Anteaters reach new low in loss

Barry Faulkner

With host UC Riverside’s 72-54 Big West Conference win Saturday over

UC Irvine, it marked 28 days since the Anteaters have achieved a

men’s basketball victory.

In that time, three NBA teams have changed coaches, two

professional franchises have changed ownership and Janet Jackson has

become even more famous for a halftime act of infamy.

Infamy, in fact, is what this UCI squad is dribbling toward with

each successive loss in a winless streak that has now reached seven

games. None of those losses, however, were as lopsided as Saturday’s,

after which UCR students stormed the floor as if they had just made

the Little Dance, otherwise known as the Big West Conference

tournament.

Fact is, UCI, which after three straight 20-win seasons had vowed

to make this year’s Big Dance (NCAA tournament), moved dangerously

close to falling off the pace to be one of the 10-team conference’s

eight Big West tournament invitees.

The loss, which extended the second-longest losing streak of UCI

Coach Pat Douglass’ seven-year tenure at the school, the longest

since a 14-game skid during conference play in 1999, was the worst of

the season, surpassing a 15-point setback Jan. 10 at the University

of the Pacific.

It was the Anteaters’ worst loss in 48 games, dating back to a

94-57 drubbing at Stanford in the sixth game of last season.

It was UCI’s worst Big West loss since a 70-51 setback to New Mexico State in the first round of the 2000 conference tournament and

the worst regular-season conference loss since an 81-46 defeat at

Utah State that same season.

But, just as the UCR student rooters shouted several times during

the second half, during which the Anteaters led in the initial

minutes, Big West foes are justifiably anxious to “show no mercy.”

The Highlanders (8-12, 5-7 in conference) have been dealing with

problems of their own. They snapped a five-game losing streak with a

home win over Long Beach State Thursday. They had also lost seven

straight meetings with UCI and had dropped their last seven contests

shown on regional television.

What the Fox Sports Net 2 audience saw Saturday, along with the

863 in attendance, was a virtual second-half collapse by the

Anteaters.

After 7-foot senior center Adam Parada, scoreless the opening 20

minutes as Riverside claimed a 31-29 halftime advantage, scored his

team’s first five points after intermission, the visitors were up,

34-33, with 17:14 remaining.

But Riverside, which missed 7 of 18 free throws for its worst

night at the stripe all season (61.1%) in the 66-65 loss at UCI Jan.

15, made six straight foul shots to trigger a 9-0 run that helped put

the Highlanders in command for good. The hosts were 13 of 17 from the

line Saturday (76.5%), while UCI made just 7 of 16 (43.8%).

With Irvine amassing nine of its 16 turnovers in the second half,

and shooting just 40% after intermission (including 0 of 3 from

three-point range), and the hosts scoring inside, outside and in

transition, the lead swelled to 69-46, before Douglass eventually

emptied the bench.

“They pounded the ball into the post and we couldn’t defend it,”

Douglass said. “And when we went to the double-team, they kicked it

out and hit threes. We also went through a stretch where we didn’t

take good care of the ball. It basically came down to our

ineffectiveness scoring on them inside and their ability to score

inside against us.”

What it has come down to for UCI is a half-game edge on last-place

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the Big West standings with just five

conference games left for the Anteaters, including one against No.

19-ranked Utah State, which fell at fellow Big West leader University

of the Pacific Saturday, 64-60. UCI is tied with Long Beach State for

eighth place, one game behind seventh-place Cal State Northridge

after Saturday night’s conference schedule.

Sophomore guard Rickey Porter came off the bench to lead four

Highlanders in double figures with 15 points, including three of his

team’s seven three balls.

Sophomore forward Nate Carter chipped in 14 points and a game-high

12 boards for the hosts, who earned a 35-21 rebounding advantage.

Riverside starting guards Mark Peters and Ted Bell added 11 and 10

points, respectively, to give Coach John Masi something to brag

about.

“We defended and rebounded and did the little things you need to

win,” Masi said. “In the vernacular of the kids, we stopped being

cool and just played hard. While we were struggling, I think I’ve

told our guys 100 times to stay determined. We did that tonight.”

Determination is a theme Douglass will raise as his team prepares

for Wednesday’s home date against Long Beach State.

“We have to talk about how to play to be successful, find a way to

get back in sync and get back into the league tournament. We need to

have success to get back into the Big West tournament.”

Masi, speaking from experience with 25 years at the Highlander

helm, said UCI could turn it around quickly.

“When you’re not shooting the ball well, everything else seems to

go south,” Masi said of the Anteaters, who finished 21 of 48 from the field (40%). “[Reporters] were asking me [Feb. 7] after our fifth

straight loss, what we could do to break out of the losing streak. It

turned around for us this week and it can turn around for Irvine,

too. They’ve got some determined players, they’ll get it turned

around.”

Greg Ethington and Jeff Gloger paced UCI with 10 points apiece,

while Gloger added five assists, five steals and six turnovers, all

team highs. Gloger also had four rebounds, one off Parada’s

team-leading total.

ZOTS - Sophomore guard Mike Efevberha’s scoreless outing Thursday

at Cal State Fullerton was his first of the season and marked the

fourth time this season an Anteater starter had not scored. During

those efforts, the three bagel victims had attempted just three

field-goal tries, no free throws, and averaged 16 minutes ... UCI’s

loss Saturday dropped its road record to 1-8 this season ... After

Coach Pat Douglass lost 24 of his first 27 road games at the UCI

helm, he went on 29-12 road run, before starting a 1-9 road skein

with last season’s regular-season road finale ... This year’s single

road win (Jan. 8 at Cal State Northridge) is the second-lowest

single-season total during Douglass’ seven seasons. Only an 0-13 road

campaign in 1998-99 was worse ... In the four seasons preceding

2003-04, UCI averaged 7.5 road wins ... Riverside’s student rooters

have been tabbed Fanatic Braveheart Intimidators, allowing them an

acronym designed to mock that of UCI’s Completely Insane Anteaters

...UCI sophomore guard Jeff Gloger had five steals to give him 123

for his career. He now ranks No. 4 on the school’s all-time list,

having passed former Corona del Mar High standout Mike Hess (120)

Saturday ... Saturday marked the first action of the season for UCI

walk-ons J.R. Stephens, a junior, and senior Ryan Snook. Stephens got

a rebound in his three minutes.

*--*

Big West Conference

UC Riverside 72, UC Irvine 54

UC Irvine - Ethington 10, Parada 7, Efevberha 7, Gloger 10, Schraeder 8, Zuzak 6, Baskauskus 4, Hill 2. 3-pt. goal - Schraeder 2, Efevberha 1, Gloger 1, Ethington 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. UC Riverside - Carter 14, Butler 7, Morton 7,

Peters 11, Bell 10, Porter 15, Schille 8. 3-pt. goals - Porter 3, Bell 2, Peters 1, Butler 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. Halftime - UC Riverside, 31-29.

*--*