Road woes go on

Barry Faulkner

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team left one losing streak behind

this week, but another, like host New Mexico State Saturday

afternoon, keeps nipping notoriously at the Anteaters’ heels.

The Aggies (12-12) came from behind to earn a 69-64 victory in

front of 4,582 at the Pan American Center as part of 23 Bracket

Buster Saturday games designed to spotlight mid-major Division I

programs.

The loss extended UCI’s road losing streak to seven games and

dropped the Anteaters (10-14) to 1-9 on the road this season.

UCI, which halted a seven-game losing skid with a Big West

Conference win over visiting Long Beach State Wednesday, scored the

first 10 points and led by as many as 12, before settling for a 35-32

halftime advantage.

The ‘Eaters remained on top, much to the dismay of the local

rooters, through first 11 minutes of the second period, as a

Stanislav Zuzak three-pointer with 11:36 left put the visitors up,

55-47.

But UCI, which has led or been tied after halftime in all nine

road losses this season, then surrendered a 14-0 run that included

three Aggie three-pointers, the last the seventh of the game for

junior guard Allen Haynes, who had a team-high 22 points.

UCI senior center Adam Parada, who made 8 of 10 field-goal

attempts and was 7 of 8 from the foul line to produce a game-high 23

points, netted two foul shots with 5:15 left. The free throws ended

UCI’s scoreless streak at nearly 6 1/2 minutes and pulled the

visitors to within 61-57.

After Zuzak hit two more free throws, sophomore point guard Jeff

Gloger drained an 18-foot jumper to knot things at 61, ending UCI’s

span without a field goal at 7:38.

UCI twice had possession with a chance to regain the lead, but a

turnover and a blocked shot by 6-foot-8 James Moore on the 7-0 Parada

inside thwarted UCI’s attempts to take the lead.

A second-chance layin by senior reserve guard Gary Jackson with

2:08 to play began a 6-0 Aggies’ run that helped them defeat their

former Big West rival for the 14th time in 16 meetings at the Pan

American Center.

Zuzak missed a three-point try on the possession following

Jackson’s layup, then, after a Moore layup on an inbounds pass that

followed a miss from threedom by the Aggies, Zuzak was stripped

inside and the hosts’ Casey Crooks converted the resulting breakaway

layup for a 67-61 edge.

After a Zuzak miss from 16 feet, a Matt Okoro steal gave UCI

another chance to close the lead. But Zuzak, perhaps mindful of the

10 New Mexico State blocked shots to that point, missed a left-handed

layup with 20 seconds left.

UCI’s Ross Schraeder canned a three ball with 10 seconds left, after a missed Aggie free throw, and Moore missed another front end

of a one-and-one with seven ticks on the clock. But the rebound was

tipped outside to Jackson, who then hit two free throws to clinch the

victory.

“We had two or three opportunities to make layups down the

stretch, but we couldn’t make them,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said. “It

was our ballgame. We just didn’t take the bull by the horns and win

the game.” Douglass praised the offensive production of Parada and

Zuzak, whose 16 points were his best total in nine games.

“I think that [first] half was the first time we’ve had Adam and

Stan play well in the same half all season,” Douglass said. “I think

that showed the type of team we might have been, had both of those

guys played like we figured they could.” Haynes’ seven three balls

tied his career high and more than doubled his previous season high

(three).

“[Haynes] was the key,” said New Mexico State Coach Lou Henson,

who pocketed his 774th career Division I victory.

“The coaches told me before the game to let it fly and I had no

problem with that,” said Haynes, who was 7 of 10 beyond the arc.

*--*

Nonconference

New Mexico State 69, UC Irvine 64

UC Irvine - Ethington 0, Parada 23, Efevberha 10, Gloger 8, Schraeder 5, Zuzak 16, Okoro 2. 3-pt. goal - Zuzak 3, Efevberha 2, Schraeder 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. New Mexico State - Moore 11, Felder 0, Crooks 9, Haynes 22, Davis 7, John

11, Frazier 9 . 3-pt. goals - Haynes 7, Crooks 1, Davis 1, John 1, Jackson 1. Fouled out - None. Technicals - None. Halftime - UCI, 35-32.

*--*