 65-53, to DePaul in front of 7,752 at the Blue Demons’ Allstate Arena on Wednesday night.

The Anteaters (4-7), who had Nic Campbell and Mark Kelly out earlier this season because of injuries, were without any hurt players on Wednesday.

But the Blue Demons’ pressure combined with UCI’s youth proved to be the Anteaters’ demise.

Chuma Awaji, a junior college transfer who scored a career-high 15 points in UCI’s 70-62 win over Sam Houston State Saturday, was held scoreless.

Junior Darren Fells tied his carer high with five assists, yet committed a game-high five turnovers. Campbell, still a reserve, and Kelley, who started, scored 10 points each to lead UCI.

DePaul’s senior guard Sammy Mejia scored a game-high 15 points. He also grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Anteaters, down 17-8 midway through the first half, went on a 12-0 run culminated by a Kelley three-pointer to take a 20-17 lead with 5:57 left in the opening half. DePaul then scored 15 unanswered points to lead 34-22 at the half.

The Blue Demons (7-5) built a 20-point lead three times in the second half, the last coming at 64-44 on a layup by Karron Clarke with 2:40 left.

UCI shot 39% from the field, while DePaul hit 41%.

“The last four minutes of the first half got away from us,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said in a press release. “Playing an athletic team like that on the road, we knew it would be difficult, but I thought we would give them a better game.

“I was very disappointed with our effort. We didn’t get to our spots offensively and even though at times it looked like we could give them a game, we did not respond to DePaul’s intensity.”

UCI remains in Chicago to face Loyola University (8-4) Friday night at 5:00.

Nonconference

DePaul 65,

UC Irvine 53

UC Irvine -- Kelley 10, Sanders 9, Templeton 5, Fells 8, Hunter 7, Campbell 10, DeCasas 2, Gieler 2.

3-pt. goals -- Campbell 2, Kelley 1, Sanders 1, Templeton 1, Hunter 1.

DePaul -- Clarke 8, Chandler 14, Thompson 2, Mejia 15, Walker 9, Currie 5, Burns 10, Clinkscales 2.

3-pt. goals -- Burns 2, Clarke 1, Chandler 1, Mejia 1, Walker 1, Currie 1.

Halftime -- 34-22, DePaul.