Anteaters Building off a win

Steve Virgen

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team, which earned a somewhat

emotional victory Saturday at Pepperdine, will open a two-game

homestand with Loyola Marymount tonight at 7.

The Anteaters’ 74-69 victory over Pepperdine, their first of the

season, served as a reminder of UCI’s capabilities and also of its

youth.

UCI outscored Pepperdine 8-0 in the final 83 seconds and then the

Waves hit a three-pointer with two seconds left.

In that span, the Anteaters featured redshirt freshman point guard

Jeff Gloger and Mike Efevberha, UCI’s lone true freshman who came off

the bench. The duo combined for 23 points.

Anteaters Coach Pat Douglass said the victory was obviously

important, not so much for the win column, but for the fact that it

will provide confidence for his younger players, including Gloger and

Efevberha (pronounced A-fee-bruh).

“We have a ways to go, but we have showed steady improvement each

week,” Douglass said.

“We need about eight games under our belt so that we can give

everyone experience. I have seen improvement with each guard, and

that has been a key for us.”

Douglass also said another challenge, perhaps bigger than

Saturday, will come tonight.

Loyola Marymont (3-2) also has young guards, yet it might be

tougher for UCI guards to penetrate because of the Lions’ big men in

the paint. Andy Osborn, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, leads LMU in

the post.

The Anteaters (1-2) will attempt to counter with junior 7-foot

center Adam Parada, who has struggled in his past two games by

getting into foul trouble. The Anteaters will also feature Stanislav

Zuzak, a junior forward who did not score against Pepperdine, and

senior Jordan Harris, as well as junior Matt Okoro, who will most

likely be in a reserve role.

Through three games, senior starting guard Mike Hood, who scored a

game-high 17 points Saturday, leads the Anteaters in scoring,

averaging 12.3 points per game.

DeVaughn Peace, a redshirt freshman guard who has been out with an

ankle injury the past three games, practiced Tuesday and might have

some playing time coming to him tonight.