‘Eaters finish with a flurry, win

Barry Faulkner

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t clean, but it was what the UC Irvine

men’s basketball team came for Monday night at UC Davis.

The Anteaters (9-6) outscored the host Aggies, 18-9, in the final

5 minutes, 10 seconds to prevail, 71-64, in a nonconference game that

featured eight ties and nine lead changes.

“[The Aggies, who came in on a season-high two-game winning

streak] have been playing good basketball,” UCI Coach Pat Douglass

said of the hosts, who will become a full-fledged member of the Big

West Conference when this season’s freshmen are seniors.

UCI’s long senior, Greg Ethington, made a 10-foot baseline jumper

to pull the visitors even and erase Davis’ final lead with 5:10 left.

Ethington, limited to 23 minutes by foul trouble, then found

freshman Darren Fells for a layup with 4:35 left and UCI never

trailed again.

It was the third straight win for UCI, which has now won all three

of its road games in Northern California. The Anteaters are 5-4 on

the road this season, after posting a 1-11 mark last year.

“We’re just trying to fight each game and get a win,” Douglass

said. “But any time you win on the road ... .”

The ‘Eaters, who hope to maintain their momentum in conference

home games against Utah State (Thursday) and Idaho (Saturday), began

the game on the road to defeat.

Davis seized a 10-0 lead and managed a 29-28 halftime edge,

despite UCI shooting 62.5% from the field (10 of 16).

The ‘Eaters matched that efficiency in the final 20 minutes to

finish 62.5% for the game (25 of 40).

Unlike recent wins over Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State,

when UCI rediscovered its uptempo offense, Monday’s game was much

more methodical.

UCI had six of the game’s eight fast-break points, so it was

half-court execution and dogged defense that became its keys to

victory.

Junior point guard Aaron Fitzgerald broke down the Davis defense

for a pair of layins, one with each hand, to start and finish a 6-0

run that produced a 66-59 lead with 0:49 remaining.

“We just had way too many defensive breakdowns to play with a team

of this caliber,” Aggies’ Coach Gary Stewart said. “We didn’t do a

good job of defending the dribble.”

UCI, however, produced with more than penetration, as five

Anteater starters combined to make 20 of 30 field-goal attempts

(67%).

Fitzgerald, who was 6 of 7 from the field, led the winners with 14

points. He also added a team-high seven rebounds and five assists.

Ross Schraeder, playing with a mask to protect a nasal fracture,

had 13 points, including 3 of 5 from three-point range.

Jeff Gloger chipped in 10 points, five rebounds and four assists,

while Ethington had nine points and six boards.

Fells was 3 of 3 from the field for his six points and Douglass

praised the bench contributions of Davis Baker, Adam Metelski and Nic

Campbell (five points apiece).

Seniors Fowzi Abdelsamad and Ryan Moore paced UC Davis with 22 and

19 points, respectively. Abdelsamad was 6 of 8 from three-point range

to help keep the hosts in it.

Big West Conference

UC Irvine 71,

UC Davis 64

UC Irvine -- Fells 6, Gloger 10, Ethington 9, Fitzgerlad 14,

Schraeder 13, Campbell 5, Baker 5, Metelski 5, Armstrong 4.

3-pt. goals -- Schraeder 3, Campbell 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

UC Davis -- Ehsan 0, Moore 19, Jullerat 1, Abdelsamad 22, Marentez

9, Stearns 7, Rasmussen 4, Butts 2.

3-pt. goals -- Abdelsamad 6, Moore 2, Marentez 1, Stearns 1.

Fouled out -- Rasmussen.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- UC Davis, 29-28.