UCI’s season runs a-foul

ANAHEIM -- The UC Irvine women’s basketball team was waiting to hear the buzzer at the end of regulation. Instead, it was a whistle that ended the Anteaters’ season in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament on Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The whistle, blown by a referee with 0.9 seconds left, signaled a foul on UCI guard Annie Mai, who reached in after Cal State Northridge guard Jamie McCaa collected a rebound in the corner on the UCI end of the floor.

McCaa, who entered the game shooting 80% from the line this season, sank both ends of the double-bonus situation to lift the Matadors (9-19) to a 66-64 victory.

The loss eliminated the Anteaters (9-19), who dropped their final three games, all in the final minute.

The ill-advised foul came after UCI’s Kimberly Martin missed a 10-foot jump shot with about five seconds left.

UCI’s desperation shot from three-quarter court after McCaa’s second free throw fell well short.

“When I was in the corner, I felt them around me and I was kind of thinking, just let them try to foul me,” McCaa said.

McCaa, a 5-foot-7 junior who had nine rebounds, said she was confident she would make at least one foul shot.

“I was a little nervous, but honestly, I wasn’t scared about shooting them,” said McCaa, who made two late free throws in the final seconds to win a game her sophomore season against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

This was UCI’s game to win for most of the second half, after it rallied from a 38-33 halftime deficit.

UCI closed to within 40-38 by making 5 of 6 free throws. The Anteaters pulled even on Mai’s 10-footer with 13:30 remaining and Mai gave her team the lead with a three-point play with 12:19 left.

The Anteaters used six straight points to take a 62-59 advantage with 2:47 left.

Angie Ned made two free throws with 27 seconds left to put UCI ahead, 64-61. Northridge’s Cassandra Markovich then made a three-pointer to knot the score with 19.8 seconds left.

UCI inbounded and brought the ball up court. UCI Coach Molly Tuter, who had seen her team fail to execute diagramed plays in the final minutes of losses to UC Davis and Long Beach State, elected not to call a timeout. It was a decision she second-guessed after the game.

“I should have called timeout and set something up,” said Tuter.

McCaa’s free throws negated season-high scoring outputs by Melissa Jacob (19) and Mai (12). Mai scored nine second-half points

Jacob was 7 of 12 from the field, 2 of 4 on three-point tries, and 3 of 4 from the foul line. She also had six rebounds in what Tuter said was statistically her best game of the year.

Kelly Cochran had 11 points and 11 rebounds, but both she and Ned ? the team’s two all-conference performers ? were 3 of 11 from the field.

Tuter said it took a while to develop a defensive plan to combat the Matadors’s 6-4 starters Katie Holloway (13 points and six rebounds) and Crystal Hahs (10 points and four boards).

Tuter said the three close losses to finish the season should serve to toughen up a returning nucleus that includes Ned, Cochran and fellow starters Kirian Ishizaki and Stephanie Duda.

“My [players] played their tails off and I’m very proud of they way they battled all season,” said Tuter, her voice choked with emotion. “It has been a great group of kids to be around.”