Irvine Comes Close, but Sets Mark for Futility

GOLETA —  Anthony Delacruz thought he was going to be mobbed by his teammates for ending UC Irvine’s two-season-long, 15-game losing streak and keeping this year’s edition of the Anteaters out of the record books.

“I thought I had a good look,” Delacruz said. “I thought it was in. It felt straight.”

It was straight, but Delacruz’s 17-foot baseline jumper hit the side of the rim and bounded away, giving Irvine its school-record 16th consecutive loss, a 56-55 heartbreaker Saturday night at UC Santa Barbara.

The Anteaters (0-13, 0-4 in the Big West Conference this season) led most of the game and had a 55-49 lead with 2 minutes 7 seconds left when UCSB’s defense started to clamp down and Gaucho forward Kealon Wallace awoke from his slumber.

Wallace scored the Gauchos’ last seven points. His final basket, a turnaround five-foot jumper, gave UCSB a 56-55 with 31 seconds left.

Irvine tried to ride Lamarr Parker (17 points, six rebounds) on its last possession, but Parker had the ball knocked away twice by UCSB guard Les Bean, the last time with 4.7 seconds left.

“That part of the game, I didn’t expect the refs to make a call,” Parker said. “I’d like a call, but I figured the refs would let the players decide it.”

Parker didn’t have much luck with referees a minute earlier either. It appeared as if he had been fouled on a drive with 1:20 left. One official called traveling and another called a foul, but referee Jim Stupin ruled the traveling came before the foul and awarded the ball to UCSB, with the Gauchos’ trailing, 55-51.

“I thought it was the biggest call of the game,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “But Jim Stupin is as good a ref as there is in the country and I’m not going to criticize him, but it was a big call.”

Irvine took its second halftime lead of the season, 32-26, by getting 21 points from guards Juma Jackson and Parker. Parker scored 11 by continually beating UCSB point guard Les Bean off the dribble and converting layups over the Gauchos’ frontline.

Jackson scored 10 points on five-of-nine shooting. After Irvine fell behind, 16-13, Jackson keyed a 10-0 run with a vicious dunk over UCSB’s 6-9 forward Josh Merrill.

The Anteaters led by six points most of the second half, but could not put the Gauchos away. Wallace said his team was not about to become Irvine’s first victim.

“No one wants to be the first to lose to Irvine,” he said.

Parker said he was proud, but disappointed.

“That’s the best game we’ve played all year,” he said. “I’m mad that we didn’t win, but I’m happy everybody dedicated themselves to winning this time.”

No one may have been more dedicated than Wendell Robinson in the last 10 minutes. Robinson grabbed every big rebound and sank every big point while the Anteaters tried to hang on to their lead. He finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks. His six-foot leaning jumper with 45 seconds left that went all the way down and rimmed out could have given Irvine a 57-54 lead.

“That the best game he’s played since the first of the season,” Baker said. “We challenged him to rebound the basketball in the second half, and he was disciplined enough to take the shots we got him.”

Baker said his team is making progress.

“We’ve had enough energy and focus since we’ve been playing in the conference,” he said. “We’ve been getting better but not good enough to win.”