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.”
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