Gloger’s shot wins it

Barry Faulkner

In the face of mounting losses and diminishing hopes for a season

that began with great promise, the UC Irvine men’s basketball team

found enough big baskets to secure a rather significant victory

Thursday night.

Having lost eight of their last nine, their second-leading scorer

-- sophomore guard Mike Efevberha, suspended Wednesday for violating

team rules -- and no less than a 20-point lead against visiting

Idaho, the Anteaters earned a 65-63 win on a buzzer-beating, 16-foot

jumper by sophomore point guard Jeff Gloger.

The win improved UCI to 11-14, 6-9 in conference, propelling it

out of a three-way tie for sixth into sole possession of sixth with

three conference games remaining.

The ‘Eaters are two full games up on cellar-dwelling Long Beach

State and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, meaning only a colossal collapse

would deny UCI a spot in the eight-team Big West tournament.

Gloger’s bucket, his first field goal since a three-pointer with

13:11 left in the first half, rectified what had been a substantial

collapse by the hosts.

UCI, which hit seven first-half three-pointers, including five by

sophomore Ross Schraeder, and shot 64.7% before intermission, led,

36-16, with 3:07 left in the half and 39-21 at the break.

But Idaho (12-14, 8-8), which had won seven of its last eight to

climb into third place, reeled off two 9-0 runs in the first 12

minutes after intermission and finally claimed a 51-50 advantage with

6:32 left. The Vandals twice led by three down the stretch, but

Irvine, which has made a habit of squandering leads against

conference foes, righted itself on the legs of Schraeder, 7-foot

senior center Adam Parada and, finally, Gloger.

Schraeder, who finished with a career-high 27 points and six three

balls, connected for his final three-pointer with 7:44 left to halt

Idaho’s second 9-0 spurt of the half.

Schraeder’s free throw with 6:16 left pulled the hosts even and,

with 3:48 remaining, he drilled an 18-footer to put UCI on top,

57-56. Schraeder, who turned 21 Tuesday, finished 8 of 10 from the

field, 6 of 7 from beyond the arc.

After an Idaho foul shot tied it, Parada netted a pair from the

line with 3:20 left, but Vandal guard Woo Williams canned a three for

a 60-59 edge with 1:48 left.

Schraeder, who was 1 for 9 from the field in Saturday’s loss at

New Mexico State and 2 for 8 from threedom the two games prior to

Thursday, fielded an errant inbound pass and sank a 14-footer with

1:13 left to give Irvine a one-point lead.

After an Idaho bucket, Parada hit an eight-foot jump hook on an

inbounds play with 18 ticks remaining.

Idaho’s Lionel Davis was fouled while shooting with nine seconds

left, but made only the second of two free throws to take some

pressure off UCI’s final possession.

“The play was initially designed to get Ross the ball coming off a

double screen, because he had been hot all game,” Gloger said. “But

the defense was focused in on him, so I had the liberty to penetrate

and create. Thankfully, the shot went in.”

Efevberha had twice hit three-pointers at the regulation buzzer

this season, the first for a victory over visiting UC Riverside and

the second to force overtime in an eventual loss at Long Beach State.

But he was hardly missed on the fateful possession, on which

Gloger appeared to casually dribble past half court, before beginning

to penetrate with about five seconds left.

“I wasn’t sure [Gloger] was going to get it off,” said UCI Coach

Pat Douglass, who praised the big shots made by Schraeder and Parada

that made Gloger’s game-winning heroics possible.

“Schraeder really bailed us out in the first half,” Douglass said.

ZOTS -- Senior Adam Parada’s 14 points Thursday give him 1,295,

moving him past Jeff Von Lutzow (1,284 points from 1989-93) into the

No. 8 spot on the school’s all-time scoring list ... The Anteaters

play host to conference-leading Utah State Saturday at 8:05 p.m. The

game will be televised on ESPN 2. It will be the last home game for

seniors Parada, Stanislav Zuzak, Matt Okoro, Aras Baskauskas and Ryan

Snook, who will be recognized in a postgame ceremony.

*--*

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 65, Idaho 63

Idaho -- Hayes 14, Powell 12, Radlovic 3, Williams 11, Shepard 7, Lyons 6, Jones 5, Davis 3, Kahrimanovic 2. 3-pt. goals -- Williams 3, Shepard 1. Technicals -- Coach Perry 1. UC Irvine -- Okoro 6, Ethington 4, Parad 14, Schraeder 27, Gloger 9, Zuzak 5.

3-pt goals -- Schraeder 6, Gloger 1, Okoro 1.

*--*