UCI trying to bounce back at the expense of Riverside

Steve Virgen

Champions are sometimes determined by how they respond to

adversity. That’s what they say in the sports world, and that’s the

challenge in front of the UC Irvine men’s basketball team, which lost

66-65 in overtime to Cal State Fullerton after Ralphy Holmes

completed a three-point play with three-tenths of a second left

Wednesday. The Anteaters will now face host UC Riverside in a Big

West Conference matchup tonight at 7.

Though the Highlanders are 2-7, 1-2 in the Big West and is not

eligible to compete in the Big West Tournament, UCI Coach Pat

Douglass expects UCR to be competitive, mainly because of freshman

sensation Nate Carter. The Highlanders moved from NCAA Division II

and were not permitted to compete in the conference tourney for two

years. They will be eligible for the Big West Tournament next season.

“He’s one of the premier players in the conference, even as a

freshman,” Douglass said of Carter, a 6-foot-7 swingman who scored a

game-high 25 points to lead the Highlanders to a 77-73 win over

visiting Long Beach State Thursday.

Carter, who has scored 55 points in UCR’s past two games, is

averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game. He is tops in the Big

West, thus far, with a 20.5 ppg. average in conference games. He’s

one of the reasons for the Highlanders’ excitement for the future, as

1,711 fans showed up at the UCR Student Recreation Center Thursday.

“Their team and their school is excited about being in Division I

basketball,” Douglass said. “I’m sure at the end of the season they

realize that they are not going to the Big West Tournament. But, I

think everyone is excited about what’s coming next year.”

For UC Irvine (7-4, 1-1), Douglass said 7-0 junior center Adam

Parada was an offensive threat Thursday and will start again tonight.

Parada, who scored a game-high 25 points Thursday, had not started

the previous four games. Parada leads the UCI in scoring and

rebounding at 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He is shooting

67.1% from the field to lead the Big West and in the last three games

he has scored 50 points. He is 20 of 26 (.792) from the field in the

last three games.

Douglass said Parada has not totally arrived as a complete player,

though he is perhaps UCI’s best player.

“He had some defensive lapses (Thursday),” Douglass said of

Parada. “He played well offensively. Defensively he needs to continue

to improve.”

Douglass said he was also impressed with freshman Ross Schraeder’s

performance Thursday. Schraeder scored 14 points off the bench,

including a three-pointer with 1:43 left in overtime that gave UCI a

64-62 lead.

After Wednesday’s game, Douglass said he was disappointed with his

veterans’ play.

“Our veterans didn’t step up,” said Douglass, who has utilized six

different starting lineups this season. “They need to step up.”

UCI freshman point guard Jeff Gloger is first No. 1 in steals in

the Big West with 3.45 steals per game. Junior forward Matt Okoro,

who has started the last five games, has pulled down 29 rebounds (5.8

average) in that span with a season-high eight in the win over

Florida Atlantic.

Among UCR Coach John Masi’s staff is Tod Murphy, a former UCI

standout. Murphy, who is the second all-time leading scorer at UCI,

is in his second season with the Highlanders.