Anteaters go on the defensive, end streak

UC Irvine holds San Jose State to 38.2% shooting and pulls away late to snap a two-game skid with 10-point victory over Spartans in nonconference contest Saturday.After two frustrating losses, UC Irvine’s men’s basketball team got back on the winning side with a 68-58 nonconference victory over San Jose State at the Bren Events Center on Saturday night.

The Anteaters were coming off back-to-back losses -- 79-76 at Pepperdine, and 91-90 at home against Division II Cal State Stanislaus.

UCI (4-3) produced a more defensive effort against the Spartans, holding the visitors to 23 points in the first half. San Jose State shot 38.2% from the field for the game.

The Anteaters led by as many as 11 points in the first half, before San Jose State rallied to pull within five points at the break, 28-23.

The Spartans (3-4) made a pair of runs in the second half, led by Alex Elam and Carlton Spencer. Elam scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half, and Spencer hit a three-pointer with 5:07 remaining to cut UCI’s lead to 52-50 with 5:07 remaining.

San Jose State then had a chance to tie the score or take the lead, but UCI’s Darren Fells drew a charge to stall the momentum. The change of possession sparked a 6-0 run by the Anteaters.

After San Jose State’s Matt Misko scored five points to cut the lead to 58-55, Aaron Fitzgerald and Ross Schraeder then hit back-to-back three-pointers as the Anteaters pulled away down the stretch.

Fells led UCI with a team-best 19 points and eight rebounds, also recording five steals. The sophomore connected on 8 of 15 from the field and had a pair of blocked shots, as the Anteaters outscored San Jose State, 32-16, in the paint.

Fitzgerald chipped in with 18 points and four assists.

Schraeder scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, giving him 65 points over the Anteaters’ last three games. Schraeder made 5 of 6 from the field, connecting on four of his five three-point shots.

UCI shot 56.3% from the field, making seven of 12 from three-point range.

San Jose State was led by Elam, who also had four three-pointers before fouling out, and Spencer -- the only other Spartans player in double-digits with 11 points and three three-pointers.

The Spartans were without leading scorer Demetrius Brown, who was sidelined with a bacterial infection.

The Anteaters will be off until Dec. 17, when they travel to Boulder, Colo., to play the University of Colorado.200512045V1LKJT3No Caption