Fullerton knocks UCI into eighth

Barry Faulkner

If a sixth straight loss Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton

prompted some heavy head-scratching in UC Irvine’s postgame locker

room, Titans’ Coach Bob Burton wasn’t much help either diagnosing

just what has gone wrong for the Anteaters.

“They looked pretty good to me, they really did,” said Burton,

whose team (8-12, 4-7 in the Big West Conference) jumped ahead of the

Anteaters (9-12, 4-8), in the conference standings. “They could

easily have won this game.”

But not much has come easily for Coach Pat Douglass’ group, since

a 74-67 home win over Fullerton Jan. 17 improved the ‘Eaters to 4-2

in Big West play. Thursday’s setback, UCI’s seventh in eight road

games this season, dropped it into an eighth-place tie with Long

Beach State, in a league that will send only eight teams to its

postseason conference tournament March 10-13. UCI remains a half-game

ahead of last-place Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with six conference

games remaining.

“I can’t focus on that,” Douglass said of the losing streak, the

second-longest of his seven-season tenure, topped only by a 14-game

skid in the 1999 conference campaign. “I thought our kids played hard

tonight. When you’re not winning, sometimes the ball takes funny

bounces. I think we’re a little snake-bit right now.”

The Anteaters, for the most part, hid their fangs Thursday,

committing a season-high 27 turnovers and breaking down, offensively,

in the final minute, to allow Fullerton to celebrate on its home

floor for the sixth time in 11 tries this season.

“[The Titans] did a good job of pressuring us and our ball

handling left a lot to be desired,” Douglass said. “But [the hosts]

did an excellent job. They aren’t known for hitting a lot of

three-pointers, but they buried some big ones tonight.”

Fullerton drilled 13 of 20 three-point tries, including six by

freshman guard Bobby Brown, who led the winners with 24 points off

the bench, 21 after intermission.

Fullerton used the three ball to build an early lead, but after

Yaphett King connected from beyond the arc to give the Titans a 29-22

advantage with 6:51 left in the first half, they went scoreless into

intermission.

The Fullerton shooting lapse, aided by an Irvine defense

spearheaded by seniors Aras Baskauskas and Matt Okoro, helped the

Anteaters claim a 30-29 halftime edge.

UCI picked up in the second half where it left off in the first,

scoring the first five points of the period, while extending the

Titans’ scoring drought to 9:24.

After Fullerton’s Bron Groomes powered in a layup to pull the

hosts within 35-31, UCI scored six straight to claim a 10-point

cushion. But Jeff Gloger’s reverse layup was followed by 6:37 without

an Irvine field goal, leaving Fullerton, specifically Brown, a window

from which to bomb away at the Irvine lead.

Brown, who opened the season red hot for the Titans, but has lost

his starting point guard job and struggled in recent weeks, connected

from threedom to cut the Fullerton deficit to 47-46 with 10:41 left.

After two Irvine turnovers, Brown connected again from beyond the

arc for a 49-47 lead with 9:21 left.

Irvine, with four points from junior Greg Ethington, making his

third start of the season, and three points from freshman reserve

Mark Hill, found another 8-0 run to take a 55-49 lead with 5:35 left.

Senior Zakee Smith was fouled attempting a three and netted all

three free throws, then Fullerton made its next four field goals

three-pointers, including three by Brown, the last Brown bomb

breaking a 61-61 deadlock with 1:33 left.

UCI senior center Adam Parada, who outplayed post rival Pape Sow

(a season-low four points on 2 of 8 shooting, before fouling out with

1:08 remaining), sank a pair of free throws to pull the ‘Eaters

within one.

But Anthony Bolton buried two foul shots with 41 seconds left and

Fullerton scored the final four points from there, with Brown adding

the exclamation point with a dunk in the final second.

“We were back in action tonight,” Burton said. “That was fun, a

great game for us.” When asked if he could put a finger on why Irvine

has suddenly walked into the competitive desert, Burton reflected on

the his encounters with the Anteaters.

“The first time we played them, they took us out of everything we

did. I think they just need to get some confidence. But I don’t know

what that is going to take for Pat.”

Parada had a team-high 16 points, including 6 of 8 free throws,

while Ethington (12 points) and Gloger (10) joined him in double

figures.

“I thought Adam played well,” Douglass said of his center, who had

six rebounds, one off Gloger’s team high. “And I thought Gloger [who

added four assists and three steals to his five turnovers in 40

minutes] played an outstanding game. [Gloger] played his heart out.”

Whether there is much heart left in the Anteaters remains to be

seen, as they try to find a solution Saturday afternoon at UC

Riverside.

UCI finished 21 of 37 from the field (56.8%) and outrebounded the

Titans, 33-25.

Fullerton was only 11 of 40 inside the three-point arc, but shot

65% from threedom to finish 40% from the field.

ZOTS - The trip to North Orange County was too arduous for most of

the UCI fans, as only four yellow T-shirts, worn by the Completely

Insane Anteaters’ student rooting section, were among the 1,612 in

attendance Thursday ... The 27 turnovers were three more than UCI’s

previous season high. The Anteaters had 24 in losses to Illinois

Chicago and Long Beach State ... Jeff Gloger’s three steals moved him

to within two of Corona del Mar High product Mike Hess for No. 4 on

the school’s all-time list ... Fullerton upped its series lead with

UCI to 41-36, but was only the second Titan victory in the last nine

meetings with the Anteaters ... Fullerton center Pape Sow missed the

only free throw he attempted Thursday. He came into the game leading

the Big West Conference in free-throw attempts(161, nearly 50 more

than the player with the second most) ... With 16 points, Adam Parada

needs five to move into the top 10 on the UCI scoring list ...UCI

senior Stanislav Zuzak did not start for the second straight game.

With senior Matt Okoro not starting for the first time in seven

games, the Anteaters used their eighth different starting five of the

season ...The Anteaters complete the two-game road swing Saturday at

UC Riverside. Tipoff is 3:05 p.m. and the game will be televised on

Fox Sports Net 2. UCI defeated the Highlanders, 66-65, Jan. 15 when

Mike Efevberha hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to finalize

the scoring.

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Big West Conference

Cal State Fullerton 70, UC Irvine 63

UC Irvine - Ethington 12, Parada 16, Efevberha 0, Gloger 10, Schraeder 5, Zuzak 7, Campbell 6, Baskauskus 4, Hill 3. 3-pt. goal - Schraeder 1, Campbell 1, Zuzak 1, Ethington 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. Cal State Fullerton - King 11, Groomes

4, Sow 4, Bolton 13, Smith 9, Brown 24, Asprilla 3, Pruitt 2. 3-pt. goals - Brown 6, Bolton 3, Smith 2, Asprilla 1, King 1. Fouled out - Sow, King. Technicals - None. Halftime - UCI, 30-29.

*--*