Efevberha pitch

Barry Faulkner

In the absence of instant replay, there was only instant

gratification for UC Irvine, after sophomore guard Mike Efevberha

sank a three-pointer near the top of the key with 2.6 seconds left.

The shot gave the Anteaters a dramatic 66-65 Big West Conference

men’s basketball victory Thursday over visiting UC Riverside in front

of 2,083.

Along with disappointment for the Highlanders, there may also

linger some controversy around the game-winning shot, which helped

UCI (8-6, 3-2 in the Big West), take sole possession of third place

in the conference with its second late game-winner this season.

“It was a clutch shot,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass said of Efevberha’s

disputed three ball. “That’s the type of shot that makes your

season.”

If that is true, it can also break a season and Riverside (5-7,

2-2) was likely swallowing hard over the game’s final bucket. The

three ball extended the Highlanders’ road losing streak to eight

games, dating back to last season, and made it seven straight losses

against the Anteaters.

“I was surprised it was a three,” said UCI senior Stanislav Zuzak,

who paced the winners with 21 points. Efevberha also expressed some

doubt about the distance of the game-winner, though he was completely

unconflicted by its result.

“When I was in the air, I didn’t hear anything,” said the team’s

leading scorer, who finished with 16 points to help erase the stigma

of an 0-for-7 field-goal-shooting performance in Saturday’s road loss

to the University of the Pacific. He was 0 for 5 Saturday from

threedom. “It was just me and the basket. It’s a moment I’ve always

wished for. After a tough game at UOP, this was great.”

Efevberha, who lifted his season scoring average to 13.1 per game,

was one of several options on the fateful possession, according to

Douglass, who watched his 6-foot-5 standout pass the ball to Adam

Parada for a game-winning layin with two seconds left against

Princeton Dec. 5.

“Jeff [Gloger] could have driven to the bucket, we had Ross

[Schraeder] spotted up in the corner and we posted up Adam [Parada],”

Douglass said of the final play, which he set up during a timeout

with 10.9 ticks remaining.

“I have confidence in Mike to take that shot. He’s our leading

scorer.”

Efevberha was confident, but also admitted to some apprehension.

“It was so nerve-wracking,” he said of the final offensive

possession, which stood up when Riverside senior Kevin Butler missed

an off-balance, one-handed three-point try at the buzzer.

When I came off the double screen [set by the 7-0 Parada and the

6-11 Zuzak] I heard ‘switch’, so I knew someone would be jumping at

me. I wanted to pump fake to get [the defender] in the air, then go

up.”

Efevberha appeared to shuffle his feet during the pump fake, which

may have prompted a traveling call. Where his feet wound up at

liftoff, may also be talked about for some time.

UC Riverside Coach John Masi expressed doubt about whether

Efevberha was behind the three-point line.

Even the UCI camp was not completely convinced.

“When he released it, I didn’t think it was a three,” UCI

assistant coach Todd Lee said.

Though it was the heroics of a sophomore that proved most pivotal,

it was some long-anticipated senior leadership that rescued the

Anteaters after their 33-23 halftime lead turned into a 48-47 deficit

midway through the second half.

Including the final basket of the first half, Zuzak and fellow

senior Parada scored 19 of UCI’s 25 points, spanning into the final

7:17 of the contest.

Zuzak, who hit a three-pointer to open the scoring, had nine

points in the first 4:01 and had 13 points at the half, more than his

11.5 per-game average. Zuzak wound up 8 of 11 from the field, with

two of his misses coming on his four three-point attempts. He also

chipped in four rebounds and two steals.

Parada, whose one point against UOP was his worst output in 81

games, dating back to his freshman season, had just three points

before halftime, sitting out 11 of the first 20 minutes.

“Adam was struggling to guard [6-8 junior center Vili Morton],”

Douglass said of benching his starting center. “But I thought he

responded well in the second half.”

Parada scored seven of his 11 second-half points from the foul

line and finished with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocked

shots.

After Riverside took its first lead, 48-47, with 10:01 left in the

game, the lead changed hands 10 more times. There were also seven

ties in the game, which Riverside appeared to control with some

strong inside play by 6-7 forward Nate Carter, the Big West Freshman

of the Year last season and the Highlanders’ leading scorer coming in

(14.6 ppg).

Carter’s layin with 5:15 left gave the visitors a 60-57 lead and

his layup with 2:12 remaining knotted the score at 62.

After a UCI turnover, UCI regained possession, but Butler stripped

Aras Baskauskas near midcourt and coverted the steal for a dunk and a

64-62 lead with 1:15 left.

A Butler free throw upped the lead to 65-63 with 12 seconds left, but he missed the bonus, allowing UCI, and Efevberha, an opening.

ZOTS -- The national anthem was performed by the vocal group “Stay

Tuned,” which included Theresa Carey, the mother of UCI senior guard

Aras Bakauskas ... UCI junior Greg Ethington, sidelined the previous

four games by an academic issue, had four points, three rebounds, an

assist and a steal in his first Big West appearance. He also provided

energy with frequent diving deflections of post-entry passes ...

Former Anteater star and NBA player Bob Thornton watched Thursday’s

game from courtside. He is a scout for the Chicago Bulls ... UCI will

announce six starters before Saturday’s 1:05 p.m. home game against

Cal State Fullerton. The extra man will be 7-year-old Jeremy Wilfer,

who underwent heart surgery in 2001, thanks to about $45,000 raised

for his care by the Kids Helping Kids program. Area school children,

as well as Orange County police and firefighters, all of whom

contribute to the program, will also be recognized as part of

Celebrate Youth Day festivities.

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Big West Conference

UC Irvine 66, UC Riverside 65

UC Riverside - Carter 16, Morton 9, Porter 10, Butler 9, Peters 5, Schille 8, Jobe 5, Bell 3. 3-pt. Goals -- Porter 2, Peters 1, Bell 1. Fouled out -- Jobe, Morton. Technicals -- None. UC Irvine -- Zuzak 21, Hill 0, Parada 14, Efevberha 16, Gloger 5,

Okoro 4, Ethington 4, Baskauskas 2. 3-pt. goals -- Efevberha 2, Zuzak 2. Fouled out -- None. Technicals -- None. Halftime -- UCI, 33-23.

*--*