UCI rallies to stun Gauchos

SANTA BARBARA — Before the UC Irvine men’s basketball team could impose its physical will on host UC Santa Barbara Saturday night, the Anteaters had to get a little ... smaller.

So, down by 10 with 15:05 left, UCI Coach Pat Douglass went with a three-guard lineup that included 6-foot-1 Marcus McIntosh, 5-10 Michael Hunter and 6-0 Patrick Rembert.

The result was a startling 65-59 Big West Conference victory that is clearly the biggest of the season for the Anteaters, especially on the heels of a devastating one-point loss at Cal Poly two nights before and a 2-13 record in games not played on campus, coming in.

The victory moved UCI back into fifth place, one game behind fourth-place UCSB. And, after playing four straight conference road games, UCI has five of its final regular-season conference games on its campus, where UCI is 7-0 this season.

“We were still bitter about Thursday’s loss,” said McIntosh, whose career-high 16 points were the least of his contributions to help UCI improve to 10-13, 5-5 in conference. “We thought we should have won that [Cal Poly] game. But we put that behind us and concentrated on a split. Tonight’s game was big. We got down 10, but we just refused to lose. We just turned it on, man. I guess we just like playing like that … getting down a little bit and having to work extra hard to get back into the game.”

The visitors began their hard work on defense, helping trigger a 13-0 run that put them up, 50-47, with 9:47 left.

The spurt included a four-point sequence in which senior center Darren Fells scored while being fouled. He missed the ensuing free throw, but senior Patrick Sanders, who returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game with a hyperextended right knee, rebounded and laid the ball in.

The 13-point surge culminated in a three-point play by McIntosh, who was fouled while flying to the basket along the baseline, after receiving a diagonal pass from the key thrown by a penetrating Rembert.

The three-point play electrified the UCI bench, but it also motivated the Gauchos (17-6. 6-4), who got a three-point play from junior forward Chris Devine and a six-foot bank shot by Devine to regain a 52-50 advantage within 39 seconds of McIntosh’s three-point play.

With UCI ratcheting up its defensive intensity and UCSB going cold — the former having a largely causative effect on the latter — the Gauchos managed just two field goals, and seven points, in the final 9:07.

A Fells steal led to a McIntosh transition layin that broke a 52-52 tie with 7:18 left.

Leading, 55-54, Rembert made a huge three-pointer from the left corner to produce a 58-54 advantage.

After Big West scoring leader Alex Harris, who finished three of 12 from the field and two of eight from three-point range, missed a pair of foul shots, Sanders scored four straight points to put the visitors up, 62-54.

A three-pointer by UCSB’s Justin Joyner with 1:09 left — Joyner made four of six from beyond the arc on his way to a team-high 16 points — pulled the hosts (now, 9-3 at home) within 62-59 with 1:09 left.

But UCSB, which has now lost three straight to UCI, missed its final two three-point attempts and UCI cleared the rebounds and converted three of six foul shots in the final 54 seconds to hold on.

Douglass, who tied Bill Mulligan for most wins in Anteater coaching history with 163, credited the defense of Rembert and McIntosh for helping limit the Gauchos down the stretch. UCSB, which made 12 of 19 field-goal tries before halftime (63.2%), was just nine of 33 from the field after intermission (27.3%), and just four of 17 from three-point range (23.5%) in the second half.

“It was a dismal offensive performance the last 15 minutes,” UCSB Coach Bob Williams said. “We got happy with the three … And when the ball wasn’t going in, we stayed very dedicated to the three-point line, rather than having the toughness and resilience to go back inside.

“[The Anteaters] were tougher than us, more disciplined than us and, basically, wanted it more than we did, inside.”

Sanders was five of nine from the field and six for six from the foul line on his way to a game-high 18 points, though he said he injured knee was sore afterward.

Fells had nine points and 12 rebounds, while Rembert chipped in seven points, four rebounds and a team-high three assists.

McIntosh was six of nine from the field.

“[Rembert] came in and played his butt off,” Sanders said. “Marcus gave us exceptional defense, until he fouled out [with 1:47 left]. Those two gave us a really big lift.”

Added Douglass, “Our kids were excited with the win, as much as we’ve been all year. It’s a big win for this group.”

UCI’s aggressiveness also showed up in the foul shooting. The ’Eaters were 17 of 22 from the line, while UCSB was nine of 11. Only Harris and Devine shot free throws for the hosts.

“Statistically, this game was won at the foul line,” Williams said.

Douglass has a chance to become UCI’s winningest men’s basketball coach Thursday night when his Anteaters play host to Pacific, which is coached by his good friend and former Tigers teammate Bob Thomason.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 65, UC Santa Barbara 59

UCI – Sanders 18, Fells 9, McIntosh 16, Hunter 6, DeCasas 5, Rembert 7, Lauer 2, Bland 2.

3-pt. goals – Sanders 2, McIntosh 1, Hunter 1, DeCasas 1, Rembert 1.

Fouled out – McIntosh.

UCSB – Devine 15, Elliott 4, Harris 14, Joyner 16, Powell 6, Pajevic 4.

3-pt. goals – Joyner 4, Harris 2, Powell 2.

Fouled out – Devine.

Halftime – UCSB, 34-30.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected].