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.
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