Cold UC Irvine Gets Buried by Fresno State Defense, 53-48

FRESNO--Whether it’s the arena or its inhabitants, it just isn’t easy to win basketball games at Selland Arena. This is the place the locals call Grant’s Tomb . . . where opponents come to get buried.

It happened again Thursday night. Fresno State beat UC Irvine, 53-48, in front of 10,132, mostly red-clad spectators.

Marvin Carter and Leo Walker hit four free throws in the final 34 seconds to enable the Bulldogs to hold a lead that, once so secure, turned precarious.

Fresno State is 2-1 in Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. play, 9-5 overall. UCI is 6-6, 2-1.

As badly as things went for UCI, the Anteaters actually had an opportunity to take the lead midway through the second half and trailed by only one point with 43 seconds to play.

Guard Joe Buchanan threw up an ill-advised, off-balance shot in the lane with Fresno leading, 49-46. But, typical of this generally wacky game, Buchanan’s shot went in, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 49-48.

UCI pressed on the ensuing inbound pass and forward Rick Ciaccio, who came into the game when Murphy fouled out, fouled Carter in the backcourt with 34 seconds remaining. Carter made both ends of a one-and-one to give Fresno a 51-48 lead.

Following a Fresno timeout, UCI forward Wayne Englestad missed an 18-footer from the left wing with 13 seconds left, ending any hopes the Anteaters had of snapping their nine-game losing streak in this arena.

Ciaccio fouled Walker on the rebound, and Fresno’s sophomore guard made both ends of the one-and-one with 10 seconds left to provide the final margin.

UCI became the 17th straight PCAA team to lose in Selland Arena. The Bulldogs have lost here only six times in the last four seasons.

Said UCI Coach Bill Mulligan: “We lost our poise. Of course, if you’re going to lose it, this is the place you’d lose it.”

Mulligan wasn’t the only coach speaking of lost poise when this game was over. Grant was called for technical fouls twice in the second half, and both were key moments in UCI’s comeback attempt. The technicals sent Scott Brooks to the free-throw line. Brooks, who entered the game as the NCAA’s leader in free-throw percentage, made all four free throws after the Grant outbursts.

“It could have happened,” Grant said. “I could have definitely lost the game with my lack of poise.”

It was an emotional game for Grant. The ninth-year Bulldog coach was involved in a finger-pointing discussion with UCI assistant coach Mike Bokosky that carried over after the final buzzer.

“I felt like he was off the bench pointing at me while he was talking to an official,” Grant said. “If Bill Mulligan wants to say something, that’s fine. But that’s not (Bokosky’s) job.”

Bokosky chose his words carefully when trying to explain his side of the incident, saying he was arguing that a foul should have been called against Fresno on a play in front of the Bulldogs’ bench.

“I’ve always respected Boyd Grant,” he said. “He’s done a great job in this town. He’s given this town something to be proud of.

“I think it was just a misunderstanding on Boyd’s part.” Was all of this--the technicals and the incident with Bokosky--just a ploy on Grant’s part to incite the Red Wave? Grant said that was definitely not the case.

“I never get a technical foul on the basis of psychology,” he said. “I’ve never tried to use that.”

What Grant has always tried to use is a defense that gives the illusion that the Bulldogs have seven players on the court at once. Real or imagined, it worked against UCI.

The Anteaters came into the game leading the PCAA in field goal percentage. They left it wondering how their shooting touches abandoned them for the second straight time in this seemingly innocent little arena named after a former Fresno mayor.

Irvine attempted 54 shots from the field. Only 14 of those went in. That works out to 25.9%. That was enough to leave Mulligan’s face as red as a Bulldog booster jacket. But there was plenty more.

Senior forward Tod Murphy, who came into the game leading UCI scorers at an average of 22.7 points per game, had 4 points before fouling out with 1:55 to play. He was 0 of 6 from the field. It was Murphy’s worst game since a six-point performance midway through last season. The opponent? Fresno State.

Johnny Rogers was 5 of 19 from the field and finished with 15 points.

The less-than-friendly environment certainly seemed to affect UCI in the first half. The Anteaters were scoreless for the first 5:34, shot 18.2% (4 of 22) from the field, and were fortunate to leave the floor with only a 23-17 deficit.

Rogers had 11 points in the first half, but he was the only Anteater to score until Murphy hit two free throws with 2:05 remaining. Outside of Rogers, the Anteaters were 0 for 14 from the floor in the first half. UCI cut Fresno’s lead to 20-17 with 16 seconds to play when Murphy hit both ends of a one-and-one. But Fresno padded the lead on its ensuing possession when Mitchell was left alone near the top of the key and made a three-point shot with three seconds left.