UCI gets creative

MORAGA -- On the bus trip the day after UC Irvine’s demoralizing

84-57 loss at Stanford, men’s basketball coach Pat Douglass decided

to go with a hunch -- start UCI’s lone true freshman Mike Efevberha

against Saint Mary’s -- and it paid off.

Efevberha made the most of his first collegiate start and scored a

team-high 17 points to help lead the Anteaters to a 62-50 victory

over the Gaels at McKeon Pavilion on the Saint Mary’s campus Sunday.

“It was just kind of a hunch that I needed to go with Mike,”

Douglass said. “Mike Efevberha’s start was a big lift for us. It got

us off to a good start. And, Jeff Gloger’s ball-hawking defense and

the pressure he applies defensively was a key. Then our ability to go

to the foul line and shoot 85% for the game was really a key

considering we weren’t making our buckets. To shoot 33% from the

field that’s not our normalcy.”

Efevberha (pronounced Uh-fee-bruh) scored 12 points in the first

half, setting the tone for the game, along with teammates Greg

Ethington (seven points), Matt Okoro (four), Jeff Gloger (four) and

Jordan Harris (10).

“I was kind of surprised (to start),” said Efevberha, who was 4 of

9 from the field, which included two first-half three-pointers. “I

looked at it as an opportunity to show coach what I can do. I wanted

to play my hardest and help the team win this game.”

Ethington and Okoro also started for the first time this season

and played aggressive in the post, while Gloger applied pressure in

the backcourt, recording a game-high five steals.

Efevberha started in place of senior Mike Hood, Ethington was

starting, while Adam Parada came off the bench, and Okoro took the

place of junior forward Stanislav Zuzak.

“We wanted to come out and play better post defense than we’ve

been playing,” Douglass said of his decision to start Ethington and

Okoro, instead of Parada and Zuzak. “I knew (Daniel) Kickert was

their leading scorer. I thought we did a better job of denying him

the ball. Even though Adam didn’t start, he fouled out, so that means

he still has the silly fouls. It’s kind of hard to depend on him

being our main threat if he’s going to be constantly in foul trouble.

He needs to continue to improve in defense, and be a little more

fundamental in not committing ticky-tack fouls.”

Parada, the Anteaters’ leading scorer, contributed a season-low

two points and fouled out with 8:18 remaining, and UCI up, 46-37.

Overall, he saw just eight minutes of play.

Saint Mary’s forward Chase Poole converted on the free throws, and

less than a minute later, Kickert nailed a three-pointer to bring the

Gaels (5-4) within, 46-42, which capped a 13-4 run.

But the Anteaters (4-3) outscored Saint Mary’s, 8-2 over the next

four and a half minutes to take a commanding 54-44 lead with 2:47

left. Efevberha and Harris hit two free throws each, while Hood

knocked down a baseline jumper and Zuzak scored down low to give UCI

the edge.

Then, with 1:56 left, Ethington made a deft up-and-under post move

in the paint and finished with the lay-in on two defenders for a

56-45 lead. Gloger and Hood made two free throws each down the

stretch to help secure the win.

“The key was the free throws and the tenacity,” Douglass said.

“Even though

we were struggling offensively, we weren’t going to quit. We were

going to find a way to come out on top. I was really proud of the

total effort by everyone.”

UCI displayed physical and aggressive play from the outset, which

helped the Anteaters gain control of the game, Saint Mary’s Coach

Randy Bennett said.

The ‘Eaters gained a 17-7 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes and

maintained the 10-point edge through the rest of the half.

“Their physical play inside bothered us and we didn’t adjust to

it,” Bennett said. “They were physical and we didn’t match it. We

knew they would come back hard after losing to Stanford. They have

some pride.”

Saint Mary’s, led by Kickert’s 19 points, was without senior

starting point guard Samuel Saint-Jean. Bennett said Saint-Jean’s

quad injury had an effect on the game, but his loss was no excuse.

UCI will return to action Saturday at 7:05 p.m. when the Anteaters

host Indiana-Purdue, Fort Wayne.

It’s the first of a two-game homestand. Two nights later, on

Monday, the Anteaters host Florida Atlantic in a 7:35 start.

NONCONFERENCE

UCI 62, St. Mary’s 50

UCI -- Gloger 4, Harris 10, Efevberha 17, Okoro 4,

Ethington 7, Peace 0, Zuzak 8, Schraeder 4, Hood 6, Baskauskas 0,

Parada 2.

3-pt. goals -- Harris 2, Efevberha 2, Ethington

1.

Fouled out -- Parada.

St. Mary’s -- Poole 7, Caporn 2, Kickert 19, Herr 2,

Woodards 9, Benson 4, O’Hara 0, Sanders 0, Adjiwanou 7.

3-pt. goals -- Kickert 1, Adjiwanou 1.

Fouled out -- Caporn.

Halftime -- UCI, 33-24.

ZOTS -- UCI is now 3 and 0 against West Coast Conference

teams this season (Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and the Gaels) ...

UCI shot 33.3% from the field, yet held Saint Mary’s to 37.2%. This

after Stanford shot 67.4% from the field Thursday ... Douglass was

very pleased with Efevberha’s performance, yet reminded the media,

this is one game. “He’s a freshman,” Douglass said of Efevberha.

“He’s got a lot of confidence. He has a natural touch to be a scorer.

But he’s a freshman.”