Kelley key in UCI rally

ANAHEIM — Mark Kelley said he planned to go to bed early Wednesday night, content with the knowledge that today would bring another day, another game, and another chance to extend his collegiate career.

Kelley, a 6-foot-8 center and one of only two seniors for Coach Pat Douglass’ men’s basketball team, made sure he and his teammates wouldn’t spend a sleepless Wednesday night wondering what went wrong against last-place UC Riverside in the first round of the Big West Conference Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center.

No. 5-seeded UCI (14-17) erased an 18-point first-half deficit to claim a 53-52 win and advance to tonight’s quarterfinals against No. 4-seeded UC Santa Barbara (18-10). Tipoff is at approximately 8:30, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 6 p.m. quarterfinal.

For much of the first half and well into the second, the Highlanders (7-24) controlled the game and, seemingly, UCI’s destiny.

The Highlanders, who lost twice to UCI during the regular season, seized leads of 20-8 and 30-12, the latter with 7:56 left in the first half.

UCI closed to within 34-26 by intermission.

But when Larry Cunningham sank an eight-foot runner with 7:17 left in the game, UCI had shaved just one point off its halftime deficit. The Anteaters, Kelley and fellow senior Nic Campbell were clearly running out of time.

Down, 45-38, UCI junior Patrick Sanders netted a free throw and a 15-foot jumper to spark a 9-0 run that gave UCI its first lead since 3-2.

Marcus McIntosh capped the run with a driving layin with 4:12 remaining, finishing a possession that began with a McIntosh steal at the other end and made it 47-45, UCI.

Cunningham countered with two baskets to put the Highlanders back on top, but Sanders drilled two free throws with 2:30 left to forge a 49-49 deadlock.

After Christian Soto missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw situation for Riverside, Kelley got the ball on the block, faked right and spun left to knock down a 10-foot turnaround baseline jumper with 1:55 left.

Riverside senior guard Dedrick Bates netted a pair of free throws with 1:33 left, to make it 51-51, then both teams exchanged turnovers.

UCI freshman point guard Michael Hunter made a steal and tried to take it the length of the floor for a layin, but missed. Kelley, however, was there to clean up the mess, laying in the putback that gave UCI a 53-51 edge with 1:01 remaining.

Bates was fouled on Riverside’s subsequent possession and made the first of the one-and-one opportunity at the line. But his second shot bounced out and Sanders skied for the rebound with 45 seconds left.

UCI committed its 16th turnover of the game on its ensuing possession, when a pass to Sanders down low bounced off his shins and out of bounds with 27 seconds left.

Riverside went to Cunningham on its ensuing trip up the floor, but the 6-2 junior misfired from the left baseline with seconds ticking down. The ball bounced off the far side of the rim, off UCI’s Chuma Awaji and out of bounds to give UCR one more chance with 5.6 seconds left.

After a timeout, Douglass instructed his guards to double-team Cunningham on the ensuing inbounds play and the move effectively denied the Highlanders’ go-to guy the ball.

Instead, baseline inbounder Justin Bell passed to freshman Henrik Thomsen, who stumbled with the ball toward the right corner. Off balance and falling toward the sideline, Thomsen, the Big West Freshman of the Year, who was three of nine from the field, one for five from three-point range at the time, jumped, turned his body toward the basket and launched a two-handed pass toward the middle of the lane.

UCI junior center Darren Fells collected the ball in a crowd and held it until the buzzer sounded.

“We wanted to get the ball to Larry, but we didn’t execute the play,” UCR interim coach Vonn Webb said.

Kelley, who started, but was zero for two from the field in five first-half minutes, made all four of his field-goal tries over the final 7:43 to finish with nine points in 18 minutes.

Sanders led the winners with 15 points and nine rebounds and also had two of the team’s three blocked shots.

Sanders left the game briefly with 5:11 left in the game and later said he was temporarily groggy from being kicked or kneed in the head.

He returned in time to chip in the aforementioned late free throws.

Campbell had 10 points, while Hunter added eight points and a team-high four assists.

UCI lost the turnover battle, 16-6, and shot just 39.5% from the field (17 of 43, including two of 10 from threedom). But Riverside made just six of 23 field-goal tries in the second half (26.1%) and finished at 33.3% from the field.

“We knew once we got the ball inside and stayed aggressive, the game would swing in our favor,” Sanders said. “I just kept thinking ‘We’ve got to win.’ You don’t want to go home on that kind of note.”

Big West Conference TournamentUC Riverside -- Cunningham 19, Thomsen 8, Jim-George 8, Bates 7, Soto 4, Johnson 4, Bell 2.

First round

UC Irvine 53,

UC Riverside 52

3-pt. goals -- Jim-George 2, Thomsen 1, Cunningham 1.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

UC Irvine -- Sanders 15, Campbell 10, Kelley 9, Fells 9, Hunter 8, McIntosh 2.

3-pt. goals -- Campbell 2.

Fouled out -- None.

Technicals -- None.

Halftime -- 34-26, UCR.